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Chapter 1

THE ŌSUMI ISLANDS 大隈諸島

Ancient outcrops, modern spaceport

1 Tanegashima 種子島

2 Mageshima 馬毛島

3 Yakushima 屋久島

4 Kuchinoerabujima 口永良部島

5 Takeshima 竹島

6 Iōjima 硫黄島

7 Kuroshima 黒島

The northernmost group of the Satsunan Archipelago, the Ōsumi Islands (大隈諸島; Ōsumi-shotō), lie about 37 miles (60 kilometers) south of Kyushu Island’s southern tip, the Ōsumi Peninsula. The islands are volcanic in origin and have a combined area of 400 square miles (1,035 square kilometers). Altogether there are seven inhabited islands and several tiny named uninhabited ones. The island chain’s total population is around 52,000, with about 18,000 living in Nishinoomote on Tanegashima.

There are two airports on the Ōsumi Islands, one each on the two largest islands of Tanegashima and Yakushima, and an airstrip and unmanned control tower on the island of Iōjima. The latter is kept in good working order and used by air charter services. Almost all the islands (and this is true throughout the Ryukyus) also sport a helicopter landing pad, but these are generally only used for emergency medical evacuations or other government purposes, not for commercial services.

More usually, both Tanegashima and Yakushima are reached by regular and frequent ferry service from the north out of Kagoshima City. Ferries, which carry passengers, vehicles and cargo, take about four hours. High-speed jetfoils, which don’t carry vehicles or cargo, take about two. There are also passenger and vehicle ferries but not high-speed hydrofoils from Kagoshima to Takeshima, Iōjima and Kuroshima. Service to these three islands takes place only three times a week.

There are multiple ferry terminals in Kagoshima with several competing lines. Moreover, sailing schedules change all the time. It is most important to verify your ferry and its current timetable. In the case of several islands, you will have several choices but for others service is much more limited.

A high-speed hydrofoil service from Kagoshima runs to several of the Ōsumi Islands.

Tanegashima marina and ferry dock.

As a matter of convenience, the Ōsumi Islands are sometimes divided into two subgroups: the northeast and northwest.

The Northeastern Group

This group contains the Ōsumi’s two largest islands, plus two very small islands. All four are inhabited.

1 TANEGASHIMA 種子島

A long, narrow and mostly flat island, Tanegashima (種子島; Tanéga-shima) is almost 37 miles (60 kilometers) in length from north to south and ranges from 3–7 miles (5–12 kilometers) east to west. Its area is 172 square miles (445 square kilometers), making it the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands. The island was supposedly named Tané (meaning “seed”) because that’s what its shape resembles. Tanegashima has a coastline of 103 miles (165 kilometers) and a population of 36,000.

Although there are a half dozen villages sprinkled around the island, most are quite small and the majority of the island’s people live in and around the island’s biggest city and port, Nishinoomote (西之表市; Nishi no Omoté-shi), on Tanegashima’s northwest side. This is where most of the ferries to and from Kagoshima dock and where you’ll find a couple of very nice, small hotels and minshuku (民宿; lit. “small inn” or “pension”). There are also several good restaurants, but otherwise there is not too much going on in Nishinoomote. The town’s greatest attraction is an excellent Gun Museum that we’ll mention in more detail below.

Otatsu Metatsu Rock, a black basalt formation.

Overall, the island is sparsely populated. Indeed, much of it seems wild and uninhabited. Although sugar cane is grown, it’s not densely cultivated as it is on so many islands in the Ryukyus. Here, it seems more like an afterthought, just the occasional cane field here and there.

Although it may be technically correct to characterize Tanegashima as “flat,” that term really doesn’t fully describe the topography, for in many places it is moderately to quite hilly, with most scenic ups and downs in all directions. In fact, the island’s highest point is a not too shabby 925 feet (282 meters) at Mt Tennyogakura (天女ケ倉山; Ten-nyo gakura-yama). It’s on the island’s northeast side, about a 5-mile (8-kilometer) drive from Nishinoomote. Tanegashima is a very pretty island to drive around. Moreover, it has a beautiful coastline—and a lot of it. Its shores vary considerably, from great black basalt rock formations, as at Otatsu Metatsu Rock (雄龍雌龍の岩; Otatsu Metatsu no iwa; lit. “Male Dragon–Female Dragon Rock”) along the central west coast to extremely fine white sand beaches found in several places, but most famously along the full length of the island’s southern coast. Along the southeast shore, you’ll find Chikura Caverns (千座の岩屋; Chikura no iwa ya), a group of water-eroded caves on a white sand beach. The caves can be entered at low tide. There are picnic tables and some foods stands here as well.

Most visitors will arrive by sea or by air, for there is an airport. By sea, and depending on the season, there are 3–5 high-speed “Rocket” or “Toppy” jet hydrofoils per day. The less than two-hour sailing originates in Kagoshima, but one or two per day continue over to nearby Yakushima. Less expensive, but of course slower, the Cosmo Line runs the vehicle, freight and passenger ferry “Princess Wakasa.” It’s a beautiful ship and a comfortable sail, a little less than four hours. Most of the year, service is daily except Sundays. In the busy summer season, it runs every day.

The Toppy hydrofoil in Tanegashima Port.

Alternatively, there is a ferry service, though less frequent, to Yakushima from a second city on Tanegashima, the southwestern port of Shimama (島間; Shimama). If you are planning on using that port, be sure to double check your ferry schedule.

For those in more of a hurry, Tanegashima has a small, modern airport more or less located in the center of the island, about 9.5 miles (15 kilometers) and 20 minutes south of Nishinoomote. There are usually about five flights a day to Kagoshima, which take 30 minutes, and occasional service to Osaka and Fukuoka. All flights are on Japan Air Commuter turboprop planes.

Tanegashima is well known for at least two things. First, on August 25, 1543, its southernmost point, Cape Kadokura (門倉岬; Kadokura-misaki) was the landing site of the first Europeans to enter Japan. The ship, which had been blown off course in the waters between China and Okinawa, carried several Portuguese sailor/explorer/adventurers, among them, so he claimed, Fernão Mendes Pinto (ca. 1509–83). According to his memoirs, he was the first European to set foot in Japan and to introduce the matchlock arquebus, a type of firearm.

