Anbō, Yakushima Explained

Anbō
Native Name Lang:ja
Settlement Type:Neighbourhood
Pushpin Map:Japan
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Japan
Coordinates:30.315°N 130.654°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Japan
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Kyushu (Ōsumi)
Subdivision Type2:Prefecture
Subdivision Name2:Kagoshima Prefecture
Subdivision Type3:District
Subdivision Name3:Kumage
Subdivision Type4:Town (municipality)
Subdivision Name4:Yakushima
Established Title:First official recorded
Established Date:?
Established Title2:Kamiyaku town settled
Established Date2:April 1, 1958
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Total:8,000
Population As Of:2008
Timezone1:JST
Utc Offset1:+09:00

, also spelled Ambō, is a port town and the major settlement of the island of Yakushima, in Japan. It is part of the municipality (with town status) of Yakushima, Kagoshima Prefecture.

History

Originally part of the municipality of Kamiyaku, on October 1, 2007, it merged the municipality of Yaku (including Miyanoura) to create the current municipality of Yakushima.

Geography

Anbō is a coastal town on the Pacific Ocean, east of the island of Yakushima, below the mountains and crossed in the middle by Anbō River. It is 19 km southeast of the town of Miyanoura, and 13 km northeast of the village of Hiranai. A 13 km mountain road links it to the touristic natural areas Arakawa Waterfalls and Yakusugi Land.

Transport

The port of Anbō has passenger services to Kuchinoerabu, Nishinoomote (on Tanegashima island), Miyanoura and Kagoshima. The town is crossd by the main island road and is served by a bus network.[1] [2] Nearest airport is Yakushima Airport, located 8,5 km north.

Anbō Forest Railway

, also known as Yakushima Forest Railway, is one of the last forest railways still operating in Japan. It has a length of 11.2 km, plus a branch of 7.1 km. The railway has a gauge of 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) and starts north of Anbō town, reaching the Arakawa Waterfalls, the ghost village of Kosugidani, and a forest area below Mount Miyanoura and close to the Jōmon Sugi tree. Some sections of the railway tracks are used as hiking trails. However, a section of the route is not open to the public. Since 2013, attempts have been made to use a section of the route as a tourist railway.[3]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.kagoshima-kankou.com/for/highlights/yakushima_island/access Access to Yakushima Island
  2. https://www.tofugu.com/travel/yakushima-shiratani-unsuikyo/ Yakushima bus network map and other tourist info about the island
  3. https://www.yakushima-forest-railway.com/vision Yakushima Forest Railway