Kamishima Island

"This inhabited island is the most remote of the Shima Islands. It was historically a place of exile during the Edo period, and its name, originally Utashima, rather than Kamishima, was chosen as one of Japan's 30 Lover's Sanctuaries.

The island is small and sparsely populated. It was the setting for the novel Shiosai (The Sound of Waves) and has been adapted into a film several times, making places related to the novel the main tourist attraction. Since all the attractions are free, they do not contribute to the island's profits. There are a few accommodations available.

There is a well-maintained road that allows you to tour the entire island. The road is approximately 3km long, and the entire trip takes approximately 2-3 hours.

Due to the boat ride time, we only had an hour to stay, so we drove from attraction to attraction in 50 minutes. We spent about 5 minutes at each of the shrine, lighthouse, observation post, and karst. It was a sprint, and we managed to catch the regular ferry, but it was too tight, so I don't recommend it.

I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't heard of Shiosai, which has even been translated into English, and when I saw Yukio Mishima's writing at the port, it didn't really resonate with me. Even so, I enjoyed my visit to Kamishima, even though it was hectic. It would be more enjoyable if you read the novel or watch the movie before you go to the island. Of course, it's fine to watch it after you've arrived."

Ar Kn

"I visited in the fall of 2017.
At the time (and still now), I had a strong feeling that I absolutely had to go to this island.
Or rather, I felt as if my soul was yearning to visit this island.
Naturally, I had no particular connection to the island...but it was just a hunch.
More than six months before my visit, I had been making various plans, adjusting my schedule and so on.

On the day, I left home early in the morning and headed for Irago Port, where the pier was located.
I boarded the ferry around 8am and headed for Kamishima.
I packed drinks, a light meal, a mobile battery, etc. in my backpack.
Since it was the end of autumn, I also put on an extra-thick jacket.
After a 15-minute boat ride, I landed on Kamishima.
I chatted with the ferryman, and it seemed that it was rare for tourists to cross the island at this time of year (just before winter) (apparently it's bustling with anglers in the summer).
By the way, there were only two other people on board that day, including myself.

We had decided to return at 1pm, so our walk took a little over four hours.
First, we paid our respects at Yatsushiro Shrine, and then began our walk clockwise.
We strolled around Kamishima Lighthouse, the remains of the Kamishima lookout post, the karst topography, Kamishima Elementary and Junior High School, and more.
After completing our tour and arriving at the port village where we started, we heard an announcement over the island's intercom system that the mackerel auction would begin at noon.
The day I visited was a normal Saturday.
In town, we could see young local children playing with their mothers and elderly ladies taking leisurely strolls.
It really was just an ordinary day. Even though time passes, I feel like I'm a stranger who has blended into everyday life.
I had just under an hour before the ship returned, and at the end of it I walked to the embankment on the east side of the harbor, sat down and gazed out to sea.
Even before I visited this island, I had dreamed about it several times.
I imagined myself from a child's perspective running around the island and living my life.
I wonder if there is some kind of connection.
Now it's the 6th year of Reiwa (Reiwa 6), and I'm making plans to visit the island again."

takeshi shinjukuzame-FHY33 _Turbo

"Beautiful nature.

The boat departed right on time for the trip. The crew were cheerful and efficient. Just like the train, you buy one-way tickets from the ticket machine both ways. It costs 740 yen each way. The boat stops at Toshima Island once, where the waves start to get higher. It's only about 20 minutes from Toshima Island, but some people might get seasick. But with Kamishima Island in sight the whole time, it felt like the time flew by. Being able to go out on deck was also a pleasant experience.

It seemed like 80% of the passengers were fishermen, and the rest were tourists. We hardly got off at Toshima Island, and everyone was on Kamishima Island.

There's a well-maintained path that goes around the entire island, so if you follow it, you can walk around in at least two hours. I took the first train and had three hours until the afternoon boat, so I was able to take my time seeing everything. It was a scorching hot day, but since I was in the forest, I forgot to bring water and just kept going. There are plenty of vending machines around the port.

Along the way, there were a lot of flies, and perhaps because of that, there were a lot of orb-weaver spiders building their webs. I was in a position that generally wouldn't hit them, but I kept crouching down as I moved forward. I thought there might be hornets, and there were. I was careful to avoid them.

It was strange to be able to hear the sound of the ocean even though the forest was so dense. I hesitated for a moment about whether it was okay to go inside the former lookout post, but once I reached the top, I was amazed by the panoramic view of the Irago Strait and
the Atsumi Peninsula. I'm sure it was just my ignorance, but I was happy to see so many flowers I hadn't seen before. It was a great day trip by boat."

S tomio