Although Pinto’s claims are subject to dispute (other accounts place him in India or Burma at the same time he supposedly landed in Japan), there’s no doubt that firearms were introduced by the Portuguese into Japan at this time. Indeed, for the next several hundred years, the Japanese name for a gun was Tanégashima Téppō (種子島鉄砲). Whether it was Pinto who introduced firearms is the subject of the controversy. Somewhat like Marco Polo’s Travels, Pinto’s tales are so extraordinary, so fantastical and so imaginative, it’s impossible to accurately assess them. On the other hand, his accounts of events and life in many far-flung places of 16th-century Asia are detailed so perfectly, no one doubts he was witness to them. His great autobiographical work is entitled Peregrinação (The Pilgrimage). It was published posthumously in 1614.

Because of this Portuguese–Japanese historical connection, Tanegashima’s island’s largest city, Nishinoomote, has a “sister” city in Vila do Bispo, Portugal. Nishinoomote’s Gun Museum is built in the shape of the early visiting ship, a Chinese junk, and there are several historical plaques and commemorative markers celebrating Portuguese–Japanese friendship around the island.

Cosmo Line’s Princess Wakasa provides a comfortable sail to Tanegashima from Kagoshima.

The Tanegashima Gun Museum.

The Gun Museum, which is formally known as the Tanegashima Center for Research and Development (種子島開発総合センター; Tanégashima kaihatsu sōgō sentā) but usually referred to as Teppō Hall (鉄砲館; Teppō-kan; lit. “iron-tube” (gun) hall), is for most visitors the highlight of Nishinoomote. There are over 100 priceless original early firearms. On display are weapons from all phases of their early development. In addition, the museum displays examples of Japanese metalworking skills used in the 16th century to produce scissors, samurai swords and metal armor.

Tanega Island’s second big claim to fame is that it’s the headquarters of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Tanegashima Space Center (種子島宇宙 センター; Tanégashima uchū sentā). Located at the southeastern end of the island, JAXA and the Space Center are the heart of Japan’s research and development of rockets, missiles and satellites. The Space Center develops, tests, launches, tracks and retrieves rocket engines and satellites.

The launch complexes are open daily to the public except Mondays unless there is an actual space launch. In that case, only press and media people are allowed on the complex for viewing. The general public may view space launches from a number of designated points on the southern end of the island. The Space Exhibition Hall in the Space Center allows visitors to study everything from space development to planet exploration. The Space Center also includes a Space Information Center, a Rocket Launch Theatre and a Museum Gift Shop. The center includes exhibits on such things as the mechanisms and functions of satellites, the launching, tracking and controlling of rockets and the International Space Station project.

The Tanégashima Téppō Arquebus, Forerunner of the Modern Rifle

The Portuguese (European) Arquebus was a muzzle-loaded firearm with a matchlock firing device. Used between the 15th and 17th centuries, its successor was the flintlock musket. Immediately after their introduction in Japan, the weapons were widely reproduced and had a major impact on civil wars of that era. Japanese craftsmen and metallurgists were able to faithfully copy the designs and reproduce them in quantity due to their skills at manufacturing high-quality steel for traditional weapons, notably the Japanese blades known as katana (刀), otherwise known as the Japanese backsword and commonly referred to as samurai swords. The history of Japan’s use of Western firearms was brilliantly detailed in Noel Perrin’s essay “Giving Up the Gun: Japan's Reversion to the Sword, 1543–1879,” published in 1979.

A rocket launch at the Tanegashima Space Center.

Essentially, visitors are permitted to roam about most of the complex on their own self-guided tours. There is no admission charge. Guided tours in English or Japanese may be reserved but those arrangments must be made in advance.

But if you’re not all that interested in rockets and outer space, and maybe would rather just hit the beach, wander over to Takezaki Beach (竹崎海岸; Také-zaki kaigan; lit. “Bamboo Point Coast”) which is more than 5 miles (8 kilometers) of pure white sand, in fact the whole southern end of the island. It’s not for nothing that JAXA claims on its web-site that “It is known as the most beautiful rocket-launch complex in the world.”

In addition to its fine beach, the southern end of Tanegashima holds three prominent capes: one famous historically, the other two occupied by the Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The two controlled by JAXA hold a number of islets/rocks just offshore. We’ll describe them below. The southernmost (and southwesternmost) point of the island is occupied by Cape Kadokura, previously mentioned as the first European landing place in the empire of Japan. There are several small monuments, memorial stones and a Shintō shrine in commemoration of this event at the cape.

Cape Kadokura looking northeast.

Approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers) to the northeast is a second cape, Ōtakézaki (大竹崎; Ōtaké-zaki), which holds two sets of islets. A bit more than a mile (3 kilometers) to the north and east is the final cape, Yoshinobuzaki (吉信崎; Yoshino-bu zaki), which has a double set of islets offshore. Of these twin capes, it could be said that Cape Ōtaké occupies Tanegashima’s southernmost eastern point and Cape Yoshinobu occupies its easternmost southern point. Both capes are fully developed and covered with numerous administrative and service buildings, a launch pad and other high-tech equipment of JAXA. Offshore, each cape peters out to a series of large rocks. Coincidentally, in each case there are two separate collections of rocks off each of the capes. We’ll describe these four islet groups in our usual north to south sequence.

YOSHINOBUZAKIIWA (吉信崎岩 Yoshino bu zaki-iwa. The more northerly of the twin capes is Yoshinobu-zaki (Ōtaké-zaki is about a mile (1.5 kilometers to the south). Directly off Cape Yoshinobu there are approximately 20 rocks in all. There is one batch of about a half dozen large rocks (see photo page 24) to the southeast of the cape and around 15 more smaller ones (not visible in the photo above), some 1,000 feet (300 meters) to the northeast.

A rocket on display at the Tanegashima Space Center.

Cape Yoshinobu and its offshore rocks.

The large rock islets start only 100 feet (30 meters) offshore and extend about 1,640 feet (500 meters) to the south and east. They vary in shape and size from ovals 490 by 575 feet (75 by 175 meters) in size to more or less round islets about 500 feet (150 meters) in diameter. The smallest ones in this batch measure close to 165 feet (50 meters) across.

