Botanical name Cryptomeria japonica Botany and origins Yakusugi refers to “Japanese cedar” from the island of Yakushima, typically growing at an altitude of 500 m and higher. Yakushima is a subtropical island off the southern coast of Kyushu and part of Kagoshima prefecture. It is covered by an extensive cedar forest that contains some of Japan’s oldest living trees. Trees more than 1,000 years old are called yakusugi (a combination of Yakushima and sugi,...