The Amami Islands
Between the mainland of Kagoshima and the islands of Okinawa, lies the relatively unknown Amani archipelago in the Satusunan Islands, which are the northern islands of the Ryukyu Islands (the southern islands are the Okinawan Islands).
When one looks at a map of Japan, Okinawa and Kagoshima are fairly easy to spot, however to find the Amami, get onto Google Maps, locate Kagoshima and Okinawa, then keep zooming into the ocean divide between them and eventually when you zoom in enough, will pop up several tiny islands, of which the 4 largest you can access via flying: Amami Oshima (where you can also explore Kikaijima & Kakeromajima via ferry), Tokunoshima, Okinerabu & Yoron.
Due to new airline routes, increased ferry routes and improved tourism infrastructure, the Amami Islands are gradually becoming more popular for those who are eager to explore more untouched nature of Japan rather than the more well known sister of Okinawa.
The majority of people visit the larger Amami Oshima as it’s accessible via budget airlines Peach along with JAL airlines and branch off to explore next door Kikaijima and Kakeromajima via ferry. However to access the other 3 islands of Tokunoshima, Okinoerabu & Yoron, you will be limited to JAL flights, where the average cost of a 1 hr flight between the islands is 8000-10,000JPY, or a much longer ferry for not that much cheaper.
The wild beauty and diverse landscapes of the Amami Islands entranced me by their natural shapes and forms (in some ways it reminded me of the diversity of Iceland’s landscapes). Its untamed nature is something I prefer rather than some of the manicured, more polished environments that can be found in Okinawa (though Okinawa has some delightful gems, which I will be sharing another time).
Similar to Okinawa, the Amami Islands are home to the Ryukyuan people, Japan’s largest ethnolinguistic minority group which are distinct not only by their particular dialect, but as well by their rich history, arts, craftmanship, food and local lore. I won’t give you a history lesson, but if you ever visit the Amami, Okinawa or Kagoshima you can see an interesting blend of cultures of not only Japanese, the Ryukyu (Imperial China) but also an American influence due to the island’s occupation after World War 2.
If you wish to just dip your toe in and visit Amami Oshima, it will be easier to organize flights and accommodation wise (hire a car) but if you plan to island hop a bit like we did, do check the times and days of the flights to coincide with how long you want to spend at each island. It will require a bit of planning and the flight times are a little frustrating.
However no adventure worth having is easy planning. If we were to return (which we probably will, as we need to still do Yoron, and the smaller islands of Amami Oshima) we would probably give some extra days to the Tokunoshima & Okinoerabu especially if you want a more relaxing, slow paced stay
Enjoy reading my more indepth blogs about the 3 islands we visited: Amami, Tokunoshima, Okinoerabu (still super annoyed that no flights were available to Yoron hahaha… ahh well have to return)
