Amami Oshima
Also written: 奄美大島 · 奄美大岛
Amami Oshima is a subtropical paradise renowned for its beautiful white-sand beaches, crystal-clear blue waters, and extensive mangrove forests.
An Illustrated Japan / Kagoshima / Townscape & Scenery
About this place
Amami Oshima is Kagoshima Prefecture's largest outlying island, located approximately 380 kilometers south of mainland Kyushu, roughly midway between Kyushu and Okinawa Main Island, covering about 712 square kilometers of subtropical terrain, inscribed in July 2021 alongside Tokunoshima, northern Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site under the title Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island. About eighty-five percent of its area remains covered by forest, dominated centrally by Mt. Yuwandake at 694 meters, from whose slopes dozens of rivers flow creating estuaries fringed by Japan's second-largest mangrove primeval forest after Iriomote. Around Sumiyo Town and Kuroshio no Mori Mangrove Park, approximately seventy-one hectares of mangroves extend, forming a maze of tunnels navigable by canoe where the cries of wild birds and quiet enwrap travelers in a primeval world; natural monument species Ohhirugi muckle and Mehirugi spread plank roots enduring tidal changes, symbolizing subtropical vitality. Situated where the warm Kuroshio Current influences Japan earliest, the island experiences an annual mean temperature around twenty-one degrees Celsius and annual precipitation around three thousand millimeters, warm and rainy, harboring special natural monuments such as Amami Rabbit, Lidth's Jay Ruri-kakesu, and Amami Thrush Ootora-tsugumi, with exceptionally high endemism rate: the rabbit, a living fossil, is nocturnal and highly protected. Surrounding hub villages are encircled by coral reef shallows leveraged for fisheries and sugarcane fields, surrounded by dependent islands Kakeroma, Uke, and Yoro. Culinary culture is represented by Keihan chicken rice dish, tender shredded chicken, kinshi-tamago shredded egg omelet, and shiitake mushrooms placed atop white rice and eaten by pouring clear chicken broth over, originating as court cuisine hospitality; retort Keihan packs are purchasable at airport souvenir corners including LeTAO and roadside stations. Golden Sakubaru virgin forest in central island is shielded as a nesting ground for Akahige Ryukyu Robin and Oston's Woodpecker, permitting access restricted solely among led tours. At beach there exists memory of mystical object, Amami Hoshizora-fugu whitethorn puffer creating puzzle rings observed, but at night tailored ecosystem trail picks up turtledove-driven marine, demonstrates viewing. Amami Oshima, where mangrove-fringed woodland alongside coral seas diffuse, pursues plastic and potential marine hazard nest attention mechanisms due to sustaining eco-tourism frontline focus. Travelers spending an evening in Miyazaki often pair this dish with local hospitality, learning how staff explain ingredient provenance and charcoal technique in simple English with picture menus, making it approachable for first-time visitors seeking authentic regional flavors beyond Tokyo, while local regulars share recommendations for next stops.
