Pride and Preservation in Amami Oshima

The Amami Islands have long existed in the crosswinds. Locals have endured powerful typhoons and shifting geopolitical winds, yet retained a resiliency and determination to preserve both local traditions and their natural heritage.

Kagoshima’s subtropical Amami Islands lie just north of Okinawa and to the the south of the mainland, Yakushima and the Tokara Islands. Amami Oshima is the largest of the Amami Islands and part of the Amamigunto National Park, which was registered by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site in 2021. This history of being a place in between—geographically, culturally and politically—is in part what makes Amami Oshima such an extraordinary, off-the-beaten track destination with an extraordinary mix of nature, culture that will appease foodies, adventurers and even surfers alike.

You could spend weeks exploring the various Amami Islands, yet if you don’t have that much time to travel, a knowledgeable guide and a well planned tour will allow you to enjoy a nice blend of culture, adventure and take in the biodiversity of Amami Oshima in just a few days.

Day 1: Ancient Mangroves and Amami Sunsets

The recently opened Amami Oshima World Heritage Center is a great place to get a lay of the land when you arrive. It’s an easy drive from the airport and near one of the most popular natural attractions, Amami Oshima’s mangrove forest. The center features interactive displays highlighting the flora and fauna on the island—including a number of endemic species, such as the Amami rabbit, which is only found on Amami Oshima and neighboring Tokunoshima Island. The center highlights the concerted efforts to preserve the natural habitat and protect against invasive species.

The mangrove kayak center is just around the corner and it’s an easy paddle out as you ease your way into the natural beauty of the island. Having a knowledgeable guide makes the tour exceedingly more interesting and enjoyable. Our English-speaking guide was a certified Amami Oshima eco-tour guide and his insights were invaluable throughout the trip.

Heading out at low tide gives you the opportunity to observe the mangrove root systems and wander up through muddy passageways that would soon be filled with water. The mangroves are home to a number of species of crabs such as shiomaneki (fiddler crabs), who retreat back into their holes as we approach. The males are easy to spot with one large pincer and one small. Soldier crabs (minami kometsukigani) and the larger mangrove crabs (nokogiri gazami) can also be found here.

Another funny little creature is the minami tobihaze (barred mudskippers), a fish often found lounging atop the mud, or their heads poking out before disappearing into the murky water. They are able to survive outside the water for periods of time by storing water in their mouths and breathing the oxygen dissolved in their gills. The endangered Ryukyu ayu also hide out in the roots of the mangroves. This the only place in the world this subspecies of ayu exists since they no longer can be found in Okinawa.

We wandered a bit further, examining mangrove seeds and flowers as the water began rising at our feet. It was shocking how quickly the incoming tide came in, we were glad we pulled the boats way up on the mudflats as the water had nearly reached them when we returned.
We paddled downriver then entered into a mangrove tunnel until we ran out of headspace. A single mangrove seed was said to have floated here on the kuroshio (Black Current) creating Amami Oshima’s mangrove forest. We paddled back taking in the sounds of local birds, such as the Ryukyu robin and Amami jay, in the trees and the beauty of the surrounding hills.
The drive south passes through narrow canyons, steep river valleys and intermittently emerging to flat inlets from the sea. We’d climb up over hills and the drop down into villages along the coastline. It was a preview of the climb that awaited us the next day, but first we’d enjoy a stunning Amami Oshima sunset.

A group of local fisherman were enjoying some end of the day drinks and admiring the view as well, no doubt a daily ritual for this crew. We wandered back to the family-run guesthouse where a bountiful beachside bbq awaited. Glasses and stomachs were filled as we soaked up the afterglow on the horizon as it faded, eventually giving way to a star-studded night sky.

Day 2: Sea to Summit Cycling, Amami Rabbits and Folk Songs

We awoke to island sounds and found are guide was already up inspecting the bikes we’d soon ride up to the base of Mt. Yuwandake. It is the highest point on the Amami islands rising 694-meters above where we now stood at sea level. But first, we’d power up with breakfast and our first taste of an Amami Oshima delicacy called keihan, which literally translates to “chicken and rice.”

