Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
stone monument that resembles the open beak of a seabird looking like it's ready to grab on
to something. Out to sea, well offshore to the south, you'll see Kume's great solitary stone,
Tonbāra-iwa. At the top of another hill you'll find a panoramic viewing station and one of the
most dramatic views of rock and ocean cliffs to be seen anywhere. Look back a few pages, it's
the photo featured on page
178
. Is it any wonder that people find this island so beautiful?
To get back to Eef Beach it's necessary to turn around and take the same route north 3
miles (5 kilometers) instead of south. To return to the ferry port or the airport from any of
the hotels on Eef Beach it's about 4 miles (6 kilometers) due west to Gushikawa and the mar-
ine terminal at Kanegusuku. An alternative route, a total of 7.25 miles (11.5 kilometers) west
from Eef, through the town and straight to the airport, goes essentially from one end of the
island to the other, east to west.
Although it may seem as if we're taken in every sight on the island, we have not. There
are other small monuments, museums or attractions of some interest here and there all
over Kume. There is simply not enough time or space to mention everything worth seeing
and, conversely, not everything is worth seeing. In clockwise order, beginning near the Ka-
negusuku Port, some of the things we've passed by for one reason or another have been:
• Kumejima Cultural Nature Center (
久米島 自然文化センター
; Kumé-jima shizen bunka
sentā).
• Kumejima Firefly Pavillon (
久米島ホタル 館
; Kumé-jima hotaru-kan).
• Horse Mackerel Museum (
あじま～館
; Ajimā-kan).
• The “Mystery” Slope (
おばけ坂
; Obakézaka; lit. Ghost Hill) on the way to Gushikawa Castle.
• Kumejima Silk Production Pavilion (
久米 島紬ユイマール館
; Kumé-jima tsumugi
yuimāru-kan) in Maja Village.
We'll leave Kume now, but probably not for the night, for the next several islands we'll
visit are all little satellites and are but a few short minutes away from the mainland. Moreover,
we'll have to return because there are no hotels or
minshuku
on any of them.
