Visit Yakushima Island to see how the loggerhead turtle lays its eggs. Later in the summer, watch the babies fight in the sea.
The island of Yakushima, in the rainforest off the southern coast of Kyushu, is home to the largest spawning grounds for loggerhead turtles in the North Pacific. From May to July, more than 500 turtles come to Inakahama Beach to spawn. Later in the summer, you can watch the newborns make their way to the ocean. Loggerhead turtles born in Yakushima grow up to a meter in length and migrate around the Pacific Ocean before returning to the island to leave their young.
Yakushima is home to a turtle museum and research center that is open every night during the summer so that visitors can see the turtles on the beach.
When to go: The turtles lay their eggs on the island from May to July, and the hatchlings head out to sea from July to September.