, also spelled Ambō, is a port town and the major settlement of the island of

Yakushima is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of 13,178. It is accessible by hydrofoil ferry, car ferry, or by air to Yakushima Airport. Administratively, the island consists of the town ...

, in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is part of the municipality (with town status) of

Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...

History

Originally part of the municipality of Kamiyaku, on October 1, 2007, it merged the municipality of Yaku (including

Miyanoura is a port town and the second 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 Yaku, on October 1, 2007 ...

) to create the current municipality of Yakushima.

Geography

Anbō is a coastal town on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, east of the island of

, below the mountains and crossed in the middle by Anbō River. It is 19 km southeast of the town of

, and 13 km northeast of the village of

Hiranai () is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and a part of the Aomori metropolitan area. , the town had an estimated population of 9,750 in 4,736 households, and a population density of 45 persons per km2. It is the most heavily populate ...

. 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 is a city located on the island of Tanegashima, in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 14,151 in 7941 households, and a population density of 69 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Nishin ...

(on

Tanegashima is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to New Tanegashima Airp ...

island),

and

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

. The town is crossed by the main island road and is served by a bus network. Nearest airport is

Yakushima Airport is an airport located on the island of Yakushima in Kumage District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordere ...

, located 8,5 km north.

Anbō Forest Railway

, also known as Yakushima Forest Railway, is one of the last

forest railway A forest railway, forest tram, timber line, logging railway or logging railroad is a mode of railway transport which is used for forestry tasks, primarily the transportation of felling, felled Trunk (botany), logs to sawmills or railway stations. ...

s 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 is a mountain in central Yakushima in Kagoshima Prefecture. At an altitude of , it is the highest peak of Yakushima and also the highest peak of the Kyushu region. It is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The mountains are registered ...

and close to the

Jōmon Sugi is a large ''Cryptomeria'' tree (yakusugi) located on Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Japan. It is the oldest and largest among the old-growth cryptomeria trees on the island, and is estimated to be between 2,170 and 7,200 years o ...

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.Yakushima Forest Railway
/ref>

References

External links

Yakushima town website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anbo Yakushima, Kagoshima Villages in Kagoshima Prefecture Neighbourhoods in Japan