Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
YUBANARESHIMA
(
夕離島;
Yū-banaréshima). A little more than three-quarters of a mile (1
kilometer) to the northwest of Sukomobanare is its little twin brother, Yubanare. This tiny is-
let is generally oval-shaped except for a minor protrusion at its northeastern end. The island
is about 1,150 feet (350 meters) wide by 1,725 feet (525 meters long). Its little protruding ex-
tension adds another 500 feet (150 meters) to its northeast coast.
UKESHIMA
(
請島;
Uké-shima). Ferry service is not frequent to Ukeshima (or its next door
neighbor, Yoro), but when the ship sails, it's the Setonami Ferry (
フェリーせと なみ
; Ferie-
Sétonami). It begins at Koniya, the port of Setouchi town at the southern end of Amami-
Ōshima. From there, it exits the Ōshima Strait east, sails around the eastern end of Kaker-
oma, then south and west to Ukeamuro (
請阿室
; Uké-amuro), some 14 miles (22 kilometers)
sailing distance, and the first stop on Ukeshima. If you could fly a straight path from Koniya
to Ukeamuro over Kakeroma, it would be 9 miles (15 kilometers), about due south. In any
case, it takes less than an hour by ship. The ferry's stop here is brief. Ten or fifteen minutes
later, the ship sails approximately 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) in 10 minutes around a small cape
to Uke Island's second port, Ikeji (
池地
; Iké-ji).
Once again, the ship briefly docks, then sails a bit less than 6 miles (10 kilometers) in
about 20 minutes to its final destination, Yoro Port (
与路港
; Yoro-kō) on Yoro Island (
与路島
;
Yoro-shima). After a brief pause, the ferry reverses its course, returning to Uke's twin ports,
then home to Koniya port, all in one day.
It would appear that almost none of the Amami Islands are very regular in shape. All
seem to have the most convoluted profiles. Very loosely, it might be said that Ukeshima has a
semi-rectangular shape, although arguably it's also a sideways figure eight, except that its bot-
tom half (eastern side) has a couple of extra bumps. It's probably easier, and more accurate, to
look at a map. At its longest extremity, east-west, it's almost 4 miles (6 kilometers). Measur-
ing from north to south, it's about 2 miles (3.5 kilometers) at its widest, and three-quarters of
a mile (1 kilometer) at its more narrow sections. However you measure it, it's a small island.
Ukeshima is quite mountainous and almost all of it is uninhabited. Except for one
2.25-mile (3.6-kilometer)-long, very winding road between the two villages, there are no oth-
er main roads on the island. There are several minor roads from both villages south through
the valleys behind them, where there is some agriculture, but both sets of these local routes
are cul-de-sacs. There are some jeep paths to other sections of the island and there are com-
pletely isolated beaches all around the island, but you'll have to find someone to take you, or
let you use their car, because there are no auto rental agencies.
