Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sandbar which can reach to within 3 feet (1 meter) of the mainland. But disregarding the
sand, only considering the islet's vegetation-covered rocky portions, the first islet starts about
100 feet (30 meters) from shore. It's about 130 by 165 feet (40 by 50 meters) around. From
its western-facing side, it's about 115 feet (35 meters) over sand, sometimes water, to num-
ber two islet that is somewhat larger, an oval around 130 by 245 feet (40 by 75 meters). Then,
it's just 65 feet (20 meters) further west, over water—no sandbar here—to number three is-
land, the largest. It's a poorly drawn circle roughly 410 feet (125 meters) in diameter, com-
pletely covered in vegetation, with almost no sandy sections. There's nothing particularly spe-
cial about Edzunajima (
エーヅナ島
; Ēdzunajima) except it's very easy to reach. You can walk
there from the shore.
The Edzuna Islet trio, just north of Cape Kyan.
From here we'll continue north through Itoman City (
糸満市
; Itoman-shi) 6 miles (10
kilometers) to just below Naha Airport where we'll find our second island on this coast. Fol-
lowing this section of shoreline takes us over and through several large man-made islands.
Built up from dredging and landfill, these reclamation projects are now populated by indus-
trial and commercial buildings as well as residences. There's nothing especially interesting
about them, except they're large and have increased Okinawa's total surface area by many
square miles. There are similar such man-made islands in the Awase section of Okinawa on
the other side of the island, on Nakagusuku Bay.
2
RUKAN-SHŌ
ルカン礁
If we had a boat, we could make a detour on the sea before continuing from Edzuna Island up
to our next island, Senagajima. If we set out straight west just about 6 miles (10 kilometers)
from Edzuna, we'd come to the Rukan Reef. The shoal is a collection of rock, coral forma-
tion and sand. It's far more of a shipping hazard than it is an island and, as such, it's clearly
marked on navigation charts. Altogether, Rukan-sho (
ルカン礁
; Rukan-shō) takes up about
half a square kilometer of what would otherwise be smooth sailing over open waters.
