Yoron: A Taste of Tropical Japan

The Japanese archipelago is a 6,852 large cluster of islands that sprawl some 3,000-plus kilometers all the way from the Sea of Okhotsk northeast to the Philippine Sea in the south and touching the northeast coast of the combined continent of Eurasia. Consisting of islands of vastly different locations, landscapes, and cultures, the country’s islands are fertile ground for exploration.

Japan is a nation known for its mega metropolises Tokyo and Osaka, and its rich historical legacies held strong in cities like Kyoto, Takayama and Kanazawa, but to see a different side of this incredibly diverse nation, go beyond the tourist trail. A great place to begin really digging deep is Yoron, an island situated between mainland Okinawa and Kagoshima.

One of the Amami Islands off Kyushu, Yoron belongs to the Amami Gunto Quasi-National Park, and with a population of 6,000 and a mass of 20 square kilometers it’s humble in size, but not in impact. Picture perfect beaches, crystal clear water that’s home to diverse marine life and hilly mountain backdrops it’s a magical place, a place that in terms of beauty would easily rival any of the Pacific Islands. It’s a place that that has to be experienced in the flesh to be truly understood, and there’s no better time to visit than right now.

History

The history of this picturesque piece of land is somewhat enigmatic. There are no clear dates on which the island was settled, however, from the 8th century, the island was ruled by the Aji nobility, under the reign of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

In the mid-1200s, Yoron became Hokuzan Ryukyu Kingdom, one of the three kingdoms which controlled Okinawa. In the early 1600s was when the island became associated with Kagoshima Prefecture, as samurai from Satsuma Domain (a collective associated with Kagoshima Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu) invaded Yoron. Following World War II, the small island like its much larger neighbour Okinawa was occupied by the United States all the way up to 1953 after which it was handed back to Japan.

Local culture

The island has been through many various rules, but its cultural legacy has always remained fiercely independent. Inspired by external forces, but not dictated by them. Local Yoron culture has ties to the Okinawan way of life, you can see it in the island’s Ryukyuan style architecture and fierce love for Orion Beer.

The Islanders also party Okinawa style, three times a year the locals gather and pray for good harvest in what’s called the Jyu-go-ya (Full Moon Festival). Happening in March, August and December the traditional dances performed mirror those of Ryukyu style.

Yoron has its own native tongue known as Yunnu futuba (Yoron language), but like so many other regional languages it’s sadly dying out, but not without a fight. Some of the local residents like the owner of the local Folk Museum Hidenori Kiku are campaigning for it to be taught in the local schools. In terms of spirituality, the people of Yoron never embraced Buddhism as fully as the rest of wider Japan, all special religious occasions like weddings and funerals are practiced in the ancient Shinto tradition.

In 1984-5, Yoron and the famous Greek island of Mykonos teamed up to become affiliated sister cities, and it’s a mutual love you can really feel permeating all facets of the island’s culture. A large white mural depicting the stunning Greek landscape flank the island’s major road, while the town has also named a major street after its similarly stunning sibling city; Mykonos Street.

Options for getting around

Measuring around 20 square kilometers, Yoron is definitely easy to cover in a short period of time, but do be warned it’s quite hilly, to choose your mode of transport wisely!

A rental car is an easy option, the roads are generally rather quiet except for the occasional farming tractor two, and parking is plentiful. For easy, booking and to get on the road as soon as possible, consider Yoron Rental Car, as it’s affordable and convenient. When you’re ready to leave you can just return the car to the airport parking lot.

If the weather is right, however, the only way to truly immerse yourself in Yoron’s incredible beauty is by electric bicycle. Easy enough to power up the hills, let the sea breeze blow through your hair, and cruise all the way up to the sandy shoreline. Electric bike rental costs 2,000 yen per 24 hours, and you can keep it with you overnight, just park it on the street.
Web: https://yoron-nangoku.com/

Beaches

Yoron boasts countless hidden beaches, and many of them are quite small given the landscape of the island, however, chances are you’ll practically have most of them to yourself. There are a reported 60 beaches in total. So, if you’re willing to look a little harder, and you’re not too scared to descend a rocky ravine or two the entire island is your sandy oyster.

Ooganeku is the most well-known beach on the map. That’s because it’s the closest neighbor to Yurigahama an elusive sandbar that only appears between April and October when the tide is right. Like a small sand island plopped in the middle of the hypnotic turquoise sea, Yurigahama is nature’s little magic show, but there’s plenty more magic to discover. On this beach is where many of the island’s main activities like snorkeling, turtle watching, paddle boarding, and jet ski riding happens too.

Food and cafes

To be honest, food culture isn’t really the island’s major focus. It’d be fair to assume that the locals would draw heavily from Okinawan cuisine, purple yams and salty umibudo galore, but you’d be mistaken. The area has a mismatch of different eateries offering foreign cuisines like curry and Italian and slightly more local specialties.

Misaki, however, is definitely a culinary highlight. More a shed than a restaurant, this quaint and endearingly low key restaurant serves unique mozuku seaweed dishes and incredibly popular shaved ice dishes.

Cafe Coco is another must add stop to your Yoron itinerary. Striking in its Grecian style white and blue glory from the exterior, inside the cafe is a little more low key, fashionable retro with chairs and vintage chairs and communal seating along the bar. The restaurant serves a multicultural array of dishes, but you can’t go past the frappe selection, raspberry and chocolate is our tip.

Places to visit

It’s easy to get caught up in the beachy beauty, but you’d be doing yourself and Yoron a disservice not to learn a little more about the legacy of this fascinating place. The best place to visit to garner a little local knowledge is the Folk Museum, run by local historian Hidenori Kiku. Founded in an effort to maintain a physical record of the area’s historical evolution, the museum features traditional thatched roof houses, machinery, and tools from lifetimes ago, as well as a collection of other miscellaneous artifacts each of which tells a story of how the island came to be.

Yoron has a train station, but no train to speak of. A novel little attraction backdropped by rocky cliffs that fall down into the aqua blue ocean, the ‘station’ has an imaginary line that says it connects to Okinawa and Kagoshima.

There’s also the Yoron castle remains which are worth visiting, not so much because the castle is impressive, in fact, it all that exists is a plaque and some flooring. It turns out that while the castle was in construction, the island went into battle and the final product never came to be. That said, high atop the lush green hillside it’s a stunning place to take in the view and it’s an excellent location for admiring the sunset.

Best time to visit

Between April to September is the best time to visit, but it’s worth nothing around May-July is when the island faces a rather unpredictable rainy season which can really put a damper on any beach holiday. If you want to experience the illusion that you do have the beaches to yourself, try visiting in May just after Golden Week and avoid the Obon national holiday week.

How to get there

To get to Yoron, is a domestic flight to Yoron Airport, Ryukyu Air Commuter (RAC) regularly runs flights from Naha (Okinawa) which is the most regular route. If you’re looking to go by boat, A-Line Ferries and Marix Line Ferries both serve the Kagoshima to Okinawa route and they run on alternate days. If you’re traveling from Kagoshima, the trip to Yoron will take about 20 hours, while traveling from Okinawa it takes about five hours.

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All photos by Lucy Dayman
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Lucy Dayman

Originally from Australia, in 2016 Lucy left her job as an editor of a culture and music magazine in Melbourne to live, work and travel in Japan. Between freelance writing and traveling, she’s been dabbling in film some very amateur film photography, which you can check out on her Instagram: @lucy.dayman. Check out her other writing work and photos at lucydayman.com