The second batch of Yoshinobu rocks is several hundred meters north above the first set. They start approximately 490 feet (75 meters) offshore and extend 1,310–1,640 feet (400–500 meters) north and east. The islets in this group vary in size from 33 by 50 feet (10 by 15 meters) in diameter to the largest, which is about 330 feet (100 meters) long. Almost all the islets in this double set of rocks are covered in vegetation and several of them have nice beaches. Given their proximity to shore, at low tide you can walk or swim out to a number of them.

ŌTAKEZAKIIWA (大竹崎岩; Ōtaké zaki-iwa). The most extreme southeastern point of Tanegashima is called Ōtakézaki, which means “Big Bamboo Point.” The cape is about 2,620 feet (800 meters) across, 660 feet (200 meters) wide and entirely covered in clean, smooth white sand. It’s a beautiful beach and there’s a small fishing port and marina there as well. There are two sets of rocks just offshore at the point. Those to east are the Ōtakézaki rocks and those to the west are the Kawasoenohana rocks. The Big Bamboo Point rocks start about 660 feet (200 meters) east offshore and continue about another 1,970–2,300 feet (600–700 meters) further east and southeast. Altogether, there are more than dozen of them. They range in size from as small as 80 feet (25 meters) in diameter to as large as 525 feet (160 meters) across. Almost all are half of the rocks are covered in vegetation and thus none of them have any good beaches.

Rock outcrops at Cape Ōtakezakiiwa.

KAWASOENOHANAIWA (カワソエノ鼻岩 Kawa so éno hana-iwa). At the western end of Ōtaké cape, a little more than a kilometer west of the Big Bamboo Point rocks, are the Kawasoenohana rocks. They begin a mere 410 feet (125 meters) due south of the marina and continue south another 1,640 feet (500 meters). Most of them are quite large, ranging in size from the smallest at about 165 feet (50 meters) in diameter to the largest, which is 1,310 feet (400 meters) long. There are about a half dozen of these rocks. Together with a number of strategically placed giant tsunami jacks, they effectively and completely shelter the marina.

As mentioned earlier, from the cape at Big Bamboo Point (Ōtakézaki, the island’s south-eastern end) to Cape Kadokura (Kadokuramisaki, the island’s southwestern end), it’s about 5 miles (8 kilometers). This entire stretch of coast is a fine beach. There’s a designated campground along the shore and it has freshwater showers and toilet facilities.

Kawasoenohanaiwa boasts a fine beach along its southern coast.

2 MAGESHIMA 馬毛島

Magé Island is a tiny, almost uninhabited islet about 7 miles (12 kilometers) due west of Nishinoomote Port on Tanegashima but there’s no ferry service from that port, or any other port, to Mageshima (馬毛島; Magéshima; lit. “Horsehair Island”). Although Mageshima has a port and a good-sized concrete dock for landing watercraft, you’ll have to pilot or charter your own to get there. The island is privately owned and there is no commercial service to it. A couple of families live on the island and raise some sugarcane, but it’s marginal. The island is no longer productively farmed and most of it is covered in scrub vegetation. Mageshima is triangularly shaped, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) long from north to south and about a mile (1.5 kilometers) wide from its east–west base to its middle section. From there, it tapers down to its pointy northern end.

At one time there was a working airstrip on the island but it was abandoned a long time ago and is no longer operable. Recent press reports have stated that the Japanese government is negotiating with the US Forces Japan to convert the island into an airbase in replacement for the present, widely disputed, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma on the island of Okinawa. If that were to occur, presumably the airstrip would be reconditioned and upgraded. The island is completely flat and could easily be converted to a good airbase. Whether several thousands of young and single Marines would wish to live on this remote, isolated and almost uninhabited islet is another matter. But, for the moment, the talk of US base relocation is in a real paralysis. and the former agreement to move the Futenma Air Station to Okinawa’s northern Marine Camp Schwab seems to have been put aside and forgotten.

3 YAKUSHIMA 屋久島

Bring your raincoat because the locals boast that in Yakushima (屋久島; Yaku-shima) “It rains 35 days a month.” In fact, it is Japan’s wettest place—and one of the wettest in the world with annual precipitation ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 millimeters (16–30 feet or 5–10 meters). For comparison, Mt Waialeale on Hawaii’s Kauai Island, often cited as earth’s wettest place, receives 39 feet (12,000 millimeters) per year. Rain or shine, Yakushima is considered one of Japan’s most beautiful islands and it is a true nature-lover’s destination. Over 90 percent of Yakushima is forested and a good percentage of the island has either been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site or is a protected zone under Japanese law.

Mageshima, a small, low-lying islet to the northwest of Tanegashima.

Yakushima Iwasaki Hotel.

Geographically speaking, Yakushima is an almost perfectly round disc of an island, 16 miles (26 kilometers) in diameter and 195 square miles (505 square kilometers) in area. Its 82-mile (132-kilometer) circumference is entirely ringed by a road—and that’s about the only road on the island for the interior is steeply mountainous and covered in forest. Count on at least three hours to encircle it by car and easily a whole day if you make a lot of stops along the way. As you drive, you will undoubtedly come across some Yaku monkeys (屋久猿 or ヤクザル; Yaku-shima-zaru or Yaku-zaru; Latin: Macaca fuscata yakui), a type of macaque; and Yaku deer (屋久鹿; Yaku-shika; Latin: Cervus nippon yakushimae). There’s an estimated 7,000 of each of them. Both are small and not afraid of people. In fact, the monkeys can be downright aggressive, so take care not to approach them too closely as they can viciously bite.

Yakushima Airport.

The population of the island is approximately 13,500. Administratively, Yakushima Town (屋久島町; Yaku-shima-chō) encompasses the entire island, but the largest settlement, which houses a good percentage of the population, revolves around Miyanoura Port (宮浦港; Miyanoura-kō). Miyanoura is on the island’s northeast side.

There is frequent, daily, year-round ferry and hydrofoil services to both Kagoshima and Tanegashima. Kagoshima’s about 80 miles (130 kilometers) due north and jetfoils take a little more than two hours if they don’t stop at Tanegashima on the way. Ferries take twice as long, four hours, but are less expensive. For an additional cost, they can also transport your car, motorcycle or bike, which the hydrofoils cannot.

