After the typhoon the sun came back and so did the beautiful colours. Exploring the island we saw how unspoilt it really is with a rugged green interior and beautiful sea all around. We experienced what will hopefully be the last typhoon of the season and then summer really started. Our hotel filled with Japanese families on their summer vacations – everybody there to relax and enjoy the beach.
A favourite spot on Kurasaki beach
Chilling…It’s no surprise we extended our stay by 3 days, something we have done quite a bit on this trip of Japan, but must admit that on this occasion our stay on Amami Oshima was pure self indulgence and the photos are a testament to that, just one beautiful beach after another.
Spending hours in the sea
Giant sea monster
Kurasaki beach, 10 minutes on bicycle from the hotel
Tomori beach on the eastern sideThere is a relaxed tropical atmosphere on the island and we explored the beaches round the northern part of the island using a combination of walking, kayaking, cycling and motorbike and hired a car for the south.
The motorbike licence comes in handy
Major roads are marked in English but some signs still baffle us!
Peaceful bay on the way to the beachThe vegetation in the south seemed lusher than in the north but that could be down to it being less developed or simply more remote.
Driving to the southern part of the island. A great view around each corner. And there were A LOT of corners
Judging by the growth this is a road less travelledThe north though has the better beaches with warm, calm and super clear waters and coarse white sand. A couple of the beaches (Kurasaki, Tomori and the one next to Sakibura) definitely make our top 10.
Tomori beach – Nick is trying to set up a real estate business for hermit crabs
Came across this as we were looking for Sakibura beach. Had to stop for a swimA number of the locals who we met have moved here from other parts of Japan to enjoy the lifestyle. On the beach we hit it off with Isao and Ayako and their little son who are part of the local surfer community.
Isao, Ayako and little Hikaru
What better place for a chat?Compared to the modern Mediterranean the beaches were pretty deserted and the island overall was quiet. Malene and I often wondered why it was so quiet with only a handful of hotels on the island which is about a third the size of Cyprus. I guess the Japanese don’t have much of a beach culture and when in the sea they love their colourful inflatable rings.
Splashing timesIn the hotel we were probably the longest staying guests ever – a total of 11 nights – compared to holiday makers from Tokyo and else where in Japan staying only 3-4 nights. We only saw a handful of western travellers in that time. At the hotel we made friends with Michiko and Tilman and their cheeky daughters from Berlin and Nobu-san with his family from Tokyo.
Miyabi and Kaya
We were sad to leave and envious of Hannah and Luke who were staying at the hotel as part of their honeymoon and left on the same day as us to head further South to an even smaller and more remote island. Maybe that will be us next time…
A photo dedicated to Yasaka and his wife – without them we wouldn’t even have heard of Amami