Zamami Island

Okinawa, Japan · Remote island, Sea / Beach

Under an hour from Naha by fast ferry, the water around the Kerama islands has its own name, 'Kerama Blue', and at Furuzamami the reef starts a few metres off the sand. At Ama, green turtles graze the seagrass close enough that no boat is needed, and the national park seabed holds some 248 coral species with visibility of up to thirty metres. From January to March the humpbacks pass offshore.

The essentials

Getting there

Ferry — High-speed ferry Queen Zamami from Tomari Port (Naha), about 50-70 minutes; there is also the slower Ferry Zamami, about 2 hours.

Frequently asked questions about Zamami Island

What to do in Zamami Island: 25 activities

• Diving in Kerama National Park 4 h must-see booking

  Guided dives with local operators in the waters of Kerama Shoto National Park, with visibility up to 30 metres. Kerama National Park was designated in 2014 and is the thirty-first in Japan, with some 248 species of coral.

• Furuzamami Beach 4 h must-see

  One of the best beaches in Japan for snorkeling, with a coral reef just metres from the shore.

• Swimming with green turtles at Ama 1.5 h must-see

  Ama is where green turtles graze the seagrass bed, very close to shore. Keep your distance and never chase or touch them.

• Aka Island: Kerama deer and the statue of Shiro 4.5 h

  Aka is fifteen minutes away on the inter-island boat. The Kerama deer, a National Natural Monument since 1972, often come down to the village and the beach in broad daylight. In the port stands the statue of Shiro, the dog who in the 1980s swam three kilometres from Aka to Zamami to see Marilyn; her statue is on Ama beach.

• Aka viewpoints: Cape Inazaki and Nishibama 1.5 h

  The Inazaki observatory is one of the best places in the archipelago to see humpback whales from land in winter, without getting on a boat. The Nishibama viewpoint overlooks the longest beach on Aka.

• Humpback whale watching 2 h booking only dates vary (January-March)

  Boat trips in the season when humpback whales come into Kerama's waters to calve. The Ministry of the Environment puts their presence between late December and April, but the trip dates are set each year by the Zamami watching association, which warns that they change: in 2026 it ran from 8 January to 25 March, and closed that day. The association has existed since 1991 and groups eleven boats; since January 2024 individuals book directly with each boat, not with it, and it is best done the day before. Reference fare: ¥7,700 adult and ¥3,850 child, plus a ¥600 spotting fee that goes to protection and research, though each boat may charge differently. The trip lasts one or two hours and there are morning and afternoon slots. What makes the sightings so good is not the boat: there are spotters at viewpoints on Zamami and Tokashiki who search from land every morning and radio in the moment they find a group. Swimming with the whales is banned and the boats come no closer than a hundred metres; the national park asks them to slow down from three hundred. The 90% sighting rate in circulation is not published by the association: the prefecture's tourism site gives it as «it is said», and the firm figure comes from operators.

• Route of the war sites 2.5 h

  The town hall maintains an official map: the 1941 monument with bullet marks on its steps, the Azalea Tower where the mass suicide of 26 March took place, the memorial to municipal officials and their families, the Popcorn Tower dedicated to the children who died and the remains of the suicide-boat bunker. The municipality warns against entering caves or the hills alone.

• Sango Yuntaku-kan coral centre 0.75 h

  A National Park centre devoted to coral: it explains the park's 248 species, bleaching and the rules for using the sea. It is the best introduction before getting into the water, and it has a twin on Aka.

• Stars and sunset in Zamami 1 h

  With almost no light pollution, the island's sky is exceptional. The viewpoints and Ama beach are the usual spots, and in winter the dry air gives the best visibility.

• Takara House, on Geruma Island 0.75 h

  An Okinawan house from the late Ryukyu Kingdom and an Important Cultural Property of Japan, with a red-tiled roof and a windbreak wall. It is the only serious architectural heritage in the municipality, reached on foot or by bicycle from Aka across the bridge.

• Zamami Peace Tower 0.75 h

  A monument to more than 1,200 war victims, among them 624 residents of the municipality, ten minutes on foot from the port. Every 26 March the families hold the memorial there for the 1945 American landing and the forced suicides that followed. It is visited in silence.

• Ama Beach 2 h

  Quieter than Furuzamami, with fewer tourists and a great spot for a sunset swim.

• Boat trip to uninhabited islets 3 h booking

  Boat tour to nearby uninhabited islets, such as Agenashiku, for snorkeling in nearly untouched waters.

• Camping on Ama beach 14 h booking

  A municipal campsite beside the beach, with very cheap pitches and tent rental. It is the cheapest way to sleep inside the national park and lets you see the sunrise and the stars without going anywhere.

• Izakaya dinner and awamori in the village 2 h booking

  The village has barely a dozen places to eat local fish, mozuku and agu pork with awamori. They close early and many require booking the same day; beyond that, nightlife comes down to the beach and the stars.

• Month of thanks to visitors 3 h only 1-30 Nov

  Throughout November there are open-air performances, stalls and discounts from local businesses in the middle of the low season. It is the best time to see the island without crowds and with the community fully involved.

• Sabani and yacht races 3 h only late June

  The sabani is the traditional Okinawan wooden boat. In June and July Zamami holds a sailing race and a yacht race that fill the port, and both can be watched for free from the quay.

• Sea kayaking and paddleboarding among the islets 2.5 h booking

  Crossings through the coves and out to the nearby islets, recognised by the national park. It is the alternative to diving when the sea is calm and a good option for anyone who does not dive.

• Takatsukiyama Observation Deck 1.5 h

  Panoramic viewpoint over the Kerama Islands, very popular for watching the sunset.

• The real state of the reef 0.5 h

  The Ministry of the Environment officially acknowledges bleaching, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and diving damage as the park's main threats, and recent summers have been especially hot. Local dive clubs remove starfish and monitor the coral voluntarily. The reef is alive but stressed: go with operators who follow the rules and do not expect intact coral.

• Umi nu Ugan and Ushimi 2 h only lunar dates (April and September-October)

  Community rites for safety at sea and a good catch, and a visit to the family tombs followed by a coastal parade of decorated boats, on dates set by the lunar calendar. These are neighbourhood ceremonies, not shows: watch from outside and ask before photographing.

• Zamami island festival 4 h booking only late August (Saturday)

  A summer festival in August, with an open-air stage, eisa, stalls and fireworks. Accommodation sells out: book months ahead.

• Bicycle or scooter rental 3 h

  The island is small with barely any traffic, ideal for getting around by rented bicycle or electric scooter.

• Trip to Aka and the Geruma Bridges 2 h

  A correction to the catalogue: there is no bridge at all between Zamami and Aka. You go by the inter-island boat, in about fifteen minutes, and once in Aka you cross the bridge over to Geruma and from there another one as far as Fukaji. Zamami-son is made up of more than twenty islands, of which only Zamami, Aka and Geruma are inhabited; Tokashiki is a separate municipality.

• Walk through Zamami village 1 h

  Stroll through the small village centre, known for its stray cats and relaxed island atmosphere.

What only happens on specific dates

• Humpback whale watching dates vary (January-March)
• Umi nu Ugan and Ushimi lunar dates (April and September-October)
• Sabani and yacht races late June
• Zamami island festival late August (Saturday)
• Month of thanks to visitors 1-30 Nov

Ready-made routes through Zamami Island

Chains well with

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