Arrival at Miyanoura Port by the Yakushima Ferry

Round-trip ferry services are available daily from Kagoshima. Travel time is four hours one way. In addition, there are a half dozen daily round trips on high-speed jetfoils. They only take two hours but cost about twice as much.

Tanegashima’s southern end is only 12 miles (20 kilometers) across the Vincennes Strait (種子島海峡; Tanégashima-kaikyō) from Yakushima and ferries from Miyanoura Port go to both Nishinoomote, on Tanega’s northern end, and Shimama in the south. Travel time is around two hours and one hour, respectively. Ferry services to Kuchinoerabujima, the last island in the Ōsumi’s northeast group (which is the next island we’ll discuss), located west of Yakushima Island, are also found at Miyanoura Port. These ferries take a little less than two hours. There are no jetfoils on this route. Service is not that frequent to Kuchinoerabu, only twice a week.

The Yakusugi Forest and Yakushima are visited by over 300,000 people a year and thus the local tourist infrastructure is well-developed. There are plenty of good small hotels, minshuku inns and restaurants in all price ranges. There are also several top deluxe luxury resorts on the island, but none are in Miyanoura. The largest resort hotel with golf facilities is the Yakushima Iwasaki Hotel (屋久島いわさきホテル; Yakushima Iwasaki Hoteru) located on the southwest end of the island.

There are almost 40 minshuku inns in Miyanoura and there’s a friendly tourist information desk right at the harbor when you arrive. If you don’t already have an advance booking (probably not a good idea), someone at the desk can call and make a reservation for you. Although almost all minshuku always serve meals, there are also a number of restaurants in town as well as a couple of museums, environmental and cultural centers and other points of interest. Miyanoura is easily the best place to stay if you are looking for something to do in addition to hiking.

Yakushima’s second largest village is located at Anbo (安房; Anbo), which surrounds Anbo Port (安房港; Anbo-kō) on the island’s central eastern side. A few daily ferries and jetfoils also use this port to go to both Kagoshima and Tanegashima. There are approximately 25 minshuku in Anbo. If the over 60 minshuku in Miyanoura and Anbo are not enough for you, note that there are almost 80 more scattered about more or less equally in all of the many villages that ring Yakushima Island.

Lastly, if the 2–4 hour cruise to Yakushima seems too long, be aware that Yakushima has an airport (屋久島空港; Yaku-shima-kūkō). Depending on the time of year, there are between five and ten round-trip flights a day. Most are from Kagoshima, but there are also flights from Fukuoka and Ōsaka. Flying time to or from Kagoshima is 30 minutes. The airport lies midway between Miyanoura and Anbo, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from either of them.

Yakushika Deer (屋久鹿). Dark brown with a white tail, Yaku deer are most prevalent on the island’s wild western side, especially along the Seibu Rindō (西部林道), the dramatic serpentine Western Forestry Road. The Yakushika is one of the world’s smallest deer. A full-grown male only stands about 1–1.5 meters (3–4 feet) and weighs 30–45 kilograms (60–100 pounds).

Miyanoura-daké (宮之浦岳). Mt Miyanoura, Yakushima’s tallest peak, is the southernmost point in Japan where snow falls.

Hirauchi Kaichuu Onsen (平内海中温泉). One of the nicest outdoor hot springs (onsen) on Yakushima, all that’s required is a small 100 Yen contribution.

There are not too many places in Japan that have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but Yakushima’s warm temperate Yakusugi Forest is one of them and, in fact, was Japan’s first. Yaku Island’s dense, verdant green forests contain some of the largest and oldest species of Cryptomeria (屋久杉; Yaku-sugi; Latin: Cryptomeria japonica) in the world. The term Yakusugi generally refers to large Japanese cedars that are more than 1,000 years old and grow in the mountains usually 1,640 feet (500 meters) or more above sea level. Though called cedar trees both in English and Japanese, sugi are taxonomically unrelated to that group. One giant specimen, the Jōmon-sugi (縄文杉) is tree-ring dated at over 2,000 years. Former reports of it being over 7,000 years old, and thus making it earth’s oldest living thing, have now been discounted.

The Jōmon-sugi is 83 feet (25 meters) tall and has a circumference of 53 feet (16 meters), making it the largest conifer in Japan. The sugi is Japan’s national tree. Perfectly straight, giant Cryptomeria beams are the favored wood for torii gates. If properly protected, the wood never rots. Two of the most spectacular specimens from this island and forming a great torii are at the entrance to the Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine at Asakusa (浅草) in Tokyo (東京; Tōkyō).

In addition to the sugi trees, another plant found in abundance and in giant proportions is the rhododendron. For fans of the king of all evergreen shrubs, the magnificent spring bloom-viewing is unparalleled. In Yakushima’s climate, rhododendrons are not merely shrubs, they are trees, many with trunks over a foot thick and heights of 33 feet (10 meters).

For the most part, viewing the trees will require some hiking. The island’s interior is extensively marked with trails and this is the number one outdoor activity for most visitors. Some will also camp. Worth remembering is that Yakushima’s climate is one of the wettest in the world. There are signs posted everywhere warning hikers to make sure that they have adequate foul weather gear and a plan for their hike. Only designated trail shelters may be used for overnights in the mountains. These are free. A round-trip day hike to the Jōmon-sugi, for example, requires about ten hours, and that’s through and over mountains.

Senpiro-no-taki (千尋の滝). With a vertical drop of 100 feet (30 meters), this magnificent waterfall flows from the Tainoko River in the southeast part of Yakushima. On the left side of the falls is a great slab of solid granite.

Okawa-no-taki (大川の滝). Also spelled Ohko-no-taki, Great River Falls has a height of some 80 meters, making it one of the tallest falls in Japan. It is located on the southwest side of the island, above Kurio village.

Yakushima Todai (屋久島灯台). Perched on the island’s westernmost point of Cape Nagata (永田岬), the Yakushima Lighthouse is one of the most picturesque images of Yakushima.

The island’s tallest mountains, many of which are over 5,900 feet (1,800 meters), are mostly located at its center. The three highest are appropriately known as San-daké (三岳; lit. “Three Peaks”). These are Miyanouradaké (宮之浦岳) at 1,935 meters (6,350 feet), Nagata-daké (永田岳) at 6,188 feet (1,886 meters), and Kurio-daké (栗生岳) 6,125 feet at (1,867 meters).

