Taking a ferry to Yakushima Island

After looking at the Ferry and Bus schedules for Yakushima Island, It seems like there is not much that can be done if I take the Ferry Yakyshima 2 out one day, and return the next day. The even slower Ferry Hbiscus seems like a better deal, even though it will take overnight to get there.

I am expecting that if you take the Ferry Hibiscus, you required to disenbark at Tanekashima for the night, and then reboard the ferry to get to Yakushima. Is this correct, or , can you just stay on the ferry so as to not miss the 5:00 AM departure from Tamekashima?

Can anyone give me your personal experiences traveling from Kagoshima to Yakushima on either of these ferries?

In addition, How long did you stay on the Island, and what did you see?

I took one of the jetfoils because I was short on time.

I stayed on Yakushima for 2 nights and 3 days.
Here's what I did:
Day 1: http://zoomingjapan.com/travel/yakushima-waterfalls-and-fruit-garden/
Day 2: http://zoomingjapan.com/travel/yakushima-yakusugi-land-and-museum/
Day 3: http://zoomingjapan.com/travel/yakushima-shiratani-unsuikyo/

I highly recommend a rental car, because it will save you a lot of time!

Thank You, for your reply. I looked at your blogs, and immediatly purchased the "Yakumonkey Guide" to help me plan.

I was thinking about using the bus system, and I have aquired the bus map and timetables for the Kotsu Bus Routes, but it seems like it is very difficult to do much with the limited number of stops that the have, other than taking some of the Sightseeing Buses. Even then, you will have limited time at any of the locations.

It's VERY easy to drive on Yakushima! The main road goes along the coast. You basically drive in a big circle around the island.
Just make sure you get a valid driver's license for Japan (in most cases an international driver's license is enough, some countries need a translation of the driver's license, though).

I highly recommend a rental car! It's not impossible to explore the island by bus, but it will take a lot of time!

I'l look into what I need to do to get an international driver's license.

The bus schedule is why I started to look at going on the ferry Hibiscus. I get the feeling that the entire Island has only three or four busses.

The ferry Hibiscus gets into Yakushima Island at 7AM, and I can then go to my hotel and drop off my bags. I could then catch the bus on it's second time around the island.

With the ferry Yakushima arriving at 12:30 PM, the bus may stop at the bus stop by the hotel once or twice more for the entire day.

I can see why people rent cars to get around.