Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [604]
Finally, if you’re after natural instead of artificial attractions and you’ve got your own wheels, we recommend a drive out to Kouri-jima () via Yagaji-shima (). The bridge between these two islands is surrounded by picturesque turquoise water, and there’s a decent beach on either side of the road as you reach Kōri-jima. The bridge to Yagaji-shima starts just north of the Motobu-hantō off Rte 58.
Northern Okinawa-hontō
The northern part of Okinawa-hontō is largely undeveloped and comparatively wild and rugged. Because of its hilly terrain, thousands of Okinawan families escaped the destruction in the south of the island at the end of WWII by hiding out here. Since there is limited public transport in the north, you will probably need a rental car.
Rte 58 hugs the west coast all the way up to Cape Hedo (), which marks the northern end of Okinawa. The point is an incredibly scenic spot backed by hills, with rocks rising from the dense greenery. On a good day, Yoron-tō, the southernmost island in Amami-shotō, is easily seen only 23km to the northeast.
From Cape Hedo, the road wraps around the tip of the island and heads down the east coast. For the next stretch of the drive, the road narrows and winds past one quiet bay after another – the contrast with southern Okinawa-hontō couldn’t be more extreme. Keep your eyes peeled for small birds, which sometimes walk across the road, and be sure you’ve got enough petrol before setting out on an east-coast drive.
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ISLANDS NEAR OKINAWA-HONTŌ
If you’ve had enough of the crowds and resorts of Okinawa-hontō, hop on a ferry to one of the nearby islands. The best of the lot are the three main islands of Kerama-shotō, which lie a mere 30km offshore from Naha. These islands are among the most attractive in the entire Southwest Islands, with crystal-clear water and excellent white-sand beaches. A little further out is the rarely visited island of Kume-jima. For those with a sense of adventure, there are several other islands that we don’t cover in this guide: Ie-jima, Iheya-jima, Izena-jima, Aguni-jima, Kita-daitō-jima and Tonaki-jima.
Kerama-Shotō
The islands of Kerama-Shotō are a world away from the hustle and bustle of Okinawa-hontō, though even these islands can get crowded during the summer holiday season. The three main islands here are Zamami-jima, Aka-jima and Tokashiki-jima. You can easily visit any of these as a day trip from Naha, but we recommend a few days in a minshuku on one of the islands to really savour the experience.
AKA-JIMA
098 / pop 310
A mere 2km in diameter, tiny Aka-jima makes up for in beauty what it lacks in size. With some of the best beaches in the Keramas and an extremely peaceful atmosphere, it’s easy to get stuck here for several days. There’s also some great snorkelling and diving nearby.
If you keep your eyes open around dusk you might spot a Kerama deer (), descendants of deer that were brought by the Satsuma from Kagoshima when they conquered the Ryūkyūs in 1609. The deer are smaller and darker than their mainland cousins, and have been designated a National Treasure.
There are great beaches on every side of the island, but for sheer postcard-perfect beauty, it’s hard to beat the 1km stretch of white sand on the northeast coast known as Nishibama Beach (). This beach can be crowded in summer; if you want privacy, there are quieter beaches on the other sides of the island.
Dive shop–hotel Marine House Seasir (; 0120-10-2737; www.seasir.com, in Japanese; r per person with meals ¥7350) at the west end of the main village has good clean Western-style and Japanese rooms with attached bath. Most of the guests are divers.
Air Dolphin (858-3363) has two daily flights between Naha and Kerama airport (¥6500, 20 minutes). Zamami Sonei Ferry (868-4567) has two or three fast ferries a day (¥2750, 50 minutes) and one regular ferry (¥1860, 1½ hours)