If all this hiking has worn you out, Yakushima has several ways to relax. There are beaches and there are hot springs baths (onsen) (温泉). One of the best onsen is right on the ocean near Hirauchi, the Kaichuu Onsen. That’s on the southern coast. Very close by is the Yudomari Onsen, also on the ocean, and just a bit further to the east is the Onoaida Hot Springs. On the island’s northern shore, near Isso, you’ll find the Ohura Hot Springs, and between Miyanoura and the airport you’ll see signs for the Kusugawa Onsen. In addition, the resort hotels all have their own hot springs on their properties.

As for beaches, although Yakushima is not known as a beach destination, and indeed most of its coast is much too rocky and steep for beach-goers, there are a few here and there. Closest to Miyanoura is the beach at Isso, not far from the Isso Lighthouse near Cape Yahazu. Another relatively decent beach is Kuriohama, near the village of Kurio in the southwest of the island. It, along with nearby Nakama and Sagoshino-hama beaches, however, could be closed if you’re visiting during the sea turtle egg-laying season. Yakushima’s most famous beach area—and it’s most famous sea turtle sites—are the beaches at Nagata: the Inakahama and Maehama Beaches. If there are warning signs posted, you won’t be able to walk on the beach due to the sea turtles.

From Yakushima we have a choice of several different destinations for it is possible to catch ferries outbound east to Tanegashima, return north to Kagoshima, or continue west to Kuchinoerabujima. Let’s catch one of the twice-weekly ferries to Kuchierabu (the same island as Kuchinoerabujima, simply another pronunciation and spelling of its name).

“Friendly” Yaku monkeys.

4 KUCHINOERABUJIMA 口永良部島

At its closest point, Kuchinoerabu (口永良部島; Kuchi-no-érabu-jima, also commonly referred to as Kuchi-érabu-jima) is only 7 miles (12 kilometers) northwest of Yakushima, but the ride on the ferry Taiyo from Miyanoura Port takes about an hour and 45 minutes.

Kuchinoerabu’s port is at Kanagatake (金岳; Kanaga-také), which is adjacent to the largest island village of Honmura (本村; Honmura), where there are three minshuku. In each of the island’s other three tiny villages there are one or two more minshuku. The total population of all the villages is about 140 and it’s said that the local junior high school has two students. It’s a very small island with twin volcanoes side by side, fairly centrally located on the island’s main section. The volcanoes are the reason most people come to Kuchinoerabu.

The island is oddly shaped and a little hard to describe, but it’s almost two islands in one. One is small, about 1 by 3 miles (1.5 by 5 kilometers) and the other larger, about 3 by 12 miles (5 by 7 kilometers). They are connected by a half mile-wide isthmus. The island’s circumference is 30 miles (48 kilometers). Much of the surface of the island is covered in lava beds and volcanic debris. It’s a rugged place. Where it’s not buried by lava fields, it is sometimes referred to as the “Green” volcanic island as its other sections are lushly covered with vegetation. A decent road encircles and connects all the island’s several villages, so it’s easy to get around. In fact, to climb to the volcanoes, it’s less than a half mile from the main circle-island road.

As for that climb, take an experienced guide. One of the last victims not to do so was University of Wyoming professor and poet Craig Arnold. A well-known author and experienced in volcanoes, he was visiting the island in April 2009, doing research for an upcoming book. He disappeared and has never been seen since. It’s assumed that he had a fatal fall into one of the craters. Kuchierabu is completely dominated by the twin peaks of 2,130-foot (649-meter) tall Mt Furu (古岳; furu-daké, meaning “old peak”) and 2,155-foot (657-meter) Mt Shin (新岳; shin-daké or “new peak”).

If you like onsen (and who doesn’t), the entire island is really an underground bubbling cauldron of volcanic activity, and there are a number of onsen sprinkled around the island. Several nice ones are the Yumugi Hot Springs near Yumugi Port, Nemachi Onsen near Nemachi Village and the Nishino Hot Springs, which are the closest to Kuchierabu Port. Relaxing in hot volcanic springs is the other reason that people come to the island.

Aerial View of Kuchinoerabujima

The twin craters/peaks of Furu-daké and Shin-daké are at the center, the road is just below, while the harbor is visible at top left.

What Exactly is a Volcano?

The Japanese word for volcano is kazan (火山). Our word comes from the Latin vulcanus, the mythological Roman god of fire and the use of fire. He is the patron of blacksmiths, the arts of metallurgy (including the manufacture of arms and jewelry) and trades related to ovens (cooks, bakers and confectioners). His forge was underneath Sicily’s Mt Etna. For a wife, Jupiter gave him Venus, the goddess of love, beauty, sexuality and fertility, but not faithfulness. Every time Venus was fooling around, usually with Mars, Vulcan became enraged and beat the red hot metalworks in his forge with such force that fire, smoke and ash rose up and caused a volcanic eruption. Now, if that explanation’s not good enough for you, how about volcanoes are ruptures in the earth’s surface that allow gas, ash, lava, pumice, magma—all sorts of pyroclastic debris—to escape, often with extraordinary force. Volcanoes are usually, though not always, found where the earth’s tectonic plates are diverging or converging. Technically, there are many types of volcanoes but the most well known and the most dangerous, are “stratovolcanoes.” Japan’s Mt Fuji and Sakurajima and Italy’s Mt Vesuvius and Etna are classic examples. To volcanologists, the distinctions among active, dormant and extinct volcanoes are virtually meaningless. All volcanoes, given enough time, can potentially explode. What scientists watch for are the warning signals a volcano may give: its activity, smoke, earthquakes, lava flows, etc. Pictured below is 3,776-meter (12,388-feet)-tall Mt Fuji or Fuji-san (富士山), Japan’s greatest volcano.

The Northwestern Group

The three islands of Takeshima, Iōjima and Kuroshima are often called by their collective geographic name, the Mishima Islands (三島 列島; Mishima-rettō), which appropriately means “three islands.” A fourth islet, Shōwa Iōjima, is a relative newcomer. Literally an upstart, it popped up out of the ocean in 1934 as a result of an undersea volcanic explosion. It is uninhabitable. Mishima, the political entity, is the Japanese administrative district encompassing the three populated islands. It more formally is called Mishima Mura (三島村 Mishima-mura; mura means “village”). The total population of the village is about 400, spread out over a three-island area of a little more than 12 square miles (31 square kilometers) in total.

