Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
except from the air, Iejima looks round. In actuality, it's nearly a perfect peanut shape or a
figure eight.
Ie Island lies just of the northwestern tip of Okinawa's Motobu Peninsula. At their closest
points, the two islands are separated by only 3 miles (5 kilometers). However, to reach Iejima
you take the ferry from Motobu Port ( 本部港 ; Motobu-kō). From there to Ie Port it's a little
further, 7 miles (12 kilometers). For most of the year there are four ferries per day. However,
at peak times in a number of summer months there are five. During the annual Easter Lily
Festival there may be as many as nine sailings per day on the weekends. It only takes 30
minutes. Parking is free at the ferry parking lot at Motobu Port.
As it is a passenger and vehicle ferry, you can take your car or bike if you wish. Of course,
that's an additional fare, but you could spend that same amount of money taking taxis on the
island. It all depends on how much you wish to see on Ie and how long you plan to stay. The
ferries arrive at Ie's small port Ie-ko ( 伊江港 ; Ié-kō). The harbor and its adjacent village are
on the southeast shore of the island, maybe three-quarters of a mile (1 kilometer) from the
Triple YYY Resort. If you're only going for the day, a couple of short taxi rides will not cost
much. You can also rent a bicycle or a car on the island. It is also possible to fly to Iejima,
though perhaps not so simple.
Clearly visible in aerial photos are Ie's three landing strips. The far western one is closed
to the public. It's part of a small US Marine training facility that occupies the northwest one-
eighth of the island. The central landing strip was the original Japanese military airfield from
World War II. It was long ago abandoned in favor of the new and present airstrip. The old
strip continues to be used as a local road connecting the north and south ends of the island.
The current easternmost airstrip is the modern Iejima Airport ( 伊江島空港 ; Ié-jima-kūkō).
Up until a couple of years ago there were several flights a day to Ie from Naha. Flights only
take about 25 minutes. However, they were discontinued as there was simply not enough de-
mand. It's still possible to fly to Ie, but only by charter. For a small group, it's not that expens-
ive. Call Air Dolphin (098-858-3363).
Iejima's three parallel landing strips.
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