－AMAMI OSHIMA ISLAND－
Amami Oshima Island, located between Kyushu and Okinawa, is the second-largest manned remote island in Japan. On the island, on top of crystal clear beaches, the deep mountains, which are also candidate sites for World Natural Heritage, have a deity that cannot be described simply by the word “beautiful”.
The Devine Nature and Islanders Called “Shimanchu”
If you visit “Miyakozaki (Sasanto)” on the west side of the island, you can see the sunlight shining into the sea. The island is beautiful on sunny days, but you can find its beauty in any weather.
Amami Oshima Island is also recommended for families, because “children are treasures” is the norm on this island. If you walk around the village with your children, “Shimachu (islanders)” smiles asking, “Where are you from?” From that conversation, you can discover another charm of this island.
Immerse yourself in the laughter and relax with the foods and conversations.
Yanigawa Street is the main street of Amami Oshima Island. What you want to taste here is brown sugar shochu. This sake, which is only allowed to be produced in the Amami Oshima Islands in Japan, has a sweet brown sugar scent. Go to a local Izakaya where you can enjoy island food and drinks.
Gourmet Spot “Fictitious dining room Kurau”
Enjoy Amami Oshima’s island pork “Akarinton” in a nice atmosphere. Drink shochu with “homemade sausages” filled with gravy and “gaja beans” made by a 98-year-old grandmother.
16-6 Nazekanekucho, Amami City
TEL: 070-5817-0493
Business hours: 18:00 to 24:00
Regular holiday: Sunday
Nishihira Sake Brewery
Nishihira Sake Brewery is run by a young woman, Serena Nishihira, who is also active as a musician. The representative brand “Coral”. “Kana” with a scent of oak barrels. Both have a fresh and sweet taste and are grabbing Shimanchu’s heart.
11-21 Nazekomatacho, Amami City
TEL: 0997-52-0171
Shopping Spot “devadurga”
An outdoor clothing brand launched by Hitoshi Shimazaki, a native of Sumiyo, who returned to the island after working for a popular apparel store in Harajuku. Clothes using the “mud dyeing” technique, which is originally used for Oshima Tsumugi, are lined up.
TEL: 0997-69-4800
Business hours: 11:00 to 19:00
Regular holiday: Wednesday
Island Inside The Island
In Amami Oshima Island, each village is called “Sima”. There are a wide variety of “sima”, and each “sima” has its own characteristics in both songs and dialects. So if you want to fully enjoy them, a longer stay is recommended.
In Sumiyo Town, where mangrove forests spread, you can enjoy the beautiful air in the forest where wild animals such as the Amami rabbits and habu live.
Kakeromajima Island
20 minutes by boat across the Oshima Strait. If you step out to Kakeromajima island, you can enjoy “a remote island of the remote island”. You can enjoy the relaxing and beautiful scenery that the famous novelist Toshio Shimao and his wife Miho would have seen on this island. Since Kakeromajima island is also quite large, 2-3 days would be necessary to fully enjoy it.