There’s not a lot of traffic to these islands and there is no commercial air service, though there is an airstrip on Iōjima which can be used by charter aircraft and emergency evacuation flights. The usual mode of transport is the ferry Mishima (みしま), also known as the “M” Line, which makes the trip from Kagoshima three times a week. The regular departure time is 9:30AM although on certain days it is 8:30AM, so you must double check.

The sailing distance to the first destination of Takeshima is 60 miles (94 kilometers) and travel time from Kagoshima is not quite three hours. There’s a 20 minute discharge and reboard time at Takeshima and then it’s only 9 miles (14 kilometers) and a quick 25 minutes to Iōjima, arriving around 1:00PM. After a 20-minute stop, from Iōjima it’s another 22 miles (35 kilometers) and one hour to the island of Kuroshima and its first eastside port, Ōsato. After the usual 20-minute unload/reload, the ship departs for the brief 5-mile (8-kilometer) 20-minute sail to Kuroshima’s second port, Katadomari, on the island’s west side. It usually arrives about 3:00PM.

Thus, the sequence is Kagoshima → Takeshima → Iōjima → Kuroshima (two ports), where the ship overnights. In general, two times a week, the next day, she reverses the journey, starting from Katadomari → then Ōsato → Iōjima → Takeshima → and finally Kagoshima. Sailing times are roughly similar except that on the return journeys the M Line starts the day around 8:00AM and arrives back in Kagoshima around 1:30PM. In general, on one out of the three weekly sailings, the ship waits two days before making the return journey. Therefore, pay attention to the ferry schedule on your days of travel. It’s easy to confuse it and find yourself stuck an extra day.

Note that with this ferry schedule, unless you’ve got your own watercraft, or you hire a local fisherman (which is not difficult to do, but very expensive) or are a real good swimmer, visiting each island means staying there at least one overnight, if not a couple of days. That’s not generally a big problem as there are a couple of minshuku on each island and after all, it’s why you came out here.

There’s really no other way off these islands once you’ve landed. And there are no other public services on any of the Mishima Islands: no taxis or buses, no rental cars, no scooters or bikes, and no banks or ATMs, so bring adequate cash. You’ll probably eat at your minshuku as almost all include meals in their daily rates. Most visitors come to snorkel or dive, soak in onsen or just hike and peacefully relax. There are some rather obscure ties to very ancient Japanese history but these will be of interest mostly to Japanese nationals and historians.

5 TAKESHIMA 竹島

Takeshima (竹島; Také-shima), whose name translates as “Bamboo,” is quite a small island and is infrequently visited. Its most recent census listed the population at 83 residents. It is said that there is a larger number of cows. The island’s overall shape is that of a well-formed rectangle, not quite 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long and less than a mile (about 1 kilometer) wide, but with an extension running out of the island’s southwest point to Cape Ombozaki (オンボ崎; Ombo-zaki). Altogether, this gives the island an area of 1.6 square miles (4.20 square kilometers). Its circumference is 8 miles (13 kilometers). Takeshima’s relatively long, narrow neck plus an approximate 1,640 feet (500 meters) triangular protuberance in the middle of its northern shore, combine to give it a rather unusual shape, somewhat resembling that of a hummingbird or maybe a mosquito.

The approach to the triangular-shaped, cliff-ringed Takeshima or Bamboo Island.

The port is on the north shore, sandwiched into a natural bay partially formed by the northern triangular cape. It’s a small port, more a dock than anything else, with a few buildings and a cement factory. The port is used by the thrice weekly Mishima ferry out of Kagoshima. That schedule is described above. Just up the hill from the port is a very small village, the only habitation on the island. There are two minshuku in Takeshima village. As is almost always the case on these small islands, their owners will meet you at the harbor on arrival and they include all your meals in their nightly rates.

Although there are no great mountains on Takeshima, it’s not accurate to say that it is flat, Rather, is it elevated, with an overall height ranging from 165 to 720 feet (50 to 220 meters) above sea level at its highest point. For the most part, it is ringed by cliffs. There are no beaches.

There is one main road and it pretty well covers the island, running from end to end, east to west, with just a couple of short side branches. Takeshima is almost entirely covered in bamboo and there is no agriculture to speak of, only some cattle grazing in the north and east. Although there is not too much happening on Takeshima, the island does have its own natural beauty.

6 IŌJIMA 硫黄島

The name Iōjima means “Sulphur Island” but it should not be confused with the island of the same name where the heroic battle of World War II took place. That Iwōjima is about 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) to the east of Okinawa in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) due south of Tokyo, roughly midway between Tokyo and the US Mariana Islands and Guam.

There are a number of small islands in Japan that bear the name Iōjima, Iwōjima, Iwōtō or Iōtō. They are simply alternative spellings of the same Kanji characters (硫黄島) and all are named for the same reason: they are all “sulphur” (that is, volcanic) islands. They are merely spelled differently in English depending on the transliteration of the Kanji which, of course, is always the same. Thus, for example, Iōjima, Iwojima and Ioujima are all correct. In point of fact, the name of “Iwo Jima” of epic World War II fame was officially changed by Japan in 2007 to the English language spelling and pronunciation of Iōtō, tō simply being yet another variant of “island” (島), along with jima and shima.

Bamboo forms a picturesque backdrop to Takeshima’s cement plant and dock.

Like its more famous namesake, this Iōjima (硫黄島; Iwō-jima), which is also called Mishima Iōjima, Satsuma Iōjima and Tokara Iōjima to help distinguish it from the other Iōjima, is a tiny place. It’s about 2 by 4 miles (3 by 6 kilometers) in width and length, which translates to a total land area of a little under 5 square miles (12 square kilometers) and a circumference of a tiny bit over 12 miles (20 kilometers). A recent report put the island’s population at 142.

