Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tanegashima marina and ferry dock.
As a matter of convenience, the Ōsumi Islands are sometimes divided into two sub-
groups: the northeast and northwest.
The Northeastern Group
This group contains the Ōsumi's two largest islands, plus two very small islands. All four are
inhabited.
1
TANEGASHIMA
種子島
A long, narrow and mostly flat island, Tanegashima (
種子島
; Tanéga-shima) is almost 37
miles (60 kilometers) in length from north to south and ranges from 3-7 miles (5-12 kilo-
meters) east to west. Its area is 172 square miles (445 square kilometers), making it the second
largest of the Ōsumi Islands. The island was supposedly named Tané (meaning “seed”) be-
cause that's what its shape resembles. Tanegashima has a coastline of 103 miles (165 kilomet-
ers) and a population of 36,000.
Although there are a half dozen villages sprinkled around the island, most are quite small
and the majority of the island's people live in and around the island's biggest city and port,
Nishinoomote (
西之表市
; Nishi no Omoté-shi), on Tanegashima's northwest side. This is
where most of the ferries to and from Kagoshima dock and where you'll find a couple of very
nice, small hotels and
minshuku
(
民宿
; lit. “small inn” or “pension”). There are also several
good restaurants, but otherwise there is not too much going on in Nishinoomote. The town's
greatest attraction is an excellent Gun Museum that we'll mention in more detail below.
