Kume-jima Island Sightseeing & Activities

For a small island Kumejima Island Okinawa sure has a lot to see and do. Much of Kumejima’s sightseeing and activities are based on the beautiful nature of the island and the sea. The Kumejima Island Sea Turtle Museum, Goeda no Matsu, Tatamiishi, and Hiyajyo Banta are just of few of the nature or eco-tourisim places to visit. Kumejima Island also has cultural treasures such as The Old House of Uezu and the Firefly Museum. How could we write anything about sightseeing on Kumejima Island without mentioning the famous Obakesaka “ghost slop” that allows your car to defy gravity.

	Firefly Museum One of the interesting facts taught at the Firefly museum is that the Kumejima Botaru, Genji Botaru and Heike Botaru are three out of 10 species of over 2000 fireflies world wide that lay their eggs in water. In order for these fireflies to survive there needs to be lots of clean water, this is a testament to the ...
	Old House of Uezu This Japanese National Heritage site was constructed in 1754 to house the Uezu family, descended from the lords of the old Gushikawa Castle. In the more modern Ryukyu kingdom the Uezu family held a social rank of Pechin, a rank similar to Samurai ...
	Obakesaka  “Ghost slope” in Japan and as a “magnetic hill” in other parts of the world this natural phenomenon is fun activity to do while exploring Kumejima Island. Obakesaka is easy to try just look for the sign ...
	Goeda no Matsu This ancient tree dates back to 1839 or possibly even much earlier. Standing only 6 meters high but with a radius of 4.3 meters it strongly resembles the largest bonsai tree ever. Goeda Matsu was originally planted in honor of the Ryukyu harvest Gods but has since ...
	Sea Turtle Museum Dedicated to the many types of Turtles found in the sea around Okinawa and all over the world. At the Sea Turtle Museum guest get the chance to observe and interact with many different types of turtles and learn about the challenges facing this interesting and ...
	Tatamiishi Strange rocks on the south coast of Nishi-Ou Island, east of Kumejima Island, are a protected natural treasure of Okinawa Prefecture. The rocks emerge at low tide. They look like pentagonal and hexagonal turtle shells, thus they are also called the “turtle shell rocks.” There are more than ...
	Hiyajyo Banta Rising over 200 meters (650 feet) above the beautifully clear emerald green sea and the coast with its white sandy beach stretching for 12 km. See near by Hatenohama Island, Aguni Island, the Kerama Islands floating on the horizon ...
	Mefuga and Otokoiwa two very interesting places that are celebrated as symbols of fertility. First there is Mefuga, located not too far away from Kumejima Airport. The other representation of fertility is Otokoiwa (Mt. Garasa), a small island with a large ...