Off-the-beach snorkeling with sea turtle, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Beautiful beach for snorkeling, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Pristine beach with coral reef lagoon on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Aerial view of Tokunoshima at low tide, Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Secluded beach on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Idyllic beach for snorkeling, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Yooki Cave, one of many limestone caves on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Ginryudo, one of many limestone caves with underground river on Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Northern coastline of Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Northeastern coast of Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

One of many secluded beaches, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Stream-trekking on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Waterfall in subtropical rainforest on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Okinawa Tree Lizard in subtropical rainforest, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Beautiful coastline of Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Coral reef lagoon on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Off-the-beach snorkeling in lagoon, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Off-the-beach snorkeling with coral, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Idyllic beach with coral reef lagoon on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Sacred 300 year old banyan tree of Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Hiking in subtropical forest of Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

River fun in subtropical rainforest on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Beautiful beach with coral reef lagoon on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Sacred tree in jungle, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

One of many secluded beaches on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Denpaku has several tastefully renovated old wooden houses on Tokunoshima. Most of them have an outdoor seating area. Highly recommended for your stay on Tokunoshima.

Secluded beach for snorkeling with sea turtles, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Ginryudo, one of many limestone caves on Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Tokunoshima's best snorkeling spot with many sea turtles, colorful fish, sea snakes in a drop-off right by the beach, Senma Coast

Interesting undewater landscape just in front of the beach, Senma Coast, Tokunoshima of Amamai Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Wild banana plants, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Wild bananas, Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Tropical fruits of Tokunoshima of Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan

Tokunoshima Island of the Amami Islands

Tokunoshima (also known as Tokuno Island) is one of the Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture. There is no wonder why a large part of Tokunoshima became a UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage site. Tokunoshima is fringed by beautiful coral reefs with many sea turtles, unique topography with numerous underwater limestone rivers connected to the sea (incl. Japan’s largest), and primeval subtropical rainforest with many endemic species. Many of Tokunoshima’s beaches are important nesting sites for two types of sea turtles (Green sea turtles and Loggerhead sea turtles). Hundreds of sea turtles come to lay eggs on Tokunoshima every year.

Tokunoshima has many great off-the-beach snorkeling spots. Our favorite is Senma Coast, which has a dynamic sheer drop-off incredibly close to the shore, with many sea turtle residents and beautiful tropical fish. It’s often said to be impossible not to spot sea turtles at this point. Shinde Beach is great for small kids at low tide as the lagoon has plenty of marine life and soft coral. The drop-off just outside the lagoon of Shinde Beach is also abundant with sea turtles. Shinde Beach is one of the most important nesting sites for sea turtles on Tokunoshima.
Tokushima is also known for numerous underground limestone rivers which are connected to the sea such as Unbuki. You can also visit some of the limestone caves yourself such as Yooki Cave (where people lived inside until about 1,000 years ago), Ginryudo and (Kojima Limestone Cave) which leads to an opening in the sheer cliff facing the sea after walking through a waterfall inside a pitch-dark cave.

Our favorite restaurants on Tokunoshima so far are Cafe Tougura (you can often see Humpback whales from the cafe in February) and Maru Hachi.

PrefectureKagoshimaSize248 sq kmPopulationApproximately 27,000AccessA flight from Kagoshima takes about 1 hour. A flight from Amami Oshima takes about 30 mins. A flight from Okinoerabu takes about 30 mins. A ferry from Amami Oshima takes about 3.5 hours. There are also ferries from the other islands of the Amami Islands.Getting aroundCar rental