Tokara Islands

The Tokara Islands (トカラ列島 Tokara-rettō, sometimes 吐噶喇列島) are a small archipelago in Japan, south of Kyushu and north of the Amami Islands. They are also sometimes known as the Toshima Islands (十島), lit. "Ten Islands", and the name is preserved in the name of the administrative division, Toshima-mura, that covers them.

Understand

Orientation

The Tokara Islands are about as off the beaten track as it gets in Japan. Of the 12 islands in the chain, 7 are inhabited, all of them barely: populations range from 40 to under 200, with a total of less than 600 people living in the entire archipelago. From north to south, scattered over 160 km, the inhabited islands are:

• 1 Kuchinoshima (口之島), the closest to the mainland
• 2 Nakanoshima (中之島), the largest of the islands in size and population
• 3 Tairajima (平島), where the defeated Heike clan are said to have escaped to
• 4 Suwanosejima (諏訪の瀬島), with an active volcano
• 5 Akusekijima (悪石島), lit. "Bad Stone Island", ringed by cliffs and known for its ancient festival
• 6 Kodakarajima (小宝島), area 1 km² and easily walked around 30 minutes
• 7 Takarajima (宝島), or "Treasure Island", supposedly the burial place of Captain Kidd's treasure

So why "Ten Islands" if there are only seven? The answer lies in a quirk of history — after the Allied occupation of Japan, the line between the mainland and US-held Okinawa was drawn between Kuchinoshima and the three Mishima Islands to the north, and the division persists to this day.

Tourist information site

The village's official site has extensive tourism information including detailed maps of each island, but in Japanese only.

Get in

There is only one practical way to get to the islands: the Ferry Toshima 2 (フェリーとしま２) , tel. 099-222-2101, which sails between Kagoshima and Naze on Amami Oshima twice a week, dropping in at all the islands on the way. As of 2024, the schedule looks like this:

M	Tu	W	Th	F	Sa	Su
Kagoshima →	Naze	→ Kagoshima		Kagoshima →	Tokara → Naze	→ Tokara → Kagoshima
dep 23:00	arr 15:20	dep 02:00 arr 18:20		dep 23:00	arr 15:20	dep 02:00 arr 18:20

The journey from Kagoshima to the first island in the chain, Kuchinojima, takes about 6 hours, while the final leg from Takarajima to Naze is 3 hours. The ferry stops at each island for only 10 minutes, so this means that if you do disembark, you have to stay for anywhere from 1 to 4 nights minimum depending on what direction you're going. Schedules are subject to change at short notice, especially in the event of inclement weather. In tsunami season (Apr-Oct), it's not unheard of for all ferries to be cancelled for two weeks straight.

The 2nd-class one way fare varies from ¥6290 (Kagoshima-Kuchinoshima) to ¥12,170 (Kagoshima-Naze). As typical in Japanese ferries, this gets you access to a shared tatami room. You can pay an extra ¥4000/person for a designated bunk for sleeping (指定寝台), or a ¥18000 flat fee for a first class cabin with proper beds and a private bathroom. There are only two of these, one for 2 pax and the other for 4, so if there's four of you, the extra cost comes to only ¥4500 per head. There is also a special "multi-purpose room" (多目的室) with beds for elderly (75+) and disabled passengers.

In addition to the ferries, there are (very) occasional charter trips to the islands, mostly by dive operators on Amami or Kagoshima. A 5-day, 4-night cruise costs on the order of ¥300,000, diving included.

Get around

Since the Ferry Toshima is the only way to travel, island-hopping is time-consuming: once you get on an island, you're generally stuck there for several days.

Deciding how to get around that island is easy enough, since there are no buses, taxis, rental car, rental motorbike or even rental bicycle services: your only choice is to walk. However, most minshuku are located near the port, and those that aren't will usually pick up guests.

See

There isn't much in the way of sights on the islands.

• Nakanoshima Observatory (中之島天文台 Nakanoshima-tenmondai), Nakanoshima, ☏ +81 99-227-9771. The largest telescope in Kyushu, with a 60-cm mirror. Open most evenings, but reservations required. 
• Tokara Museum (歴史民俗資料館 Rekishi-minzoku-shiryokan), Nakanoshima, ☏ +81 99-227-9771. The only museum in the islands. A modest affair, and the exhibits are only in Japanese. 

Do

Fishing is probably the biggest draw for the islands' few visitors. You can fish off right off the shore or charter a boat from local fishermen.

The open air baths on Akusekijima

The islands are very volcanic and they all have public hot springs. Most are just free, open-air, concrete tubs, but a couple have facilities and token entrance fees (¥200-300). The pick of the lot is probably Akusekijima, which has an oceanside outdoor bath, a sand bath (砂蒸し温泉 sunamushi onsen) where you can steam yourself on hot sand, and a coastal spot where cool seawater and hot springs water mix naturally.

Most of the islands are surrounded by coral, and scuba diving would normally be one of the main draws for the few visitors in these parts. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any local dive operators anymore.

There's one festival that draws visitors from elsewhere as well:

• Boze Matsuri (ボゼ祭り), Akusekijima. A local variant of Japan's Bon festival, held yearly on the 16th of July in the old calendar -- meaning sometime between August and September. The island's men dress up in bizarre, spectacular costumes made of palm leaves and husk, representing the Masked God Boze, and dance to scare away the devils and bring in a new year. 

Buy

There are no supermarkets or convenience stores on the islands. Nakanojima, Kuchinoshima and Takarajima have tiny general stores (商店) with very limited selections and opening hours.

There are no ATMs on the islands and credit cards are generally not accepted, so bring enough cash to tide you over. However, if you happen to have a Japan Post bank account, the local post offices can withdraw money for you.

Eat and drink

There are no public restaurants, pubs or bars on the islands, so you'll be eating and drinking at your lodgings.

Sleep

All islands are equipped with a couple of minshuku, which are usually just spare rooms in fisherman's houses. Reservations must be made in advance, and don't expect any English to be spoken.

• Minshuku Kurashio-no-Yado (民宿くらしおの宿), Kuchinoshima. ¥9500 incl. 5 meals. 
• Suwanose Guesthouse (すわのせゲストハウス), Suwanosejima. Three air-conditioned free-standing cabins, two of which have kitchen facilities for self-catering. From ¥5,000 (no meals). 

Camping is also possible at designated campsites in Suwanosejima, Akusekijima, Kodakarajima and Takarajima, which have basic facilities including toilets. You will need to be fully self-equipped, including your tent and all food supplies.

Stay safe

The Tokara habu (トカラハブ) snake can found in Takarajima and Kodakarajima, and nowhere else in the world. Related to the Okinawan habu, it's smaller and less venomous, but you still seek medical attention if bitten.

Kuchinoshima has feral cows (野生牛), but they generally avoid approaching humans.

Connect

All the islands have mobile phone coverage, but it relies on line-of-sight links and can go down in bad weather.