Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
As the ferry approaches, Nakanoshima ( 中之島 ; Naka-no-shima) looms, a green mountain
floating on a blue sea. Popular with divers, it is ringed by coral reefs. The island, whose name
translates as “Middle or “Central Island,” is the largest in the Tokara group. It's about a 3
by 5-mile (5 by 8-kilometer)-shaped oval, except for a short protuberance on its southeast-
ern side. It has a coastline circumference of 20 miles (32 kilometers) and an overall area
of not quite 13 square miles (35 square kilometers). Around 170 people live on the island.
Nakanoshima town and the port are located on the island's central west side. There are three
minshuku in town but almost nothing at the port.
Only a mile (2 kilometers) or so to the north as the crow flies is the island's dominating
feature—3,212-foot (979-meter)-tall Mt Mi ( 御岳 ; Mi-také), which is the highest peak in the
Tokaras. There is a road that encircles the volcano, plus a small, extremely twisty road that
goes almost to the caldera at the top. There are an additional two roads that start in town.
One goes to the island's southeast corner, the other to the southwest end. There's an unpaved
road that connects those two along the southern coast. It's pretty rugged but drivable.
Nakanoshima dock on the largest Tokara Island.
Dawn arrival at the symmetrical cone-shaped Nakanoshima.
Incidentally, there are many volcanoes and mountains in Japan that use as their first
character, including Nagoya's Mt Ontake ( 御嶽山 ; On-také-san), Japan's second highest vol-
cano and eighth highest mountain at 10,062 feet (3,067 meters). It's located in Japan's north-
ern “Alps” on Honshu main island. Another well-known volcano is Tokyo's Mt Mitake (
岳山 ; Mi-také-san) at 3,048 feet (929 meters). The Kanji character for the Mi-, O- and On-
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