In May of 2009, I hiked the Yakushima Traverse trail on the Island of Yaksuhima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. This island lies just south of the large southern island of Kyushu. The island itself is on UNESCO's World Heritage list due to its incredible beauty and untouched old growth forests (especially cedar). Taking the ferry from the city of Kagoshima to Yakushima is a wonderful experience as well due to the island’s topography: the island is small, yet rises very abruptly out of the water. The mountains on the island exceed 6000 feet and the highest mountain, Myanura Dake, is considered sacred by many Japanese and is a popular destination.