Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. Robert Walker
no extra charge for the common area tatami-style sleeping rooms on the Tokara but it is possible to upgrade to private cabins with either two or four berths.
Tamoto Lily (Lilium nobilissimum)
Of the more than 200 genera called Lilium found within the Liliaceae family, and the more than 2,000 species of lily, a good number originate in the Ryūkyū Islands where they are called yuri (百合). One, in particular, comes from the volcano island of Kuchinoshima, an indigenous white lily known as Tamoto Yuri. It has very fragrant pure white, funnel-shaped flowers with bright yellow pollen on the inside and green shading on the outside.
Quickly enough, at 11:00AM, the ship is underway again, now a long 22 miles (35 kilometers) southwest to the next little cluster of three islands, starting with Kotakarajima, where arrival is scheduled for 12:20PM. The ship bypasses tiny uninhabited Kojima just over a mile (2 kilometers) before reaching Kotakara Island. At 12:30PM, from Kotakarajima it’s 9 miles (14 kilometers) southwest to the last island in this subgroup, Takarajima, arriving at 1:05PM. The trip takes altogether about 13 hours from departure at Kagoshima the previous evening.
If the ship departs from Kagoshima on the Friday sailing, it will dock at Takara on Saturday afternoon, stay there the remainder of the day and over night until 7:15AM Sunday morning. Then it will depart northbound, make all the same Tokara Island stops in reverse and arrive back in Kagoshima at 8:30PM the same day. If, however, the ship departs Kagoshima southbound on the Monday sailing, it will first make all the same ports of call described above and likewise arrive at Takarajima at 1:05PM the next day, which in this case is Tuesday. But rather than docking and spending the night, after a 15-minute stop, at 1:20PM, the ship will depart and continue due south another 56 miles (90 kilometers) to Nazé, the principal city of Amami-Ōshima, the northernmost and largest island of the Amami-shotō. About midway along the way, and approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the west, lies the final cluster of Tokara Islands—the two uninhabited volcano isles of Kaminoneshima and Yokoatejima. They are too far away to be seen from the ferry.
This last leg of the cruise is three hours and arrives in Nazé at 4:20PM, Tuesday. Here the ship moors and stays until 4:00AM Wednesday morning. Then it will depart northbound, sailing three hours to arrive back at Takarajima at 7:00AM. From there, starting at 7:15AM, the ship will make all the same Tokara Island stops in reverse, arriving back in Kagoshima at 8:30PM Wednesday evening. Late Friday night, two days later, the cycle begins all over again. Note that the only day the ship is at rest is Thursday. This day is a catch-up for weather and any other delays that have interfered with the normal weekly schedule. By the way, this schedule has not changed in over ten years. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
As for these dozen islands, although to the casual observer it may seem as though one is more or less the same as another, that’s not true. Every island is a little different and each has its own special attraction. Some, like Suwanosejima, have active volcanoes. Others, like Nakanoshima, have good onsen. Yet another will have a good beach or a coral reef for diving or snorkeling. And some, like Tairajima, will have some historical ties to ancient Japan. Akusekijima is the island of the mask god Bozé and each summer a festival is held there.
Each and every island is an individual and, like people, each is unique and special. Kotakarajima may be unusual merely because it is so small and yet inhabited. All the islands have sago palms and hibiscus flowers and stars and ocean. All have beauty. Finally, for dreamers, some believe that the coral island Takarajima, literally, “Treasure Island,” is the spot on which Robert Louis Stevenson based his eponymously named novel.
1 KUCHINOSHIMA 口之島
The northernmost island of the Tokara group and the first stop on the semi-weekly ferry when sailing south out of Kagoshima is Kuchinoshima (口之島; Kuchi-no-shima). It’s an irregularly shaped island, more or less a 2 by 3-mile (3 by 5-kilometer) rectangle but with an extra extension on its northern end. The port is located in the northwest in a natural bay formed at the junction of the island’s main body and its northern extension. Other than a cement plant, there’s almost nothing to see at the port itself.
Just over the hill, beyond the port, there are two small villages, Nishinohama and Kuchinoshima, although it’s difficult to tell where one ends and another begins. The total population is only about 160. There are three minshuku inns in town and a nice public bath. At the other end of the island, at its southeasternmost point, there’s another onsen. It’s outdoors and free.
Uninhabited Kogaja (left) and Gaja (right), the two “Lying Down Snake Islands.”
Altogether, Kuchinoshima’s area is a little over 5 square miles (13 square kilometers), with a circumference of a bit over 12 miles (20 kilometers). The Kanji character 口 (kuchi) means “mouth,” a reference to the craters of several good-sized volcanoes on this island: Mt Mae (前岳; Maé-daké), with an elevation of 2,062 feet (628 meters), and Mt Yoko (横岳; Yoko-daké) at 1,647 feet (502 meters). Both are located near the center of the main body of the island. There’s a good circle-island road that goes right around them and there are trails almost to the very top of both.
2 KOGAJAJIMA 小臥蛇島
This micro-sized uninhabited islet lies about 14 miles (22 kilometers) west of Nakanoshima. It is egg-shaped, about 1,640 feet (500 meters) wide from east to west and almost a mile (1.6 kilometers) long from north to south. Its name literally translates as “Little Lying Down Snake Island,” which doesn’t make it sound all that attractive. Maybe that’s why it’s not inhabited. Maybe JNTO (the Japan National Tourism Organization) should get to work on this and rename it, something like “Happy Island” or “Isle of Beauty and Peace.” Why not? Years ago, the Bahamas renamed “Hog Island” as “Paradise Island” and look what it did for that place. Neither Kogajajima (小臥 蛇島; Ko-gaja-jima) nor Gajajima (臥蛇島; Gaja-jima) is inhabited or inhabitable.
3 GAJAJIMA 臥蛇島
Four miles (6 kilometers) further west from Kogajajima (19 miles/30 kilometers west of Nakanoshima) is Gajajima (臥蛇島; Gajajima) or “Lying Down Snake Island.” It’s Little Lying Down Snake Island’s larger big brother is also uninhabited. It’s roughly triangular in shape, less than a mile (1 kilometer) wide and 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) long from top to bottom. Ditto the renaming idea. There’s a volcano on the island, Mt Ontake (御岳; On-také).
4 NAKANOSHIMA 中之島
As the ferry approaches, Nakanoshima (中之島; Naka-no-shima) looms, a green mountain floating on a blue sea. Popular with divers, it is ringed by coral reefs. The island, whose name translates as “Middle or “Central Island,” is the largest in the Tokara group. It’s about a 3 by 5-mile (5 by 8-kilometer)-shaped oval, except for a short protuberance on its southeastern side. It has a coastline circumference of 20 miles (32 kilometers) and an overall area of not quite 13 square miles (35 square kilometers). Around 170 people live on the island. Nakanoshima town and the port are located on the island’s central west side. There are three minshuku in town but almost nothing at the port.
Only a mile (2 kilometers) or so to the north as the crow flies is the island’s dominating feature—3,212-foot (979-meter)-tall Mt Mi (御岳; Mi-také), which is the highest peak in the Tokaras. There is a road that encircles the volcano, plus a small, extremely twisty road that goes almost to the caldera at the top. There are an additional two roads that start in town. One goes to the island’s southeast corner, the other to the southwest end. There’s an unpaved road that connects those two along the southern coast. It’s pretty rugged but drivable.
Nakanoshima dock on the largest Tokara Island.
Dawn arrival at the symmetrical cone-shaped Nakanoshima.