A lush, deep green primeval forest filled with ancient, flat-topped cedar trees, with low-lying clouds and white mountain fog weaving through the dense canopy and rugged valley background.

Japanese Cedar / Yakusugi (Cryptomeria japonica)

Embrace of the Mist

Swallowed by the perpetual dampness of Yakushima’s ancient montane valleys, giant Cryptomeria japonica hold court over a nearly impenetrable temperate wilderness.

David S. McMeans · Nikon Z8 · Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S wide-angle zoom

Yakushima National Park, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan

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Embrace of the Mist

Swallowed by the perpetual dampness of Yakushima’s ancient montane valleys, giant Cryptomeria japonica hold court over a nearly impenetrable temperate wilderness. Known locally as Yakusugi, these extraordinarily slow-growing evergreens thrive in an ecosystem fueled by relentless rainfall, developing highly dense, resin-rich wood that prevents decay over thousands of years. As low-hanging clouds spill over the steep granite walls of Kagoshima Prefecture, they weave directly through the flat, layered canopies, depositing vital moisture that nourishes a rich understory of endemic mosses, ferns, and thriving broadleaf saplings competing for a rare glimpse of sunlight.

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