Iōjima is served by the thrice weekly “M” Line ferry from Kagoshima. Usually, for each day that there is a drop of passengers and cargo on the westbound sailing, the following day the ship returns sailing eastbound back to Kagoshima. However, on one sailing per week, there is a two-day delay between the drop and the return. The ferry schedule is more fully described at the beginning of this section on the northwestern group of Mishima Islands.

Essentially, Iōjima is one highly active 2,310-foot (704-meter)-high volcano, Mount Iō (硫黄岳; Iō-daké; lit. “Sulphur Peak”), which is centered on the island’s larger east side, and a little village and port (硫黄島港; Iōjima-kō), which is about as far away on the other side of the island as possible. When visiting Iōjima, you almost can’t miss witnessing some kind of volcanic activity out of Mount Iō for Sulphur Peak is always erupting, spewing clouds of sulphur dioxide into the air and iron and sulphur into the ocean through various underwater vents. The sea around the island is permanently colored in striking shades of ochre, from yellow-orange to red-brown. This is particularly noticeable in the harbor because the waters there are partially contained by the tsunami barriers. At the port’s entrance, you’ll see the end of marine-blue ocean waters and the abrupt transition to the island’s sulphur-colored waters. It’s quite dramatic.

Iōjima is a particularly beautiful small island with a fair amount of things to do or see. It is mountainous, covered with lush vegetation, surrounded by sulphur waters and sports a fabulous open-air onsen. The port village, which is the only settlement on the island, is neat, clean and quaint. There are five minshuku. All serve meals with their accommodations as there are no restaurants or other services on the island. If you bring your vehicle (car or motorcycle), bring it with a full tank of gas because there is no filling station on Iōjima. There is one small shop that carries some basic essentials like laundry soap and instant ramen noodles.

The “M” Line serves the three Mishima.

The sulphur-colored waters of Iōjima’s port.

The entrance to Iōjima harbor.

The main sight in town is a small and peaceful Shintō Shrine (硫黄神社). It’s set off a bit, surrounded by trees and separated from the rest of the world, as is customary, by a torii gate. Its calm and contemplative atmosphere is only occasionally interrupted by the screeches of magnificent wild peacocks (クジャク; kujaku), which roam wild everywhere on Iōjima. Let loose some years ago, they have thrived. Remarkably, a large percentage of these extraordinary birds are pure white. There are so many that Iōjima could just as accurately be called Peacock Island instead of Sulphur Island.

The Shintō Shrine in Iōjima village.

Because Iōjima’s massive volcano Mt Iō occupies so much of its land area, and because the volcano blocks passage to Iōjima’s eastern end, there is no road that encircles the island. All roads essentially begin and end or revolve around the port town. The lack of a circle-island route, however, in no way subtracts from an otherwise excellent little network of roads going to almost every corner of the island. For instance, the road leading from town to the island’s northeasternmost tip first passes through a deliciously scented stretch of citrus grove, then a bamboo forest sheltering the hidden Shintō Shrine (a short hike off the road), then a now forbidden wild road (too dangerous) that twists and turns almost to the top of Iō peak, then to the Sakamoto Onsen (坂本温泉; Sakamotoonsen) and finally ends at the Heike Castle Ruins site (平家城跡; Heike-jō ato). All this in the space of 3 miles (5 kilometers)! Incidentally and unfortunately, the Sakamoto outdoor hot springs are no longer operative. Their underground source stopped or became diverted and they’ve been abandoned for now. It’s perfectly conceivable that Mt Iō’s boiling waters could return to Sakamoto again some day.

Mount Iō at left and its little sister and new neighbor, Shōwa Iōjima, at right.

Higashi Onsen and Higashi-no Tatigami-iwa.

Fortunately, there’s another free outdoor hot springs on Iōjima, and this one is even more beautiful. Here, you follow the road out of town, at first through the same orange tree groves but then southeast past an observation platform where you can see Kuchinoerabu, Yakushima and Tanegashima Islands, then a little further following the signs to the Higashi Onsen (東温泉; Higashionsen; lit. “Eastern Hot Springs”). It’s a total of 5 miles (3 kilometers) from the port to the onsen, not including the little side branch off to the Observation Platform.

The natural “emergency” port of Ōura.

Higashi is an open-air boiling spring located at the foot of Mount Iō volcano and right on the seashore. Try soaking here. Most likely you’ll have the pools completely to yourself as there’s usually no one else around. The air, sea and sky are crystal clear. A sunset or a star-filled night sky, melting in a bubbling hot pool on the ocean, is about as a romantic and soothing experience as one can ever have. In other words, it just doesn’t get any better than this.

The large upright rock just offshore is Higashi-no Tatigami-iwa or “Eastern Standing God Rock.” We’ll describe it below.

There are two more interesting scenic, though shorter, drives or hikes on Iōjima. They are west of town. Both start on the road that leads due north from the port straight up the hill behind town. Once you’ve crested the hill, continue west past the lighthouse. You’ll be on top of the island’s plateau, surrounded by pasture land full of black cattle, horses and peacocks. Quickly enough, less than a mile (2 kilometers) from town, you’ll come to the airstrip. It was possible to build an airstrip on Iōjima as this natural plateau is just large enough to handle small aircraft landings and take-offs. As mentioned earlier, even though it looks pretty lonely, it’s not been abandoned. The strip and control tower are maintained and are used by charter aircraft and for emergency air evacuations.

If you backtrack just a bit and then continue west a little less than a mile (1 kilometer) beyond the airstrip, you’ll come to the western end of the island. It’s a high bluff, and on a clear day you can see almost exactly 19 miles (30 kilometers) to the last of the Mishima, the “black” island or Kuroshima.

Where the road ends, a long descent on a set of at least 100 steps begins. This takes you down to Oura Port (大浦港; Ōurakō), a small natural port used as a typhoon emergency harbor. Interestingly enough, the clear waters of this extremely well-sheltered port are home to a multitude of tropical fish. Species like angels, box, puffer, batfish, clowns, butterflyfish, lionfish, moorish idols, tangs and triggerfish can be seen from the dock. Although there’s no beach, it’s an excellent place for a swim, even better perhaps for snorkeling. Speaking of beaches, other than the black sand beach at Iōjima’s port, there are no beaches on this island. Its shoreline is completely rock or inaccessible.

