Description
Amami Oshima is a beautiful, subtropical Japanese island located between Kyushu and Okinawa, known for its unspoiled landscape, coral reefs, and diverse wildlife. The island is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site famed for its green forests, including mangroves in the south, and indigenous animals such as the Amami rabbit. It is frequently regarded as a tranquil, eco-tourism alternative to Okinawa, with hiking and clean waters, making it an ideal slow-paced escape with a rich local, soulful culture.
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Things to do
Mangrove kayaking
Mangrove canoeing/kayaking in Amami Oshima is a relaxing, picturesque, and immersive nature experience that is frequently cited as a highlight of the UNESCO World Heritage island. You glide through quiet, shallow, subtropical waterways surrounded by lush, dense mangrove forests, with options to explore at either high tide, allowing you to kayak directly through the mangrove trees, or low tide, revealing a sprawling, complex root system teeming with life such as crabs and mudskippers. Canoeing is a relatively beginner-friendly activity on calm waterways that is appropriate for families and children, and it takes approximately 60-90 minutes.
Hiking
Hiking on Amami Oshima is a subtropical exploration through thick mangrove forests, unusual fauna, and breathtaking coastal views, sometimes described as a "jungle-like" environment. Key features include hiking through the primitive Kinsakubaru woodland, a popular, ancient woodland with a 2 km, generally flat walking path that takes 1.5-2 hours to complete. Hike to stunning vistas like Mt. Yuwan, and join guided hikes to witness uncommon wildlife like the Amami bunny.
Kokuto Shochu Distillery Tours
Kokuto Shochu Distillery Tours offer an intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the production of a rare, brown-sugar-based spirit unique to the Amami Archipelago. Visitors often tour operational facilities to watch the distillation process, which involves fermenting and distilling steamed brown sugar and rice koji (malt). Consider visiting the Nishihira Distillery with unusual barrel-ageing procedures, employing an intriguing "sonic ageing" approach in which music is played to the barrels to influence the flavour. Almost all excursions culminate with tastings of several kinds of shochu, as well as a gift shop where visitors can purchase bottles that are difficult to acquire outside of the islands.