Tokunoshima
‘ Travel far and wide, for every few hundred feet, the world changes…’ the charming island of Tokunoshima seemed to convey that aptly, in this wee paradise off the coast of Kagoshima. Only one other destination has made me feel that the earth was constantly changing and landscapes were ever evolving which was when I spent some time roadtripping through Iceland.
The second biggest out of the Amami islands, Tokunoshima has this breathtaking rugged, wildness and untamed quality to it. It’s said to be an island of passion, of feeling… one can definitely feel this undercurrent of energy/power as you explore the island, there’s so much vitality. The island is famed for its tropical fruit, the presence of the habu & Amami rabbit, its higher birth rate, it’s supercentenarians (individuals living significantly beyond 100 years of age) and its culture of Japanese style bullfighting togyu (where the bulls lock horns to push each other out of the ring). Subsequently the mascot of the island is the bull.
There are three main towns, Tokunoshima, Amagi and Isen to base yourself around or nearby. The majority of the island (like the rest of the Amami Islands) are part of the Amami Gunto National Park
NOTE: I didn’t go watch any bullfighting as it’s just not my thing (and I randomly saw bull racing on the Azores Islands in Portugal - wasn’t planning too but literally stumbled upon it - that was enough), but the locals are extremely proud of it, they have a museum where you can learn all about it’s history.
Tokunoshima was definitely one of our favourites, small enough to feel like you’re the only ones in the world (you could definitely tell that we were not locals hahaha) but large enough that there’s enough of everything you need. For Tokunoshima, I would definitely advise that you hire a car to explore.
Now you may be wondering where in the world does one stay on these islands, yes there are a few resorts (resplendent of the bubble era in Japan) and some minshukus, however my favourite has to be the renovated kominkas of Denpaku. This time I managed to book the most delightful one (they have several dotted around the island) which had its own sandy path (slightly overgrown) leading from the back of the house into the sweetest stretch of private beach. It requires it’s own post because I loved it so. READ IT HERE.
TIP: Flying between the islands is easy and accessible, honestly for some of the flights you’re in the air for less than 20mins! So you get to hear, seat belts off after take off, then a couple minutes later - ‘we are now preparing our descent, please fasten your seatbelts.’ JAPAN AIRLINES has the monopoly on the flights between islands so expect to pay around 8000-10000JPY for a one way flight… however the ferry isn’t that much cheaper (around 6000-8000JPY) and takes a considerable time longer.
INNOJOFUTA
Roughly a 15min drive from Tokunoshima Airport are the stunning, craggy volcanic rock cliffs of Innojofuta . Vibrant greens are juxtaposed against the harshness of the rock and its black jagged formations created from the foamy waves crashing against it. Some of the outlines reminded me of a giant beast/dinosaur’s footprint whilst the sharp points brought to mind, hell in the ocean.
Be prepared for some wind! haha
MEGANE IWA
The most famed formation are the Megane Iwa (eyeglasses rock) and you can see from their formation why they were named so.
BTW if you’re going to explore beyond like I did - be aware of how sharp and brittle the volcanic rock is - could definitely feel it through my summer thongs (flipflops)
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CAPE INUTABU is another 15 min drive but this time west of Isen Town Hall and showcases stunning views of the ocean, and its eroded limestone cliffs. The water is that beautiful rich vibrant blue, and at the bases of the cliffs you can see the rocky underneath which you can only dream of the delightful coral and marine life swimming around there.
We were lucky to spot several turtles effortlessly floating in the waters, and occasionally diving down and back up to the surface. The island is also known for turtle hatching on several of the beaches during the summer season.
At Cape Inutabu, lies a memorial tower to the sunken battleship Yamato which sank on the way from Tokuyama Port in Yamaguchi Prefecture to Okinawa at the end of WWII. If you like your history, there is a small museum dedicated to it nearby. The tower was built in 1968 and stands 24m high, the same as the original command tower.
Stay within the boundaries of the rope and pathway, due to the fragile nature of eroding limestone.
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Stretching for approximately 1.5km is the Aze Prince Beach Seaside Park; named in honour of then Crown Prince Akihito (the 125th Emperor of Japan: 1989-2019) and his wife Princess Michiko who visited in 1972. Most of the beach (and honestly most of the island) are encircled by a barrier reef, creating ideal conditions for snorkelling to the utter joy of my husband. The beach shallow waters extend up to 200m from shore giving you plenty of area to explore, and creating on a clear day, beautiful mirror reflections which I was enamoured of.
It is a coral beach, so do wear appropriate footwear, as the coral ‘sand’ is quite coarse, and there are quite a few sea cucumbers lying in the sand in the waters, who tho generally harmless - I’m never a fan of accidentally stepping on one…
As mentioned in a previous blog post of mine, if a beach is known as a Park, you can generally safely assume that it is well equipped with facilities. At Aze, there are free toilets, showers, pavilions to shade from the sun in it’s park side and a covered cooking area. The area is also available for camping which can be booked through Tokunoshima Town Hall.
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MUSHIROZE PART 1
I adore unusual natural landscapes and if you’ve been following me for awhile, you may be aware of how much I’m happy to clamber & climb upon rocks barefoot (there’s just something so grounding about it) whilst probably wearing a pretty dress teehee.
The rock I’m standing upon, is obviously taller than me, ridiculously smooth and actually kinda standing alone.
How I got on it - flattened myself against the jagged rock to the right (of the photo) and then pretty much leapt across hahaha
BTW it’s not something I advocate people to do, its just I like climbing things *shrugs
MUSHIROZE PART 2
What’s unusual about the formations of Mushiroze, apart from being generally large flat slabs, is that they are a rare occurrence of granite rock on an island that is predominately volcanic and coral. The area derives its name from the way the slabs resemble Mushiro (Japanese woven straw mats)
A rock path has been created which allows easy access to walk amidst them, and at the start of the path is also a viewing platform which gives you some stunning sights of the entire area. Mushiroze can be found on the island’s north coast.
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Now with any small island, you may be wondering where and what to eat.. the beauty of staying in a Denpaku Kominka is that you do have a fully equipped kitchen, so you can pop on down to the local grocery store, grab a bento or some fresh produce to make your own feast! We did this on one night, because as much as we love eating out when we travel, we’ve always noticed that there’s a lack of simple vegetable dishes available in many places (worldwide) and after a while we just want to have some fresh vegetables! And also to be aware of island time, sometimes places are just shut or close earlier than you want to eat especially during these weird Covid times.
However another night, we also drove down to this local pizza restaurant PIZZA POPOLA (pizza max, phone number: 080 2757 4806) with a lovely outdoor area, and a great view! There’s also another pizza place nearby but when we were there, it was closed Pizzeria Bar Mario (phone number +81997832170).
Probably our favourite meal out was when we discovered this amazing lunch place, where we ate in their beautiful home as their normal outdoor area had been destroyed in a previous typhoon and they were rebuilding. It deserves its own little write up. READ IT HERE and make sure you read about where we stayed in our Denpaku Kominka because there was the cutest little restaurant a short walk away.
Ending this little adventure with a photo of the stunning sunsets we viewed from our private little beach.
