Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There is no public scheduled ferry service to this tiny private islet. Kayamajima (
嘉弥真島
;
Kayama-jima) is about 9 miles (14 kilometers) west and just a little north of Ishigaki Port and
less than 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) north of Kohamajima. Its shape is more or less a rounded
rectangle, about 2,380 feet (725 meters) long and 1,720 feet (525 meters) wide.
The islet is mostly ringed by beaches and is entirely covered in vegetation. It is technically
uninhabited, but because it is owned and used by a resort hotel, beach-goers come out for
the day. There's a pier, cabanas and other facilities on the island to keep guests comfortable.
Kayama is locally famous for its rabbit population. No one knows exactly how many there
are on the island, but it's believed there are more than a thousand. They are the descendants
of a small population of domestic rabbits originally raised by the island's residents some 20
years earlier when the island was inhabited. They are feral now—and everywhere.
5
KOHAMAJIMA
小浜島
You'll find this small island not quite 11 miles (18 kilometers) west of Ishigaki Port, less than
1.25 miles (2 kilometers) south of Kayamajima and about 1.5-2.75 miles (2.5-4.5 kilometers)
east of Iriomote. Kohamajima (
小浜島
; Ko-hama-jima; lit. “Little Beach Island”) is a calm,
lovely place graced with sugar cane farms, a little observatory and two luxury resorts. It is
easily worth a day trip from Ishigaki. Frequent daily ferries make the trip in 25-30 minutes.
The island's shape is quite difficult to describe. It's much simpler to illustrate by reference
to an aerial photograph. The island's greatest length is just over 3 miles (5 kilometers) from
its southeastern tip to its southwestern end. Its north-south distance is about 1.5 miles (2.5
kilometers) between most any two points. Its area has been calculated at 3 square miles (7.84
square kilometers) with a coastline of just over 10 miles (16 kilometers). Kohama's popula-
tion is approximately 585, which is relatively high for an island of its size. Many of Kohama's
residents are employed by the resorts located on the island.
On the links at the Haimurubushi Resort Hotel on Kohama Island.
