Went to Tokashiki Island

I went to Tokashiki Island, located at the eastern end of the Kerama Islands, an archipelago in Okinawa Prefecture.

Tokashiki Island is the most accessible of the remote islands in the Kerama Islands, but even so, there are only three ferries a day from the main island, and depending on the weather, they may be cancelled and you won’t be able to go. In fact, we couldn’t go and ended up staying overnight on the main island.

Tokashiki Port, where the ferry docks.

Most of Tokashiki Island is covered in greenery. The only bustling areas are Tokashiki Port, Aharen Beach which is often the destination for tourists, and to a lesser extent, Tokashiku Beach.

When we arrived at Tokashiki Port, the inn we had booked sent a shuttle bus to take us to Aharen Beach. Tokashiki Port is in the northeast of the island, and Aharen Beach is in the southwest, so they’re relatively far apart on the island, but it still doesn’t take 20 minutes.

Perhaps because it was the off-season, there were few people.

Only occasional tourists and cars pass by.

On the way to Aharen Beach, there’s Aharen Elementary School.

After passing the elementary school, you’ll soon see the entrance to Aharen Beach.

The sea in the Kerama Islands has high transparency, and coral reefs accumulate on the seabed. Therefore, from the beach to the sea, it changes from the yellowish white of the sand to the greenish blue of the sea.

This color is called Kerama Blue.

While there are other seas with the same color, such as in the Caribbean, when you actually see it in person, you realize it’s not just referring to the color.

I understood that Kerama Blue refers to the atmosphere created by the sparkling sea in the sunlight, the topography of islands and mountains, and the weather including the sky and wind.

By the way, while the sea is beautiful, it’s still cold in early March, so you can’t enter without a diver’s suit. A friend who went with me entered wearing only a swimsuit and came down with a fever the next day.

The small island in front of Aharen Beach is called Hanare Island. The waters around the island have particularly high transparency even among the Kerama Islands, making it famous as an excellent spot for diving and snorkeling.

We didn’t plan to dive this time so we didn’t go, but I’d like to go next time I visit.

There’s a service that takes you to Hanare Island by banana boat.

If you go south from Aharen Beach, you’ll find Aharen Port.

You can also go to Hanare Island by small boat from here.

If you go north from Aharen Beach, there’s a short tunnel formed by a hole in the rock.

After going through the tunnel, the path splits left and right.

It’s easier to understand when viewed from Aharen Port. The rock on the right in the photo below is the tunnel. If you take the left path, you’ll reach the coast on the left side of the photo, and if you take the right path, you’ll reach the observation deck at the top of the mountain.

Stairs to the observation deck.

View from the observation deck.

Walking around the residential area near Aharen Beach, you can meet many stray cats. They seem to be accustomed to people and showed no sign of running away even when approached.

A goat.

As you can see from the model photo, there are many houses and accommodations near Aharen Beach.

To the west there’s a campsite, where there’s a narrow path that’s just mowed grass.

If you continue along that path for a while, you’ll come out at Hijuishi Beach.

Hijuishi Beach is designated as a coral reef protection area, and swimming is prohibited.

Perhaps because of this, despite being next to Aharen Beach which is crowded with tourists, there are hardly any people here.

It seems to be popular as a fishing spot, with people enjoying fishing from the rocks.

There’s also a small cave.

A panoramic view taken from a small rocky area at the northern end of Hijuishi Beach, slightly elevated. By the way, the rocks looked like you could seriously injure yourself if you slipped, so it’s better not to climb them.

Aharen Beach at dusk.

I thought it would be beautiful with starlight at night, but what awaited was surprising darkness. The stars were barely visible.

Since I usually live in areas where there’s always some light, the experience of not being able to see even an inch ahead was refreshing.

The next day at noon, we returned to the main island by ferry, and our Tokashiki Island trip ended.