Kumejima

Kumejima brings together expansive natural landscapes, places steeped in history and a distinctive food culture. Kumejima Prefectural Natural Park covers almost all of Kumejima and the surrounding waters. The island also features striking coastal rock formations, castle ruins with sweeping views and special insights into the local cuisine. You can shape your trip around the experiences that interest you most.

Nature between forest, coast and sea

Kumejima Prefectural Natural Park covers a total of 11,868 hectares: 6,125 hectares of land and 5,743 hectares of sea. This breakdown shows that the natural park includes both land and the surrounding waters. In Nibuchi Forest, you’ll find largely untouched greenery. The area is registered as a Ramsar site and preserves numerous plants and living things native to Kumejima. If you’re especially interested in nature and native species, you’ll find a different focus here than at the island’s historical sites.

On the coast stands Tachijami, a 40-meter-high rock formation and a natural monument of Kumejima Town. Its name means “Tategami” in the local language. You can reach the rock by descending about 250 steps; you can take this into account when planning your visit. The site brings together a distinctive natural formation and a piece of the local language.

Nearby, Tatami-ishi is home to more than 1,000 five- and six-sided rocks, each about one meter in size. The formation extends 50 meters from north to south and 250 meters in length. These details about its shape, size and extent give you an idea of how Tatami-ishi differs from a single rock such as Tachijami.

Castle ruins, a sacred natural site and caves

The ruins of Uegusuku Castle are among the four major castle ruins preserved on Kumejima. From there, you can enjoy a 360-degree view of all of Kumejima and the sea around the island. A visit thus combines a historical site with a sweeping view of the island and its surrounding waters.

Mifuga is a sacred natural site on Kumejima associated with prayers for the blessing of children. This connection gives the place a spiritual significance distinct from the island’s natural formations and castle history.

Another special experience is a tour of the Yajiyagama cave ruins. They are designated as a cultural property of Kumejima Town. The tour takes about an hour and a half and passes through 800 meters of underground cave ruins. The duration and length provide practical guidance as you consider how much time to set aside for a visit.

Kuruma-ebi and sweets made with brown sugar

Local cuisine also shapes Kumejima’s character. Kuruma-ebi are raised in large aquaculture ponds on Kumejima, using juveniles sourced from deep-sea water. Local restaurants and hotels serve the prawns as sashimi, grilled with salt and in shrimp dogs. This gives you several ways to enjoy the same locally produced ingredient.

At a cooking class on Kumejima, visitors can make sata andagi—Okinawan doughnuts—and other sweets with brown sugar. Visitors can chat while they cook. A cooking class offers a different experience from a restaurant visit, with a focus both on the sweets and on making them yourself.

When choosing a holiday rental in Kumejima, you can start by considering which side of the island you want your trip to focus on: nature and coastal rocks, historical sites and caves, or regional cuisine. These different experiences give your search a sense of direction without requiring you to focus on just one theme.

More destinations: Motobu, Kunigami District, Yonaguni, Tokashiki, Yomitan, Nakasone, Nakijin and Nanjō.

Back to the main travel overview: Okinawa Prefecture.