Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
is Nakanoshima. It has an area of 13 square miles (34 square kilometers) and a population of
about 170.
By and large, the islands of the Tokara group are infrequently visited. Inter-island traffic
primarily consists of residents on shopping trips to Kagoshima, “mainland” fishermen pursu-
ing a few days of new waters, and adventurous travelers seeking uncrowded hot springs (
on-
sen
). What little settlement there is consists of fishing villages and some limited sugar cane
farming and cattle raising. There are no commercial flights to any of the Tokaras, although
there is an abandoned airstrip on Suwanosejima. In general, the islands can only be reached
on the twice weekly service of the Tokara-Toshima ferry (
フェリーとしま
; Ferie To-shima).
Here's how it works. The Tokaras are roughly aligned in an arc from the northeast to the
southwest and are clustered into several lesser groups. Year round, at 10 minutes before mid-
night every Monday and Friday, except during bad weather, the ferry departs Kagoshima on
its 125-mile (204-kilometer) overnight journey to Kuchinoshima, the most northerly of the
Tokara Island group, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) southwest of Yakushima and Kuchino-
erabujima. Kuchinoshima is at the top of the first and largest Tokara cluster of seven islands.
The ferry arrives there a little more than six hours later, at 6:05
AM
. Fifteen minutes later,
wards, at 6:20
AM
, the ship is underway on its 11-mile (18-kilometer) journey southwest to
the next island, Nakanoshima, arriving at 7:10
AM
. There's no reason to stop at either Koga-
jajima or Gajajima, the pair of uninhabited islets 14 and 19 miles (22 and 30 kilometers) due
west, but you'll see them off in the distance if the sky is clear.
After passengers and cargo have been unloaded and reloaded at Nakanoshima, the
ferry departs at 7:30
AM
for Tairajima, about 19 miles (30 kilometers) southwest, arriving
at 8:50
AM
. After a ten-minute stop, at 9:00
AM
, it's 9 miles (15 kilometers) southeast to
Suwanosejima, arriving about 9:50
AM
. Passengers and cargo are again discharged and
boarded. Departing at 10:00
AM
, it takes a little less than an hour to sail the 12 miles (20 kilo-
meters) due south to Akusekijima, with the arrival time usually about 10:50
AM
. Akusekijima
is the last island in this little Tokara subgroup.