Shimanchu (Amami islanders) have a history of navigating tricky political waters. They’ve endured various regimes, including the Ryukyu Kingdom, which ruled Amami Oshima from the 1430s until the Satsuma shogunate invaded from Kyushu in 1609 and took control of the territory in 1611. The Satsuma controlled the invaluable shipping routes between Japan and China and, during their rule, islanders were forbidden to grow rice, forced to only grow sugarcane and pay taxes in sugar in return for necessary food and supplies. Rice was a valuable commodity and keihan was originally a dish made for visiting Satsuma dignitaries.
The basic recipe for keihan is chicken on a bed of rice covered in chicken broth, but it can vary from island to island and today includes a mixture of sliced meat, sliced omelet, ginger, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, pickled papaya and dried seaweed. The result is simple, colorful and tasty—and perfect fuel for a cycling adventure.

A fleet of Specialized e-bikes awaited so we climbed aboard, waved goodbye to our gracious hosts and headed off along the coastline until we reached Hiratomi Shrine. It was constructed in 1882 and dedicated to Sunao Kawachi. In 1605, while on his way to Ryukyu (modern-day Okinawa), a storm blew his boat to Fujian Province in China. At the time exporting sugar production technology from China was strictly prohibited. Sunao quietly observed the refining process during his two years there and then secretly smuggled back three sugarcane seedlings he hid in a double-bottomed garment box before returning to Japan. He would have been sentenced to death if caught, instead he ushered in Amami Oshima’s sugar cane industry.
Shortly after we turned away from the ocean and up a steep road into the sub-tropical forest. Ocean breezes soon gave way to cool, balmy air as we cycled beneath the canopy of monkey tree ferns and palms. Our guide suddenly stopped, pointing out droppings in the middle of the road that belonged to the Amami rabbit. Locals take great pride in the comeback story of their beloved rabbit that only lives in the forests of Amami and Tokunoshima islands. It has survived predators such as feral cats, dogs and the small Indian Mongoose, which was introduced to the island in 1979 in hopes of controlling the venomous snake population.

In 2005 the Invasive Alien Species Act was enacted and the mongooses were designated an Invasive Alien Species. A government sanctioned “Amami Mongoose Busters” group placed and managed over 30,000 traps, 300 camera traps throughout Amami Oshima and trained Mongoose detection dogs. On Sept. 3, 2024 the Ministry of the Environment declared the eradication of the small Indian mongoose from Amami Oshima. Today the Amami rabbit is declared a special natural monument and hunting or trapping them is prohibited.

We continued cycling up the “cloud forest,” so called as it is often shrouded in mist and fog, until we finally reached the trailhead to Amami Oshima’s highest peak. It was just a 30-minute walk up through thick subtropical plants and trees on well-built wooden stairs, as an orchestra of forest sounds filled the air. We emerged through the torii gate at the top, which led to the stone square with monuments where locals come to worship. We ascended the wood observatory and stood atop Mt. Yuwandake rewarded with clear views of the island with the East China Sea on one side and Pacific Ocean on the other.

Our guide handed out some delicious bento, which we gratefully enjoyed as we discussed some of the endemic plants we had seen along the way and learned about local rules that were in place to reduce environmental impact on Mt. Yuwandake, such as creating conservation zones that are off limits as well as semi-conservation zones where only small group tours and guided tours can be enjoyed.

After our cycling and hiking adventure we returned to Naze, the bustling port town that is home to roughly two-thirds of Amami Oshima’s population. We soaked tired legs in the public bath then strolled by lively restaurants and pubs before stopping in a local izakaya to enjoy a festive dinner and performance by a spry local folk singer and her granddaughter who expertly played the Amami shamisen. The duo entertained and interacted with the audience who were a mix of locals and Japanese tourists who had traveled from various parts of the mainland.

Day 3: Oshima Tsumugi, Mud Dying and Black Sugar Shochu

After two days exploring the beauty of the natural landscape it was time to dive into Amami’s unique culture. Oshima Tsumugi may be considered the islands’s most treasured local craft. Locals take great pride in passing down this traditional method of dying silk thread and weaving it into intricate patterns. One garment can take months to finish.

