Christian's Travel Blog

Yakushima, Japan's green hiking and hut-camping paradise, is known for its wet climate all year around ... so you'll better be prepared on a three to five days trail connecting the mountain huts. At least I was lucky, as I almost gave up to reach my last stop of my six week island-hopping voyage. Rain forecast already changed my plans, but arriving in Kagoshima - the gateway to Yakushima - a two-day dry weather window after a rainy day crossing made me rethinking: now or never! Luckily the ferry did not turn back after a rough crossing, as the captain informed that might be the case. And even better, the sun rose next morning to make my first trail up in Yakusugi Land on to Tenchuseki Rock on Tachudake a wonderful experience - hiking through ancient moss-covered cedar forest. Next day I was up early again to walk along the trails at the Shiratani Unsuikyo plateau in search for an encounter with the Yakuzaru - monkeys that live high up in the ...

Visiting the Amami-Oshima World Heritage Conservation Center located near the second largest mangrove forest in Japan gives a comprehensive introduction of the subtropical islands nature - forests and plants - and animals.     As Amami-Oshima is the second largest island in the Ryukyus, I decided to explore the island by rental car. There is a good public bus system, but as a one-time exception, the flexibility a car offers made it more convenient to enjoy the nicely arranged 'bucket-list' by Ryuko: mangrove canoeing, mud cloth-dyeing and subtropical native forest hiking. The authentic Amami-Oshima TSUMUGI high-quality silk fabrics are handcrafted with a lot of work, effort and time. A visit to the museum and especially to the weaving handcraft process by local women and men surely is one of the highlights touring the island. Up north there's another unique sight - up a winding road you'll reach an observation deck (that eventually is a starti...

05h30 ... the alarm clock signals time to get up and walk from the nearby Nest hotel to Naha port, boarding the daily A"LINE ferry. These days most people fly in or out, as airfares mostly are cheaper and of course flights save time. But still the ferries are the backbone to connect the scattered Ryukyu islands with "mainland" Japan, that itself consists of the four major islands - Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. When it comes to 'islandhopping' my choice was clear from the conception of this journey - it has to be by ferry! As any roadtrip, the goal is not to go from A to B, but rather the encounters along the way. As it turned out, I started my Ryukyu islands adventure not as thought from Kagoshima downward island by island, but due to seasonal considerations with a flight to the most southern Yaeyama islands and then hopping back towards Kagoshima. One month into my journey - visiting so far six islands - I decided ...

Tripadvisor has a list (by ranking) of 26 campgrounds on Okinawa and surrounding islands. By now, my island hopping introduced me to six islands of the Ryukyu archipelago, or in other terms, 4 weeks by camping on three of them. So what about Ama Beach Campground on Zamami-jima? Interestingly it is not mentioned at all by TripAdvisor ... Today it's already a week that I arrived from Naha by ferry - on the cheaper cargo ferry a two-hour crossing with a short stop at Aka-jima. And I'm still not departing this pearl in the Keremashoto National Park. Ama Beach Campground.So close to the touristic hub Naha (Okinawa), a hidden secret in terms of camping right at an incredible turquoise beach - and still it escaped the mighty virtual eyes of TripAdvisor. Let it be like that. I won't put it on TripAdvisor's ranking on top. It's just right as it is. One of those few places - like the one at Maupiti in French Polynesia, or 'U...

What distinguishes camping from most other ways of traveling is living with the elements - the direct impact of nature and close environment. The idea of island hopping becomes a different experience surrounded by the sounds of sea, wind and rain. And after a rainy and stormy night in the tent, the early morning birds surprise again and again. There's no doubt about the beauty as well as power of changing weather that the pearl necklace-like lined up Ryukyu islands are exposed. Today the morning sun invited me on a trail for one of the whale-spotting lookouts, but till i climbed up the condition had changed - a dark wall was approaching from north. No escape, but wide screen cinema in dolby sound. And an hour later the rainbow gave the signal for a great, sunny day out in the sea - turtels, i'm coming. I asked at the reception to organise a wetsuit (for tall alien ; ) and 15 minutes later I entered already that unimaginable colour...

Camping for two weeks at Yaeyama islands passed quickly. Whereas I was weatherwise somewhat lucky on Iriomote-jima, the Inoda Campground on Ishigaki-jima confirmed to be on the wet eastcoast - 5 days and a grey rainy sky did not allow for one morning sunrise shot. Yesterday I had my one-hour flight to Naha, Okinawa, up north. There are no more ferries these days connecting the Yaeyamas with Okinawa. And my plan was to walk straight to Tomari port to catch the last ferry to Zamami-jima, my next remote camping destination. Rushing in rain from Miebashi monorail station to Tomari port, the ticket office was closed ... and the last ferry departed 20 minutes ago. A late plane and wrong departure information upfront, and you find yourself on a rainy day in search for a cheap place to stay. I have to add here, that I do not have a local sim-card to access internet ... hence walking out there into a grey, wet late afternoon. Yep, moral was low. Finally I deci...

Although I toured the globe with a tent in my backpack for decades - preferably on my motorbike - this is my first camping experience in Japan. I spent now two weeks on Iriomote-jima and Ishigaki-jima at three out of five listed campgrounds. Three campsites are on Iriomote and two on Ishigaki, whereas the supposed best located campground on Yonehara Beach continues to be closed since last year. Don't be fooled, as still a busline 'Yonehara Campground Line' runs daily from the airport to the west coast. Therefore Inoda Auto Campground was the only option on Ishigaki - spacious and directly located in dense native bush right at Inoda Beach. There is a reception and reasonable facilities, like a sanitation block with hot showers, covered cooking facilities and a mini-shop. End of March temperatures are still around 20 degrees and weather - probably all year round - is rather changeable. Too early for swimming, except you have a wetsuit for some of the b...

Iriomote-jima is almost fully covered by dense subtropical jungle. And one of the highlights to come that far south is the Iriomote Crossing Jungle Trail. The trail literally crosses the island from northwest to southeast, and its a full day hike in subtropical jungle conditions. Starting point usually is up north at the Urauchi river, catching the first tourboat up 4km along mangroves to the picturesque waterfalls. And here also ends the sightseeing trip, as from here the trail up along the wild riverbed will wind through dense jungle for about 13km and an additional 7.5km gravelroad to the opposite side of Iriomote-jima. Eventually you have to register and apply for a permit to enter and cross the National Park and Conservation Area. However, I was lucky to meet two young Japanese backpackers - Taketo and Yoshiyuki - that already organised their entrance permit and were ready to start early next morning. Kindly they accepted to join them ... and of...