Tokara Islands understand · Tokara Islands tourist information
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Tokara Islands tourist information
Tokara Islands tourist information
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:
Kuchinoshima (口之島), the closest to the mainland
Nakanoshima (中之島), the largest of the islands in size and population
Tairajima (平島), where the defeated Heike clan are said to have escaped to
Suwanosejima (諏訪の瀬島), with an active volcano
Akusekijima (悪石島), lit. "Bad Stone Island", ringed by cliffs and known for its ancient festival
Kodakarajima (小宝島), area 1 sq.km. and easily walked around 30 minutes
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.
In July 2009, the Tokara Islands received some unusual media attention when the longest solar eclipse of the century swept over the archipelago, with Akusekijima having the longest eclipse duration (6 minutes and 25 seconds) in the entire world. The islands were so swamped with eclipse-spotters that a limit of 1500 visitors had to be temporarily imposed, but there is little doubt that the islands will soon return to their quiet ways.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Tokara Islands
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Tokara Islands - updated May 2024
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Tokara Islands Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.