Ten places in Tanegashima you should visit!

August 24th, 2017
T.G.I. Staff Lucas

For most people visiting Tanegashima, time is of short supply. To help you all better use your time on island, here is our list of 10 places that you should visit while here!

1) Urata Beach Park (Nishinoomote Town)


Located in the Northwestern part of the island, Urata Beach Park stands out as one of the top beaches in Japan. Protected on both the left and right sides from wind, Urata provides a safe place to go swimming with all the members of your family. For those of you who are stronger swimmers, the right and left hand sides of the coast are filled with rocks of various size that provide a habitat for all kinds of sea life, perfect for snorkeling. 
  
2) Amamegakura (Nishinoomote Town)


Amamegakura is one of the highest points on the island. Local lore says that all of creation began on this "mountain", and there is even a shrine to commemorate it.  From its peak you can see all the way down the East coast of the island. At night, the heavens open up to see milky-way in all its glory. This location has free camping facilities (as well as bathrooms) for the budget minded traveler. 

3) Yokino Beach Park (Nishinoomote Town)

Located on the Northwestern side of the island, just below central Nishinoomote town, is Yokino Beach Park. Both a popular swimming and surf point, Yokino offers white sandy beaches to lay out on with lifeguards standing by in the event they are needed. You can walk along its long sandy beach and find handfuls of "sea-glass" and shells galore. One of the best things about Yokino Beach Park is its location. Facing West, it is a prime location to watch the sunset with no obstacles. Its facilities include showers, bathrooms, BBQ area, beach house cafe, and free parking.

4) Hego Forrest (Nishinoomote Town)


Hego Forrest, while a little difficult to locate, is quite magical in the way it transports you to a world that resembles Jurassic Park. (The Hego tree, in fact, dates back to prehistoric times.) Taking a walk or drive through its forest provides a refreshing and fun time away from the beach.

5) Injyo Coast Highway - Route 75 (Nakatane Town)

While the Injyo Coastal Highway may be the slowest way to get to the southern most part of the island, it is by far the prettiest. The winding road along the cliffs edge provides a scenic tour of the islands Eastern coast. If you don't mind taking an extra hour or so to get to your destination, you may find the coastal drive on route 75 to be to your liking.

6) Matate No Iwaya (Nakatane Town)


During your drive along the Injyo Coast Highway on route 75 you will come across a turn off that slowly takes you down to the coast. Here you will find a small park and a rocky coast. If at low tide you can hike down and across the right of the picnic and camping area to a hidden secret sandy beach. There are many tide-pools to walk about and explore. On the left of the parking area there is a gigantic cave with a local ghost story attached to it. The story goes, there was once a noble who went into the cave to relieve himself. He left his horse and attendant waiting outside the cave. The noble who entered the cave never exited it. Which is why it is called "Matate No Iwaya". (Matate means standing horse. Iwaya means cave.) This location might not be appropriate for small kids but those who are seeking an adventure are sure to find one here!

7) Kumano Beach Park (Nakatane Town)

Kumano Beach Park is a popular location for those looking to pitch a tent and camp during their stay in Tanegashima. The beach is also a safe area for kids with little to no waves.

8) Chikura No Iwaya (Minamitane Town)


Chikura No Iwaya is located on the Hamada Beach Park. These ocean caves are deep and quite large which is where they get their name. (Roughly translated, chikura no iwaya means "the caves that can hold 1,000 people.) These beautiful caves can best be enjoyed at low tide. Outside of the caves is the large Hamada beach park. During the summer season, lifeguards are posted along the swimming areas as well as an open beach cafe. 

9) Mangrove Forest (Minamitane Town)

The island's Mangrove Forest is located down in Minamitane and is a host of abundant animal life. There is a walkway to that runs along the path to see a little bit of what the mangrove is like, however, to really enjoy the Mangrove Forest you will need to go on a kayak or SUP tour.

10) Kadokura Misaki (Minamitane Town)


The Cape is located at the most southern tip of Tanegashima. From this point you can see the whole Maenohama beach park. Yakushima can also be seen across the channel from the park commemorating the shipwreck that brought the first westerners to Japan and the guns they carried that would change the history of this country. 

Comments

  1. maui jimAugust 24, 2017 at 3:35 PM

    As a long-time resident Maui, Hawaii resident, this island and the beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters so remind me of a pacific paradise. Tanegashima should be a definite additional to your travel bucket list!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tanegashima Tea

Tea on Tanegashima Tanegashima is a secret haven for tea in Japan. It's climate matches that of Shizuoka and the rest of Kagoshima,  the two main tea regions of Japan. But because Tanegashima is a bit more south than the others the tea grown here matures faster than its counterparts on the mainland. In fact tea grown on Tanegashima has a special name, 極早生種(gokuwaseshu) meaning a very fast growing varietal. It is sometimes also called 早葉(hayaba) meaning fast or quick leaf. The earliest teas to be made in Japan often come from Tanegashima and its sister island Yakushima. They are valued as an indicator of the quality of year to come. Most of the tea produced on Tanegashima is 煎茶(sencha) which is actually broken up into more distinct groups. The three types that we are concerned with today are 浅蒸(asamushi), 普通蒸(futsuumushi), and 深蒸(fukamushi). In Kagoshima proper fukamushi reigns supreme. Most of the tea in this region has been deeply steamed to maintain a verdant green color in...
Read more

The Omato Hajimeshiki

Image
1/11 The Omato Hajimeshiki Every January 11th there is a special festival in Nishinoomote that marks the beginning of the new year on Tanegashima. Held in the kyudo-dojo adjacent to the Seirin Shrine, the festival has been held on Tanegashima for over 500 years. The preparations start long before the actual event, with the 6 shooters practicing everyday for at least a week before. On the day of the event the archers gather together in the afternoon to get dressed in their traditional robes and prepare their bows. The 6 archers will each shoot 6 arrows for the festival, doing so in a ritual way. According to tradition, one of the 36 total arrows must miss the target. Ideally this will be the final arrow, but that is not always the case. The reason that only 35 of the 36 arrows actually hit the target was explained to me like this. If all the arrows are successful, then the there is no room for improvement in the next year. So for the year to be a good as possible, but also...
Read more