Kudakajima Island, Nanjo

Kudaka Island was nice

Small coral island, about 2 sq km, pop 300, 25 min ferry ride from Nanjo Town, Azama port. Highest point is about 3 m over sea level. Access to/from the ferry on the Okinawa side is fairly inconvenient with infrequent bus service to/from Nanjo city hall and no taxi stand at the port. Taxi can be called at Azama but availability can be limited, forcing a wait for the city bus. There are two ferries, the fast boat (passengers only) and a small car ferry. Fast boat takes 15 min to cross, car ferry 25 min. Tickets can be purchased at both ends, the fast boat is 90 yen supplement each way to the ordinary passenger fare of 1,300 round trip. Most visitors are day tripping to ride rental bikes around the island. Bike rental is cheap from a choice of 3 shops just above the ferry pier. The entire island can be walked in 3 hours, biked in 2 hours depending on how much time sightseeing. The North side of the island has a few ancient water wells along the coast with access from improved stairs that lead to beautiful ocean views. “Romance Road” on the north side has a nice view of Okinawa and is worth visiting. The northern most point, Cape Kaberu has incredible vistas of the off shore reef with lots of sharp coral. The south shore has sandy coral beaches, protected by an off shore reef. There are a few places to eat and drink and vending machines located in the village. Overall worth a visit for a nice day on a remote island. But not too remote.