Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. Robert Walker
at 10,062 feet (3,067 meters). It’s located in Japan’s northern “Alps” on Honshu main island. Another well-known volcano is Tokyo’s Mt Mitake (御岳山; Mi-také-san) at 3,048 feet (929 meters). The Kanji character for the Mi-, O- and On- peaks is the same, 御, and carries the meaning “imperial” or “royal.” It’s only the pronunciation of the mountain’s name that may be different. And speaking of that, the Kanji character that means peak, 岳, also has several pronunciations: také and daké are both used.
For hundreds of years, sulphur deposits were mined on Mt Mi but that ceased after World War II. What hasn’t ceased are the hot springs flowing from the volcano. There are two hot springs near the port. The sulfurous, mineral-rich waters of Onsen Nishiku (西区) and Onsen Higashiku (東区) are open 24/7 and are clean and free.
There’s also a free astronomical observatory, the Nakanoshima-tenmondai (中之島 天文台). It has the largest telescope in Kyushu, a 24-inch (60-centimeter) mirror. All that’s required are reservations made with the telescope’s keeper. Nakanoshima also has the Tokara Museum (歴史民俗資料館; Rekishi-minzoku-shiryokan), the only historical museum in the islands. It contains some interesting exhibits but the captioning is only in Japanese.
The island has an elementary and junior level school, with seven students at last count. Other than the school, minshuku inns, the baths and private homes, that’s about all you’ll find. On Nakano Island, and on all the Tokara Islands, there are virtually no shops, no Family-Marts or 7-11s, no gas stations, no restaurants, bakeries, book stores or anything else—nothing! You usually won’t even find vending machines because there is no one to restock them. Because it’s so isolated, most people order and buy everything, including their groceries, from the stores in Kagoshima. Goods are delivered by the ferry service. Residents who own cars must purchase fuel in 200-liter drums which are likewise delivered to the islands. Throughout the Tokaras, the ferry is an indispensible lifeline to Japan and the outside world.
There are not too many places where you’ll find the air cleaner and the skies clearer than at Nakanoshima Observatory.
Tokara horses roam wild at Cape Seri.
The port at Tairajima, the third inhabited island, is visible lower left. Dese rock is on the far right.
But, having said all that, perhaps this lack of “civilization” is the reason why you have come. For if you wanted to be on the Tokyo Ginza (東京銀座; Tōkyō-ginza), you’d be there. Rather, you’re here, and here is a quiet, calm and peaceful natural beauty. In the southeast of the island, cultivated pastures spread out before you. You’ll find Okinawan black cows, famous for their fine beef, and you’ll see Tokara horses, a smaller breed than most. There are also goats. At the south- east land’s end, you’ll come to the Yaruse Lighthouse (ヤルセ灯台; Yarusé tōdai) at the end of Cape Seri (セリ岬; Seri-misaki) and there you’ll look out over the vast and endless Pacific and perhaps think about the tiny space we each occupy, like the tiny space each of these islands occupies. And although tiny and seemingly insignificant, each of us on this great, large planet is significant.
HIRASE (平瀨; Hirasé). There are not many named “satellite” islets in the Tokaras as most islands are small enough on their own. But here’s one. It’s really tiny, a little oval about 490 by 275 feet (150 by 250 meters) planted right at the bottom of Nakanoshima, a little less than a mile (1 kilometer) southwest of Cape Seri. Hirase’s name literally means “flat stretch of shallow water ending at a sand-bank” or, more figuratively, the “flat utmost tip of a cape.”
5 TAIRAJIMA 平島
This is the third inhabited island in the middle of Tokara’s first group of islands. It’s quite small, only about 0.75 by 1.25 miles (1 by 2 kilometers), with an area of 0.08 square miles (2.08 square kilometers) and a circumference of 4.5 miles (7 kilometers).
At the most recent count, 84 persons were said to live on Tairajima (平島; Taira-jima; lit. “Flat Island”). They live in the only village which is located towards the center of the island. It’s less than a mile (1 kilometer) north of the port where there is not much more than the dock. There are three minshuku in town and there is a public bath at the village community center, Akahigé Onsen (あかひげ温泉). It’s named after a popular local bird, the “red beard.”
The island’s high point is Mt On (御岳; On-také), which rises to 797 feet (243 meters). It is claimed that Tairajima has a rich historical background and that a number of monuments and historic places exist. But for most Western tourists, these are extremely obscure, lost in translation and the mists of time. There are several massive gajyumaru (banyan) trees on the island claimed to be over 1,000 years old.
DESE (出瀨; Desé). As small as Taira is, it’s got a little sidekick. It’s that large rock on the right-hand side of the photo of Tairajima on page 44. Its dimensions are approximately 410 by 740 feet (125 by 225 meters) and it’s separated from the bottom of Tairajima by only 80 feet (25 meters) of water. The rock’s name translates as “out of a sandbank in a stretch of water that is visible at low tide.” That’s quite a mouthful from two little Kanji characters, but they can do that. Its context also has the meaning of something at the end of a cape.
A sign at the dock welcomes visitors to Tairajima.
6 SUWANOSEJIMA 諏訪之瀬島
The second largest island in the Tokara group by area, but one of the least populated, Suwanose Island is roughly an oval with dimensions a little larger than 3 by 5 miles (5 by 8 kilometers). It’s not quite 10.7 square miles (28 square kilometers) in area and has a circumference of a bit more than 17 miles (27 kilometers). The population is 67. The island’s high point is Mt Mitake (御岳; Mitaké; also pronounced On-také) at 2,621 feet (799 meters) above sea level.
The only inhabitable portion of the island is the extreme southern tip. Altogether it covers about a third of a square mile (1 square kilometer). It’s the only section that’s level enough for habitation. The rest of Suwanosejima (諏訪之瀬島; Suwanosé-jima) is too steep. On the east side of this small tip is the modest port. It has no facilites and is merely a dock.
The crater of Suwanosejima’s Mt Mitaké.
Suwanosejima’s volcano erupted a moment before this photo was taken.
From the dock, a road leads up a slight hill and crosses over a plateau about three-quarters of a mile (1 kilometer) to the west side of the island, where the village lies. There are three minshuku here. About 1,640 feet (500 meters) to the south of the town is an airstrip. Suwanose is the only Tokara Island to have an airstrip although there are no flights! It was built some years ago when Yamaha Resorts was contemplating building a luxury resort on the island. Presumably, it might be used to airlift the residents in the event of a major eruption by Mitake. To the north of the village, a road runs about three-quarters of a mile towards the center of the island and the volcano. There are no other roads on the island. From the end of the road, a paved path leads another three- quarters of a mile towards the summit. Given Mitake’s almost constant activity, great consideration should be given to the thought of climbing this volcano.
Mitake is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan—and the world. Essentially, apart from the settlement at the southernmost tip of Suwanosejima,