Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Daitō Islands are separated from Okinawa and the Ryukyu Archipelago by the Ryukyu Trench
(Ryūkyū kaikō), a 1,398-mile (2,250-kilometer)-long great oceanic rift that parallels the southeastern edge
of the Ryukyus along their entire length from southern Kyushyu Island to northeastern Taiwan. The trench
has a maximum depth of 17,100 feet (5,212 meters).
The weekly ferry from Naha to Kita and Minami.
The islands remained uninhabited until the Meiji period (1868-1912) when people from
other parts of Japan settled on them, starting around 1900. They were renamed by the Japan-
ese at this time. Collectively, the group was called the Daitō Islands (
大東
), which means
“Great East.” Individually, they were named Kita (
北
), Minami (
南
) and Oki (
沖
), which mean
“North,” “South” and “Offshore,” respectively.
Oki Daitō lies about 95 miles (152 kilometers) south of North and South Daitō Islands
and is uninhabited. It is not served by a ferry or air service.
The two larger islands, Kita Daitō and Minami Daitō, are only 5 miles (8 kilometers)
apart at their closest points and are serviced by a scheduled ferry once a week from Naha's
Tomari Port (
泊港
; Tomari-kō). The trip takes 12-16 hours each way depending on the
weather. The ferry
Daitō
(
フェリ ーだいとう
; Ferrie Daitō) stops at one island, then the oth-
er, then returns to Naha. If you are moving cargo or transporting a vehicle, you must take
the ferry. However, most tourists won't need their car for a couple of days and, besides, rental
cars are available on either island although they are expensive. The islands are small enough
that most people can get by walking around. Alternatively, motor scooters and bicycles are
available on both the islands for rent. Both Kita and Minami are relatively flat, so biking and
hiking are not difficult. Island residents naturally have cars and scooters, and there is one gas
station on each island for fuel. Other than a car, scooter or bike rental, there are, in fact, very
few services on either island. There are no beaches, few restaurants or bars and no stores for
shopping.
