UNOFFICIAL GUIDE
KOHAMA ISLAND / OKINAWA
Climb the hill, and you can see the island’s outline and even the changing colours of the shallows. On this island, the wind that crosses the sugarcane fields runs down the slope and out to the coral sea.
Touch the cane fields to send the wind to the sea
AN ISLAND IN THE LAGOON
Kohama is a small island floating between Ishigaki and Iriomote. Around it spreads the shallow sea of the Sekisei Lagoon, said to be Japan’s largest coral reef area; inland, hills, sugarcane fields, and pastures continue.
This page takes the view from the hilltop as its doorway, tracing how field and sea are one continuous island.
FERRY / APPROX. 25 MIN FROM ISHIGAKISEKISEI LAGOON / CORAL SEA
01 / CLIMB FIRST
Before going out to the sea, look at it from the island’s high ground. The colours of shallow and deep, the breaks in the reef, distant island shadows. One view from the hill becomes the map of the sea you will meet afterwards.
02 / SEKISEI LAGOON
Sheltered by the reef, the Sekisei Lagoon is calmer and shallower than the open ocean, with a world of coral and fish just under the surface. RISONARE Kohamajima’s official activities also list marine experiences in this lagoon.
See the official list of activities ↗03 / CANE ROADS
The island’s interior is a rolling landscape of sugarcane fields and pastures. The official activities include e-bike rental and island tours; each time you crest a slope, the sea appears beyond the fields.
See the island-touring experiences ↗04 / LIVING BLUE
What makes the colour of the shallows is living coral. Do not touch it, do not stand on it, do not take it home. The sea you can enter changes with conditions and weather, so never force it — go meet the sea on the day it will have you.If you stay overnight, even the waiting becomes part of the island’s day.
BEFORE YOU GO
Boats, sea conditions, and the island’s slopes. A day on Kohama becomes far freer when you build it around the mood of the weather and the sea.
The crossing from Ishigaki Port to Kohama Port takes about 25 minutes. Schedules and frequencies change, so check the day’s service information for both directions.
Connections and the night before, on Ishigaki — the gateway → Access guide by the Taketomi Town Tourist Association ↗Whether marine experiences run depends on sea conditions and weather. Do not overfill your plans; check the conditions and the alternatives in the official information.
Official list of activities ↗The island rolls with slopes — which is why e-bikes appear on the official activity menu. The village is a place where people live, so slow down and pass through quietly.
Official access guide ↗STAY ON KOHAMA
The sea is decided by the day’s conditions. So on this island, a stay you can enjoy even while waiting is the best preparation. “An Inn of the Coral Sea,” an unofficial concept based on RISONARE Kohamajima, sketches an island day that crosses the fields and goes out to the lagoon.
See the stay concept → Another stay proposal — An Inn in a Garden of Stars Find other journeys on UMI YAIMA COMPASSThis page is an unofficial, independent work. Statements about access and activities refer to the official sources below. The phrase “said to be Japan’s largest coral reef area” follows the Ministry of the Environment’s description of the Sekisei Lagoon — Japan’s largest coral reef waters, spreading between Ishigaki and Iriomote. Other descriptions of the island’s scenery are editorial introduction. The plea for the coral is a general appeal. Check service, sea conditions, and availability against official information at the time of travel.