Seasick and dehydrated, I was looking forward to our arrival on Yakushima, an island that is 90 percent forest, has 46 peaks at over 1,000 meters, and boasts more than 3,000 types of insects. I certainly needed a break after three days of looking at only sea from a 45 ft yacht pitching in 2.5-meter waves. Yes, greenery and solid land would be good for me.

A World Heritage site since 1993, Yakushima has attracted tourists eager to visit its ancient cypress forests and Japanese cedar trees: the great Jomon Sugi, which is estimated to be thousands of years old, the numerous Yakusugi (trees more than 1,000 years old) and even the Kosugi (those less than 1,000 years old).

Although Yakushima lies just 100 km south of Kyushu, it gets much more rain. This is because the Kuroshio Current pushes warm moist air up from the south which forms clouds over Yakushima's Okudake mountains. These clouds deposit anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 mm of precipitation every year onto the island. Talk about always having a black cloud over your head!