Kouri Island and Kouri Bridge
licensed photographKugel~commonswiki / CC BY-SA 4.0

Northern Okinawa · NakijinNo.672★★★Open in map →

Kouri Island and Kouri Bridge

natureThe classic — done right

A small island off the north of Okinawa's main island, reached not by ferry but by road. One low bridge runs out across shallow water from Yagaji Island, with reef and sand visible on both sides for its full length.

  1. FromNaha Airport
  2. ~3 hrExpress bus + local line
  3. Get off atKouri Island Bussan Center (Yanbaru Express, Santo Line)
  4. On foot
  5. Kouri Island and Kouri Bridge
Directions ↗

Where it is

41 more notes in Okinawa · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

Kouri BeachSolomon203 / CC BY-SA 4.0
  1. Kouri Bridgea low, straight span with reef water on both sides for its full length
  2. Kouri Beachthe sand at the island end of the bridge, beside the car park
  3. Kouri Ocean Towera paid observation tower on the rise above the island's south coast
  4. Tinu Beachthe north-shore cove where the heart-shaped rocks stand offshore
  5. The island loop roadone circuit road around the coast, past cane fields and small coves

How to actually get there

  1. Naha Airport → Nakijin Village Office (Yanbaru Express Bus, Airport Line).
  2. Nakijin Village Office → Kouri Island Bussan Center (Yanbaru Express Bus, Santo Line, crossing the bridge).
  3. Walk south to the island end of the bridge, then out along the span on foot.
  4. Return to the same stop for the Santo Line back, using the departure time noted on arrival.
Yanbaru Express Bus from Naha Airport
Take the Yanbaru Express Bus Airport Line north from Naha Airport as far as Nakijin Village Office, then change to the same operator's Santo Line, which runs out over the bridge to the Kouri Island Bussan Center stop. Allow most of a morning. Both lines run only a handful of times a day, so match the two timetables before you travel.
Return from Kouri Island Bussan Center
The Santo Line runs back to Nakijin Village Office, where the Airport Line continues south to Naha. Departures are few, so note both times when you arrive rather than after you have walked the island. A taxi to Nago Bus Terminal is the fallback if the connection is missed.
Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Kouri Island belongs to Nakijin Village, at the northern end of Okinawa's main island. It is small, about 8 kilometres around, and low, with cane and sweet-potato fields covering most of the interior. The link to the mainland is Kouri Bridge, a 1,960-metre span carrying Prefectural Route 247 across from Yagaji Island in Nago City. The bridge sits close to the water rather than arching high above it, so the reef stays visible on both sides for the whole crossing. Passage is free in both directions.

How to enjoy it

Late afternoon is the easier visit, once the hire-car peak has passed and the low sun runs along the line of the bridge. If you are travelling by bus, check the return departure before you walk anywhere: services on the island are few, so the timetable rather than your appetite sets the length of the stay. Leave time to walk out onto the bridge on foot instead of only riding across it.

Background & history

Until this century Kouri could be reached only by boat. The bridge opened on 8 February 2005, joining the island to Yagaji Island, which was already linked to the mainland. In Okinawan folklore the island is remembered as a place of human origin, and one of its beaches holds a cave tied to that story. Since the crossing opened, it is the bridge rather than any village on the island that most people picture when the name comes up.

Before you go

Cash
Crossing the bridge and using the beach at the island end cost nothing. Kouri Ocean Tower charges its own admission. Bus fares are paid on board, so carry cash rather than relying on cards.
Before you go
The island and the bridge are fully exposed, with little shade along the road. Weather is the main constraint: Okinawa's typhoon season runs from summer into autumn, and access across the span can be affected by strong wind. Check conditions locally before setting out in that season.
Another way
By car, leave the Okinawa Expressway at Kyoda, follow Route 58 north, then take Prefectural Route 110 across Yagaji Island to the bridge — the approach Okinawa's tourism board gives as standard. A hire car is how most visitors reach the island.
After you get off
From the Kouri Island Bussan Center stop, walk south along the island's main road for about fifteen minutes to reach the island end of the bridge and the beach beside it.