Oshima Tsumugi Village is home to a traditional weaving factory, where visitors can learn about the production process. It’s a relaxing stroll through the botanical garden while observing mud dying, fastening and tightening machines, silk thread dying and coloring. The painstaking process in which women weave the fabric together by using 350 kinds of threads is particularly impressive. They change and cut the thread like pixels, every single dot done correctly to match the pattern for a particular garment. Thirty centimeters of weaving takes eight hours and one kimono, two months. The patience, meticulousness and pride of these masters is truly remarkable.

Inspired by the Oshima Tsumugi artists, we were ready to get our hands dirty and attempt some traditional mud dying techniques ourselves at a family-run dying factory. First you choose your design, then you tie thin fabric around your shirt to create the desired pattern. The shirt is then soaked in a purplish dye made from boiled teichi wood (the local name for a kind of Hawthorne tree). The longer you soak the fabric in the dye the darker, richer the color you’ll create.

After several rounds of dying and rinsing, you soak the shirt in mud from the nearby field. It’s rich in iron and, when combined with the tannic acid from the dye, it creates a chemical reaction resulting in a dark earthy color and natural tie-dye design. It’s a fun activity for families and friends and everyone gets their own authentic Amami omiyage (souvenir) to take home.

If you love your spirits, you can’t leave Amami Oshima without trying kokuto shochu (black sugar shochu). There are less than 30 distilleries brewing kokuto shochu in the Amami Islands and and one of the smallest is tucked into one of Naze’s side streets.

Tomita Shuzosho was founded in 1951, two years before the Allied occupation of Amami Oshima ended. It was also the end of centuries of being caught in the middle of geopolitical crosswinds. And in a rare case of political poetic justice, especially considering Amami Oshima’s dark history with sugar cane, the government created a special law granting Amami exclusive rights to produce black sugar shochu in Japan.

Tomita Shuzosho is one of the smallest distilleries in Amami, but it has the distinct characteristic of using earthenware pots half-buried in the ground for the primary fermentation process. These same earthenware pots have been used for more than 70 years and are harder to sterilize and reuse than stainless steel, but third generation brewmaster Masayuki Tomita says it gives their shochu a unique flavor that can’t be reproduced.

As Tomita walked us through the distillery, explaining each process, he noted they only use Japonica rice from Kagoshima for the koji needed during the distilling process and added they still use their original strand of yeast from when his family started the distillery. Another example of local traditions being passed down generations.

As I wandered down to the beach to take in one last Amami Oshima sunset. I climbed down from a rock outcrop and I waved at a man sitting nearby who returned the gesture. He wandered over pointing to a plant growing on the side of rocks. “Botan-bouhuu,” he said, picking a leaf, eating and joking about living a year longer. He handed me some and I ate the wild bitter plant as it seemed to be working well for this energetic old local. I later learned botan bouhuu is the local term for a kind of wild parsley known as chomeiso that is indeed linked to longevity.

We strolled back, chatting about his island and his children. He proudly spoke of his daughter who runs an Amami restaurant in Tokyo and I told him I’d stop by next time I’m there for some keihan. After returning to the hotel I got a call. I had a visitor. When I got to the lobby there he was joking around with some staff. He greeted me and, as promised, handed over some newspaper clippings of his daughter’s restaurant.

Laying in bed, I looked at the map of the area. There, just north of the rock where I had eaten botan boufuu with my new friend, was a stretch of beach that bore his name. Dozing off, I couldn’t help but smile thinking about him sipping his kokuto shochu, proudly looking out over his coastline as the sun set over the Pacific.

Amami Oshima Ikigai Tours

The term “ikigai” means living with a sense of purpose, embracing community, harmony with nature and healthy lifestyles, which also leads to longevity. Having a great guide that can share local knowledge and help connect travelers to the destination is a great way to go. JTB Kagoshima has adventure travel tours curated to. To find out more and join a tour visit www.visit-kyushu.com/en/plan-your-trip/adventure-travel/13-amami/

Contact Details
JTB Kagoshima Branch
Contact person: Hiromichi Inoue
Email: h_inoue416@jtb.com