Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lands” (
沖縄諸島
). The first close-in island on the eastern side of Okinawa, just a bit south of
Hedo Point, is Adakashima and it's not much of a start, for it's just a little speck of a place.
1
ADAKASHIMA
安田ケ島
Ten miles (6 kilometers) south of Hedo Point as the crow flies, or about 16 miles (26 kilomet-
ers) by the coast road is the town of Ada (
安田
; Ada). Most of northern Okinawa is uninhab-
ited. Ada is one of only a handful of villages on the northeast section of the island. It's a very
small fishing village with approximately 150 residents. About 1,150 feet (350 meters) offshore
is a little green uninhabited island, Adakashima (
安田 ケ島
; Adaka-shima). It measures close
to 1,640 feet (500 meters) long and up to 660 feet (200 meters) wide in several places. It ac-
tually has a couple of nice beaches, so it may be worth the swim if you're a good swimmer or
worth the paddle if you're a keen kayaker.
2
ABUŌRUJIMA
安部オール島
The Pacific Ocean side of Okinawa has far fewer islands than does the East China Sea side,
so we'll have to travel about one-third of the way down the island's eastern shore (35 miles/
56 kilometers) from Ada on the coast road to Oura Bay (
大浦湾
; Ōura-wan) to find our next
islands—all three of them and all tiny and uninhabitable. First, on the bay's northern shore,
11 miles (18 kilometers) east of Nago and just 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) east of the luxury
golf resort, Kanuchu Bay Hotel & Villas, is the little village of Abu (
安部
; Abu). At the north-
easternmost extremity of the bay, at the end of Cape Gimi (
安部崎
; Abu-zaki or Gimi-zaki),
is a rocky little island, Abuōrujima (
安部オール島
; Abuōru-jima). It's perhaps 1,310 feet (400
meters) long and 500 feet (150 meters wide). It's only 500 feet (150 meters) offshore from the
cape and at low tide you can walk there.
Adakashima, the first islet in our clockwise circuit of Okinawa Island.
