Without stopping, it takes three hours to drive around the main road that lines the coast of Yakushima. On our ninth day, we rented a car to explore as many of the sights on the periphery of Yakushima as possible.
And there were sights! The typhoon had carried away the island's usual rainy weather and left us with a clear day in which to enjoy the beauty of Yakushima. Beaches, tidal pools, a backdrop of magnificent mountainous forest, waterfalls and monkeys.
Pictured above is the Ohko waterfall, an impressive thing to stand before. I cannot recall how long we stayed in the spray and roar of the waterfall, but I remember not wanting to leave.