YES! Yakushima

  My husband and I booked the Shiratani Unsuikyo tour with two friends over the long weekend and had a wonderful experience. Steve was an outstanding tour guide who delivered... read more a professional, informative and fun tour that made a huge difference to our visit to Yakushima. Just a few specifics: Steve arrived at our hotel on time and checked our gear – both footwear and raingear – as well as inquiring into any medical issues and confirmed we knew what we were getting into before we set off. At the entrance to the trail, he provided us the layout of the hiking trail and noted that there were two routes we could opt for when we reached a certain point totally based upon how we felt physically and what it was we were looking for in the hike – summit or forest. While on the hike he made sure we were comfortable with the pace and would stop and provide informational vignettes which provided knowledge as well as upon occasion, much needed breaks in the hike up a very steep trail. He was able to read his audience which made the hike much more enjoyable for everyone. He provided the same measure of concern and control over us on our way back down which was significantly more difficult due to moss-covered rocks and water hazards. When we finally got down to the parking lot after approximately seven hours, he made certain everyone was physically well and satisfied with the excursion. On the way back to our hotel, Steve went out of his way to graciously stop at a several locations so we could pick up cash and groceries as these facilities would have been closed by the time we go back – lifesaver! Also important to note, the tour price included a filling Bento box for lunch consisting of two onigiri as well as pork cutlets and karaage. We highly recommend YES! Yakushima to anyone who wants to really learn about the island while enjoying the various excursions available.

  Traveling to and on Yakushima with YES is highly recommendable! We had wonderful days on the island and Steve was key to this wonderful vacation! He arranged everything for us:... read more ferry tickets, a wonderful minshuku with lovely hosts and guided trips on the island (including snorkeling fun with wild sea turtles). He showed us his favorite places on the island, which were super beautiful. Listening to his stories and knowledge about Yakushima was great fun, too! Thanks a lot for everything!

  Yakushima was an amazing place to visit, I do not think however, that it would have be nearly as incredible if we did not have Steve as our guide.... read more We did two hiking tours(Shiratani Unsuikyo and Mt.Kuromidake) and the Yakushima Island tour, all three of these days were amazing and definitely highlights of our trip. Steve knew the answer to all of our questions and more, informing us about various different facts regarding the island ranging from the history of the island to a good place to grab a beer.
We would not have gotten nearly as much out of this island if we had gone off on our own and just winged it.
We all highly recommend this company for your trip to guarantee an amazing stay on this beautiful island.

  My husband and I arrived in Yakushima excited to start our adventure. As we walked around trying to rent a car, we were continually turned down. After the 6th rejection,... read more we sat on a curb in a grocery store parking lot, eating apples, and contemplating our life decisions. During the planning of this trip, we saw great reviews for "Yakushima English Service (YES)." Maybe they might have a shuttle or some other advice on getting around the island? We decided to call. YES co-owner, Steve, said give me 10 minutes to call around. Within 30 minutes, Navi Car Rental Services showed up, drove us to their store, and rented us a car! Worth mentioning is that they did not even take advantage of our desperate state! The car and price were PERFECT! Not only did Steve save our trip, but he also shared his wealth of knowledge on Yakushima, giving us great hiking recommendations. When asked how we could ever repay him for his kindness, he simply requested that we pay it forward. And, we certainly will! Thank you so much Steve, Helen, and YES!

  YES! Yakushima made our journey memorable and easy. Travelling as a foreigner in Yakushima is not easy especially if you don't speak Japanese. By remotely booking our reservations and accommodating... read more our last minute schedule changes due to unforeseen circumstances, YES! Yakushima made it easy to go around the island. I would recommend using their services 100%. The lady who came to give us the car at the port saved us precious JPY by introducing us to local discount vouchers. The maps and guides in English provided by the car company made it so easy to drive around. If I go back, this will be my choice of booking.

  Yes! Yakushima not only guided us on an unforgettable forest tour but also helped with everything from booking our accommodation, book and organize car rental, helped to cancel a booked... read more tour after one of us had to go to the Hospital to advice us to leave the Island earlier than planned because of an approaching Typhoon. One could go the forest tour by themselves but wow, what you would miss out! Our guide, Steve, has incredible detail knowledge about many different issues, like moss, birds, trees, frogs (?!) history (not only Yakushima but Japan). Also, even if the tour is easy in normal conditions you are happy to have a guide if the weather would change quickly.

  We booked 2 accomodations and a rental car with YES (It was a last minute booking). Steeve was really helpful. Very fast replies.
YES website gave us... read more many good advices about the island.
I highly recommend YES!

  Our favourite part of our experience with YES was Steve. Truly a Renaissance Man. Knowledgable about Yakushima, history of Japan, flora and fauna, music industry, furniture making, history of time,... read more space and dimension. You name it and Steve was knowledgable on the topic.

As we were looking at travelling throughout Yakushima for 3 nights and 2 days we kept coming across well thought out and interesting tours from YES. Our group are definitely not organized tour kind of travellers but my gut instinct told me we would be in great hands with YES.

All our organizational communication with Steve was very quickly sorted out and recommendations were spot on. As Steve mentioned he is economical with his talk and writing and thus you should not find his communication with you short but rather succinct

Steve organized everything for us. Hotel, ferry, one day trip around the Island and walking in Shiratani Unsuikyo. Everything he organized ran super smoothly.

The tour around the Island was fantastic. We learned a lot of things and never once felt rushed or that we were being pushed along.

The time we spent at the rotemburo was outstanding. We've been in many onsens in Japan and that was perhaps the best. If you can get over the Western reticience of being naked in public with your friends and partners then you will truly love this experience.

All in all this was a fantastic couple of days that we spent being immersed in Yakushima life with Steve. He made our trip to the Island perfect.

When travel does begin again in earnest please consider spending a day or two with Yes Yakushima. They are value for money, knowledgable, chilled out and a very professionally run operator that very much takes their role in the community seriously.

Thanks Steve. Soldier on through these times and we look forward to seeing you again when we return to Yakushima!

Dave, Marlene, Brian and Karin
Vancouver Island

  We booked Yes Yakushima for two days - one was the Shiratani Unsuiko hike and the other was an island tour. Our guide for the hike was warm, friendly, and... read more quite knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. He pointed out interesting insects and plants as well as the well-known trees, went at our pace and was just the right amount of sociable. He brought great food and made hot tea at lunch. We took the island tour on the second day and stopped at about a dozen places along the way. We saw the local deer and monkeys, wonderful pottery, the lighthouse, lots of water falls and other interesting sites. He knew a lot about the island history as well as Japan’s history and how it fit into world events. We had a great day out. It might seem pricey to some budgets but you get an individualized experience. We loved it!

  I sought help from YesYakushima for a last-minute car rental booking on the weekend. Steve couldn't have been more helpful. He not only set the booking up for... read more me, but liaised with the car rental company (Navi) when my jetfoil voyage from Tanegashima to Yakushima was cancelled twice on one day because of bad weather, the upshot being that I eventually arrived in Anbo, rather than in Miyanoura as originally booked. I was greatly impressed by the fact that he was proactively monitoring what was happening with the jetfoil, and was keeping me informed of options. He clearly understands the situation and needs of travellers extremely well, and on the basis of my experience I would give his services the highest recommendation.