Amami Oshima

Amami lies between Kyushu and Okinawa and was never connected to the mainland during recent ice ages, so its animals evolved separately: the Amami rabbit, a dark short-eared species considered a living fossil with no close relatives, the Amami jay, the Otton frog and others found on this island and its neighbours alone. That endemism is why Amami was inscribed by UNESCO in 2021 together with Tokunoshima, northern Okinawa and Iriomote. The interior is dense subtropical laurel forest, and the second largest mangrove in Japan grows at the Sumiyo river mouth, paddled by kayak on the tide. Night tours along the forest road with a licensed guide are the way to see the rabbit; the road is permit-controlled at night to limit traffic, because vehicle strikes and introduced predators are what pushed these species to the edge.

History

Stone tools show the island was settled in the Paleolithic, and pottery and other finds point to constant contact with Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun Japan; the Nihon Shoki mentions it under the year 657, and in the Nara and early Heian periods it was a stopping place for Japanese envoys to Tang China, exporting mother-of-pearl. The Ryukyu Kingdom took it as it expanded north, holding it between 1571 and 1611, until samurai of the Shimazu clan invaded in 1609; the shogunate recognised it as Shimazu territory in 1624, and their harsh rule reduced the islanders to serfdom, forcing them to grow sugar cane for heavy taxes that often brought famine. Saigō Takamori was exiled here in 1859 for two years, and his house is a memorial museum. After the Meiji Restoration the island became part of Kagoshima Prefecture, it was under US administration from the end of the Second World War until 1953, and in 2021 it became part of a World Heritage Site with Tokunoshima, northern Okinawa and Iriomote (Wikipedia, Amami Ōshima).

What's there

• The Amami rabbit - a dark short-eared living fossil found only here and on Tokunoshima.
• Laurel forest - dense subtropical woodland covering the island's interior.
• Mangrove by kayak - the second largest stand in Japan, paddled on the tide.
• A 2021 UNESCO inscription - listed with Tokunoshima, northern Okinawa and Iriomote.

When to go

March to June and October to November; avoid the June rainy season and typhoons. Three days.

What to expect

Night forest access is permit-controlled and requires a licensed guide - sightings are not guaranteed. A car is essential and the island is large. The rainy season here is heavy and typhoons are frequent. Habu vipers are present in the forest, which is one reason guided walking is advised.

Nearby

Kakeroma island is south across a short strait; Tokunoshima is further south.

Key facts