| Tokara Islands (ト カ ラ 列島 tokara-rettō, sometimes 吐 噶 喇 列島) | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Kyushu |
| Area | 101,35 km² |
| Location | |
 29 ° 30 ′ 0 ″ N 129 ° 36 ′ 0 ″ E | |
The Tokara Islands are a small archipelago Japanese part of the Kagoshima Prefecture, located in the south of the island of Kyushu and north of Amami Islands. They are sometimes known asToshima Islands (十 島 ; litt. “Ten islands”), the name “Toshima-mura” corresponding to the associated administrative division.
Understand
The Tokara Islands are islands off the beaten track. Of the 12 islands of the archipelago, 7 are inhabited, each of them barely has a population ranging from 40 to less than 200 people, with a total of less than 600 inhabitants living in the archipelago. From north to south, scattered over 160 km, the inhabited islands are:
 29 ° 30 ′ 0 ″ N 129 ° 36 ′ 0 ″ E Tokara Islands Regions Map |
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Why “Ten Islands” if there are only seven? The reason is an oddity of history: after the occupation of Japan by the Allies, the line between the main islands and Okinawa (held by the United States) was drawn between Kuchino-shima and the three Mishima Islands to the north, a separation that has remained today.
In July 2009, the Tokara Islands received unusual media attention when the longest solar eclipse of the century passed over the archipelago, Akuseki-jima having the longest duration (06 min 25 seconds) from around the world. The islands were so overwhelmed with eclipse watchers that a limit of 1,500 visitors was temporarily imposed, but the islands quickly regained their usual calm.
There are also several uninhabited islands, the main ones being Gaja-jima, Kogaja-jima, Kojima, Kaminone-jima and Yokoate-jima.
To go
There is only one convenient way to reach the islands, and that is by ferry.
- Toshima Ferry (フ ェ リ ー と し ま) ,
81 99-222-2101 – Navigate between Kagoshima and the islands twice a week (6 h for Kuchinoshima, 13 h for Takara). It stops in the port of Naze at Amami Oshima (3 h from Takara) once a week.
In 2009, the ferry schedules were as follows (unchanged for 10 years):
| On Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thusday | Friday | On Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kagoshima → | Tokara | → Kagoshima | Kagoshima → | Tokara → Naze | → Tokara → Kagoshima | |
| dep 23 h 50 | arr 13 h 05 | dep 7 h 15 arr 20 h 30 | dep 23 h 50 | arr 16 h 20 | dep 4 h arr 20 h 30 |
Tariff 2e one-way class varies from 6 010 JPY (Kagoshima-Kuchinoshima) to 11 620 JPY (Kagoshima-Naze). Hours are subject to change at any time, especially in bad weather.
In addition, there are (very) occasional charter trips to the islands, mostly by dive operators to Amami or Kagoshima. For 5 days, 4 nights of cruising the price is of the order of 300 000 JPY, diving included.
Circulate
As the Toshima Ferry is the only way to travel from island to island, once you get to an island you're usually stuck for several days.
Visiting an island is quite easy, as there are no buses, taxis, car rentals, rental motorbikes or even rental bike services, your only choice is to walk. However, most minshuku (guest houses) are located near the port, and those who are not usually come to pick up clients.
To see
- Nakanoshima Observatory (中 之 島 天文台 Nakanoshima-tenmondai) Nakanoshima, 81 99-227-9771 – The largest telescope in Kyushu, with a mirror of 60 cm. Open most evenings but by reservation.
- Tokara Museum (歴 史 民俗 資料 館 Rekishi-minzoku-shiryokan) , 81 99-227-9771 – The only museum on the islands. Quite modest and the explanations are only in Japanese.
Do
The islands are volcanic and they all have public hot springs. Most are free, open-air, but a few have facilities and charge an entrance fee (200-300 JPY).
Most of the islands are surrounded by corals, and scuba diving is one of the main draws for visitors.
- Kaiyu Club (海 遊 倶 楽 部) Nakanoshima, 81 9912-2-2119
Diving from the beach 3 000 JPY, from a boat 6 000 JPY/day. – The only dive operator on the islands. It also offers chalet accommodation in 8 400 JPY with meals.
Diving from the beach There is a festival that attracts visitors from elsewhere.
- 1 Boze Matsuri (ボ ゼ 祭 り) Akusekijima – A local variation of the Japanese festival Good, held annually on July 16 of the old calendar - meaning somewhere between August and September. The men of the island dress up in bizarre, spectacular costumes made of palm leaves, depicting the masked god Boze, and dance to scare away demons and bring a new year.
To buy
There are no ATMs or banks on the islands and credit cards are generally not accepted; therefore bring enough money to help you out.
Eat
There are no public restaurants or bars on the islands, so you will eat and drink at your accommodation.
Housing
All the islands have a few minshuku, which are usually only free rooms in fishermen's houses. All prices here are per person and include three meals, unless otherwise stated.
- Minshuku Kurashio-no-Yado (民宿 く ら し お の 宿) Kuchinoshima 9 500 JPY including 5 meals.
