Okinawa · Kerama IslandsNo.689★★Open in map →
Tokashiki Island
— The largest of the Kerama Islands
The largest of the Kerama Islands is close enough to Naha for a day trip, and the water that made the whole group a national park starts right at the pier. Two west-facing beaches, one bus between them, and a reef you can read from above.
- FromTomari Port, Naha
- ~70 minFerry from Naha, then the village bus
- Get off atTokashiki Port (Ferry Tokashiki, Tomari route)
- From there
- Tokashiki Island
The sweet spot
Tokashiki is not undiscovered. It is the easiest of the Kerama islands to reach, and day trippers fill the morning boats. The island still spreads them out. Almost everyone rides straight down to Aharen, so the ridge road, the platform above the cape and the northern beach stay quiet through the middle of the day.
Where it is
43 more notes in Okinawa · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- Tokashiki Portthe ferry pier, with the village bus waiting on the quay for each arrival
- Aharen Beacheight hundred metres of white sand at the island's southern end
- Aharen observation decka platform above the cape, looking down the reef line and the offshore islets
- Tokashiku Beachthe quieter curve north of Aharen, where sea turtles feed over the seagrass
How to actually get there
- Naha, Tomari Port → Tokashiki Port (Ferry Tokashiki, about 70 minutes; the high-speed boat is faster).
- Tokashiki Port → Aharen (village bus, about 20 minutes over the ridge).
- Walk the length of Aharen Beach, then climb to the observation deck above the cape.
- Back on the bus toward the port, or north to Tokashiku Beach before the last sailing.
- Ferry from Tomari Port in Naha
- Naha, Tomari Port →(Ferry Tokashiki, about 70 minutes)→ Tokashiki Port. A high-speed boat, Marine Liner Tokashiki, runs the same route faster and more than once a day. Both depend on the sea state and both fill up in summer, so book ahead rather than turning up at the counter.
- Return from Tokashiki Port
- The same two boats run back to Tomari. Sailings finish in the afternoon and there is no night crossing at all, so a missed boat means a night on the island. The village bus times itself to the departures, but read the return board at the pier as soon as you arrive rather than at the end of the day.
About the place
The Kerama Islands sit west of Naha, close enough to be seen from the main island on a clear day, and Tokashiki is the biggest of them. What makes the group unusual is under the surface. Coral grows densely here, and the water above it is clear enough that it carries its own name, Kerama blue. Humpback whales come in to breed through the winter. Above the waterline the island is steep and green along its spine, and the two beaches that matter both face west: Aharen at the southern end, Tokashiku above it, each a curve of white sand behind a reef.
How to enjoy it
Take the first boat of the day and the bus straight to Aharen; the road over the ridge takes about twenty minutes, and the beach is at its best before the afternoon arrivals. Climb to the observation deck when the sun is high, because that is when the reef reads as bands of colour rather than as one flat blue. Keep the last sailing in mind from the moment you land, because it is earlier than most people expect.
Background & history
The Kerama Islands were made a national park in 2014, a late designation for water that divers had known for decades, and the boundary was drawn to take in the sea as much as the land. The reason is the coral. It grows here at a density unusual in Japanese waters, and the clarity above it is what the name Kerama blue is describing. Humpback whales use the same water as a breeding ground through the winter, which is why whale watching is one of the things the island sells in that season rather than in summer.
Before you go
- Cash
- Both beaches are free. The bus between the port and Aharen is paid on board, and rental gear, boat trips and whale watching are all arranged locally. Card acceptance thins out quickly once you leave the ferry office, so carry cash across from Naha.
- Before you go
- The Keramas take the full force of typhoon season in late summer and early autumn, and sailings are cancelled outright when the sea is up. Winter crossings are rougher than the short distance suggests. Jellyfish nets and lifeguards are seasonal, so check at the beach rather than assuming they are in place.
- Another way
- The other Kerama island served from Tomari is Zamami, on its own boats from the same terminal. If the Tokashiki sailings are full, that is the alternative crossing into the same water and the same national park.
- After you get off
- Tokashiki Port is the arrival point itself. The village bus for Aharen stands on the quay and pulls out once the boat has unloaded, and the village shops and the tourism association office are within a few minutes' walk of the pier.