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3,000-Year-Old Yakusugi Cedar Toppled by Typhoon Shanshan; Storm Also Caused Landslides, Blocked Roads on Yakushima Island

**Left:** Courtesy of Kumiko Yabuta, **Right:** Courtesy of Yakusugi Museum
**Left:** The Yayoi Cedar, which is believed to have been toppled by strong winds from Typhoon Shanshan, on Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Saturday.
**Right:** The Yayoi Cedar before it collapsed

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:30 JST, September 3, 2024

YAKUSHIMA, Kagoshima – Among the damage caused across Japan by Typhoon Shanshan was the toppling of the 3,000-year-old Yayoi Cedar in Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine on Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The storm, also referred to as Typhoon No. 10, approached Yakushima from Aug. 27 to 29. On August 31, guides from the tour company Yakushima Guide Office Sangaku Taro, including Kumiko Yabuta (34), went out to check the damage. They found the Yayoi Cedar broken near its base, apparently knocked over by strong winds.

Landslides also occurred in several places, blocking off the route to the ravine and its symbolic Jomon Cedar tree, they reported. The company has received a series of tour cancellations.

“I hope the road will be restored soon,” Yabuta said.