Kirishima-Yaku National Park - national park of Japan
Kirishima National Park (霧島屋久国立公園 Kirishima-Yaku kokuritsu kōen) is in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, Kyushu.
Understand
Kirishima-Yaku National Park is composed of two parts: Kirishima, on the main island of Kyushu, and the nearby islands of Yakushima and Kuchinoerabu to the south. This guide focuses on Kirishima, while Yakushima is covered in a separate article. Locals are usually confused by people using the combined "Kirishima-Yaku" name, so it's better to stick to the name of the respective area you are referring to.
History
Landscape
Often likened to the surface of the moon, the Kirishima mountain range has 23 volcanic cones, of which 15 are intact and 10 are filled with water.
Flora and fauna
Climate
Kirishima literally means "Misty Island", but it's not an island at all: instead, the name is a reference to how often the mountain is wrapped in misty fog, and it's thus not a surprise that it rains more or less all the time here.
Get in
Kirishima is quite spread out. For the hot springs, the nearest station is Kirishima Jingu (霧島神宮駅) on the JR Nippo Line between Kagoshima (45 min) and Miyazaki (1 hr 20 min), from where buses connect to the hot spring resort of Kirishima Onsen (霧島温泉) in 25 min.
Access to the trailheads at Ebino Kogen (えびの高原) is harder, and your own car will come in handy. For buses, check with the Kirishima Tourism Office] (tel. +81 995-57-1588) and Miyazaki Kotsu.
Fees and permits
Get around
See
Do
Thanks to heavy volcanic activity, there are countless hot springs in the area, some of which have a recognizable smell or billowing pillars of steam. Several ashiyu (足湯), or "foot baths," in the area are free of charge.
There is also a large and famous shrine in the area worth visiting called Kirishima Jingu (霧島神宮).