The presence of these exotic, colorful tropical fish so far north—almost 375 miles (600 kilometers) from Naha, Okinawa—demonstrates just how powerful and far-reaching is the Kuroshio Current (黒潮; Kuro-shio; lit. “Black Tide” but often translated as “Japanese Current”). Starting from the tropical waters of the Philippines and Taiwan, then traveling north thousands of miles/kilometers on its way to the northern Pacific, it is comparable to the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf Stream. Its warm waters sustain tropical fish species and coral reefs further north than anywhere else in the world.

Our last drive or hike also begins in town, climbs the same hill as in the previous route, but after a mile (1.5 kilometers), shortly after the lighthouse and just before the turn to the airstrip, we’ll take the road that veers to the left and follow it for another mile (1.5 kilometers) until its end. This 2-mile (3-kilometer excursion) takes us over the high bridge visible west from down at the port. It’s so high and narrow it’s a little scary but it takes us to an Observation Lookout at the very end of Cape Erabu (永良部崎; Erabu-zaki). We’re on that long, narrow spit of land jutting out due south from Iōjima’s harbor. The view is breathtaking. Below is the town and the sulphur waters of the port, while across to the east are the smoking slopes of Mount Iō.

We’ll end our visit of Iōjima here by having a quick look at its two satellite islets, then we’ll ferry onwards to Kuroshima.

SHŌWA IŌJIMA (昭和硫黄島; Shōwa-Iwōjima). This tiny islet is Iōjima’s little sister and “new” neighbor. Shōwa Iōjima is an uninhabited volcanic rock about a mile (2 kilometers) offshore from Iōjima’s northeast coast. It was formed in the fall of 1934 as a result of an undersea eruption from Iōjima’s volcano. The islet is an irregularly shaped oval, about 410 x 575 feet (125 x 175 meters) wide from north to south and about 1,310 feet (400 meters) long from east to west. There is no public transportation service to the island. If you wish to visit, you’ll have to hire a local fisherman to take you there.

Iōjima’s Peacocks (硫黄島孔雀)

In nature, peafowl (male: peacock; female: peahen; juveniles: peachicks) are birds of the forest. They roost in trees but make their nests on the ground. They are foragers and omnivores, feeding on virtually all plants, seeds, insects, worms and small reptiles or amphibians. They generally travel in packs. Worldwide there are two species: the Indian Blue (Pavo cristatus), which is relatively common and breeds well, and the Burmese Green (Pavo muticus), which is rare and endangered. They are both members of the pheasant family. The white peafowl comes from a genetic mutation called Leucism. They are not albinos and do not have red eyes. Leucism is characterized by reduced pigmentation in the hair and skin of animals and humans. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin. It is rare in peacocks and other animals, but on Iōjima at least a quarter of the peafowl have it and are white.

Shōwa Iōjima, a new piece of terra firma that emerged in 1934.

HIGASHI-NO TATIGAMIIWA (東ノ立神岩; Higashi-no Tatigami-iwa). Here is yet another monolith of stone called “Standing God Rock” or, in this case, “Eastern” Standing God Rock. It is located 490 feet (75 meters) offshore from the nearby Higashi Onsen on Iōjima’s southern shore. It is visible in the photograph of Higashi Onsen shown on page 35.

7 KUROSHIMA 黒島

The most distant of the Mishima mini archipelago, “Black Island” is sometimes said to be a “mini Yakushima” for it also an almost perfectly round, mountainous though not super tall lush and green island, only it is smaller than Yakushima. Kuroshima (黒島; Kuro-shima) ranges between 2.5–3.5 miles (4–5.5 kilometers) in diameter. Its area has been measured at 6 square miles (15.5 square kilometers) and its circumference 8 square miles (20 square kilometers).

There are two villages on the island, Ōsato (大里; Ō-sato) and Katadomari (片泊; Katado mari). Between them they have a total population of about 175. The thrice weekly ferry from Kagoshima stops at both villages. There are four minshuku in Ōsato and three in Katadomari.

It takes about five hours to reach Kuroshima as the ferry Mishima (the “M” Line) stops at Takeshima and Iōjima along the way. Westbound, coming from Iōjima, it first stops on Kuroshima’s northeast side, at Ōsato. On most days the arrival time is scheduled for 2:25PM, although one day a week it is one hour earlier than that. After a 20-minute unloading and reloading of freight and passengers, the ferry continues for 20 minutes (5 mile/8 kilometers) to the island’s central west side, arriving just after 3:00PM at Katadomari, docking for the night.

The next morning (once a week, two days later), the “M” Line ferry departs Katadomari at 8:00AM and 20 minutes later makes its first 20-minute stop back at Ōsato. Departing there at 8:40AM, it continues on its eastbound journey for one hour (23 miles/37 kilometers) to Iōjima, arriving at 9:40AM. At 10:00AM, it departs and sails 25 minutes (9 miles/14 kilometers) to Takeshima. A 10:45AM departure and an almost three-hour sail north (58 miles/93 kilometers) brings the Mishima back to Kagoshima at 1:35PM, altogether taking about five and a half hours.

Kuroshima Island’s name “black” refers to the black volcanic soil, and black sand and black basalt rock beaches, found here. As for “beaches,” they’re really nonexistent. Almost entirely, the island’s 12-mile (20-kilometer) circumference is ringed by steep cliffs and a narrow rocky coastline. Although it must be said that the island’s strong suit is not beaches, it can be said that it is good for hikers. Because the mountains are not exceptionally tall, Kuroshima is criss-crossed and encircled by a number of good roads and paths. The island’s central highlands section has a half dozen peaks ranging in height from 1,837-feet (560-meter) Mt Eboshi (鳥帽子山; Eboshi-yama) to 1,936-feet (590-meter) Mt Yokodake (橫冶山; Yoko-daké yama) to 2,041-feet (622-meter) Yagura Peak (櫓岳; Yagura-daké).

Virtually every section of Kuroshoma is accessible to hikers, bikers, motorcyclists or drivers. It’s a very pleasant and scenic island on which to get around, all 6 square miles (15 square kilometers) of it.

That wraps up our coverage of the Mishima Group and of the Ōsumi chain. From here, we’ll return to Kagoshima and wait for the next Monday or Friday night departure of the Tokara, the ship that will take us to the Toshima group of islands, otherwise known as the Tokara Archipelago.