Spending a Day on Kudaka Island, Okinawa
Kudaka Island is a small yet sacred island just off the coast of Okinawa’s main island. Kudaka Island can be reached by ferry and explored by either bicycle or walking. The views of the ocean from Kudaka Island are absolutely stunning with it’s turquoise water and abundant coral. When it comes to dining on the island, don’t forget to try the Irabu or sea snake soup! Kudaka Island is small but has plenty of sites to see and things to do, this is how we spent a day on Kudaka Island
Amamikiyo, is said to be the deity known to have created the Ryukyu Islands after descending on Kudaka Island. During the times of the Ryukyu Kingdom, high ranking priests and even the King of the Ryukyu Islands would take pilgrimages to Kudaka Island. Because of the history here, Kudaka Island is considered a very sacred island. There are many Utaki or sacred places scattered around the small island. in fact, Fubo Utaki, one of the sacred sites is considered so sacred that no one is allowed to enter or visit the site.
Kudaka Island is located in the city of Nanjo in Okinawa. Nanjo has my favorite Japanese mascot, Nanji or Nanjo Man, as I call him. He is a healthy grandpa who is curious with an adventurous lifestyle.
Kudaka Island is just off the coast of the main island of Okinawa and can be reached by ferry from Azama Port. Kudaka Island is very similar to Tsuken Island, aka Carrot Island just a few kilometers away. These islands are unspoiled by tourism and have some of the prettiest beaches in Okinawa.
Taking the Ferry to Kudaka Island
Daily, there are six ferries that travel between Azama Port to Kudaka Island. There are three regular ferries and three express ferries. Below are the timetables and fares according to the Kudaka website.
To Kudaka Island From Azama Port
Ferry – 8:00, 11:00, and 15:00
Express – 9:30, 13:00, and 17:00
To Azama Port From Kudaka Island
Ferry – 10:00, 14:00, and 17:00
Express – 8:30, 12:00, and 16:00
**Due to Covid-19 ferry times may change, so it is always best to verify the times on the website. The day we went, only the Express Ferry was running.
Fares
Ferry
Adult, Roundtrip ¥1300
Chld, Roundtrip ¥650
Express
Adult, Round-Trip ¥1480
Child, Roundtrip ¥750
How we Spent our Day on Kudaka Island
Getting around Kudaka Island is simple. You can explore the island by foot, like we did or rent a bicycle or scooter from one of the several shops near the ferry terminal. The island is about 3.5 km from the port to Habyan, the farthest beach. Because of the ferry times, we had more time then expected and decided just to walk.
If you prefer to rent a bike, they all appeared to be cruiser bikes. Kudaka Island was flat, so hills and rough terrain is not an issue. Most the roads were either paved or loose gravel. Bike rentals were ¥300 an hour.
We explored the small town first, I love walking the small alley ways and viewing the beautiful traditional homes in Okinawa, especially on the smaller islands. The town had a few restaurants, shops, and vending machines. Stock up, because once you get out of town, there isn’t even a vending machine in sight!
There are three roads from town that meet in the middle of the island before merging into two roads then just one toward Habyan. We started with the road on the far left, just to walk the stunning coastline. The beaches on the western side of the island are picture perfect!
While walking the western coast, we heard goats off in the distance. We followed their call and ended up near a few of the Okinawan tombs. To our surprise, we spotted the goats on top of one of the tombs.
We continued exploring Kudaka Island and found a beautiful overlook along a trail called the Romance Road. There was a newly built gazebo here. We were able to take a breather and enjoy the shade. The views from this gazebo were probably some of the best on the island.
We visited the island in August, this time of year the spiders are out in full force. The Banana Spiders or Wood Spiders, whatever they are, get huge this time of year! We literally saw hundreds of these spiders. Terrifying? Yes! But also fascinating.
The last stop on the island was a trail through the Billow Forest to Habyan. Habyan is the sacred site where Amamikiyo came to Kudaka Island from the heavens. The long walk through the Billow Forest was brutal since shade was limited and the sun was right above us.
Along the path, we did spot many of the large purple Hermit Crabs similar to the ones we saw and adored on Zamami Island.
Habyan is the farthest point from the ferry terminal on Kudaka Island. Although we were glad we walked the entire length of the island the beaches at Habyan and the eastern side of the island were hardly worth it, especially since the beaches on the other side were some of the prettiest we’ve seen in Okinawa. The trees on the eastern side of the island were much taller and provided better shade then the western side. We did get lucky and spot several Ryukyu Flying Foxes hanging upside down in the trees and flying around.
The perfect day on Kudaka Island consisted of us taking our time strolling through the small town, getting fresh air, and marveling at the gorgeous ocean surrounding the island.
Dining Options and Irabu
For a small island there were plenty of dining options. My love of Bizarre Foods led me to a restaurant called お食事処 とくじん, according to Google Maps.
After exiting the ferry terminal, go up the hill and hang right there is a restaurant on the right hand side and this is お食事処 とくじん (coordinates: 26.1552968,127.8862991).
This restaurant is known for their Irabu Soup. For those that don’t know. Irabu Soup is Sea Snake soup. The sea snakes are typically caught by elderly women bare handed, boiled, and then smoked. Apparently the soup is healthy and full of nutrients.
Sea snakes are highly venomous, so I was a bit nervous to try the soup. After taking that first bite of the snake, I was relieved and pleasantly surprised by the flavor. Did it taste like chicken? Not really, it was tougher and had its own distinct flavor. The soup also consisted of pork and seaweed. The set meal also came with sashimi, which was some of the best I’ve had. It’s been several weeks now since our visit and I’m still alive, so get out there and try Irabu Soup.
Kudaka Island makes for a great day of exploration. The ocean views alone are worth the ferry ride over. The food was incredible. For those feeling adventurous, try the Irabu Soup, I promise you won’t regret it!
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3 Comments
Karin Zimmerman
You have the best travel logs
zimminaround
Danke! Beautiful ocean huh? Hopefully you learned something new reading about Kudaka Island.
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