# Kumejima

> An island of about 7,000 people roughly 100 km west of Okinawa Island, reached by a 30-minute flight from Naha or a three-hour ferry. The draw is Hate-no-hama, a sandbar about 7 km long that you can only reach on a tour boat, plus the turtle-shell rocks of Tatami-ishi and an 18th-century stone-walled house.

- Prefecture: Okinawa
- Type: Island
- Address: Kumejima, Okinawa, Japan
- Official site: https://www.kanko-kumejima.com/

Kumejima sits about 100 km west of Okinawa Island and is the fifth-largest island in the prefecture, hilly and green rather than flat coral. Most people come for Hate-no-hama, three white sandbars strung out for about 7 km off the east coast. Nobody lives there and there is no bridge: tour boats leave from Tomari Fisherina near Eef Beach and take 20 to 30 minutes. Book a tour; there is no other way across. Out on the sand there is no shade beyond the simple sunshades the tours put up, and the swimming area is kept small for safety, so bring serious sun protection. Back on the island, a causeway leads to little Oujima, where Tatami-ishi spreads across the shore: pentagonal and hexagonal andesite columns, some about 1 m across, that look like a giant turtle shell. It became a national natural monument in 2014. On the main island, the Uezu family house was built in 1754 for a family of district heads and is described as the oldest surviving house in Okinawa; there is a small entry fee. Eef Beach, about 2 km of sand on the east side, is where most hotels, inns, shops and dive centres are.

## FAQ

### Can I walk or swim to Hate-no-hama?

No. The sandbars lie off the east coast with no bridge, and the only way across is a tour boat from Tomari Fisherina near Eef Beach, about 20 to 30 minutes each way. Book a tour, and bring sun protection: there is no shade beyond the simple sunshades the tours set up.

### Can I visit Kumejima as a day trip by ferry?

Kume Shosen says it is possible on days other than Monday, but you get only about an hour and a half on the island (arriving at 12:30 and leaving at 14:00). To see Hate-no-hama or get around the island, fly, or stay at least one night.

### What happens in typhoon season?

Typhoons, roughly June to October, can cancel ferries, flights and the sandbar boats. Kume Shosen decides on each day's sailings around 7:30. Leave a spare day at the end of the trip and check the forecast before you book.

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Source: Kumejima — Japan Voyage