YAKUSHIMA, Kagoshima Prefecture—An ancient giant has fallen in the forest believed to have inspired Studio Ghibli's "Princess Mononoke." However, this one was not Lady Eboshi's fault.

Does it really rain 366 days a year on Yakushima island, the place that inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s 1997 animated film “Princess Mononoke ... is the laurel forest zone with banyan trees ...

The Great Forest Spirit and the Fisheye Mononoke Camo also feature on a shoulder ... a real island off the southern tip of Japan called Yakushima. The forests in the movie all draw inspiration ...