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Tanegashima
種子島
In three words: Surfing. Space. Guns.
Recommended for: Surfers, scuba-divers, snorkelers, beach bums, space enthusiasts and gun enthusiasts
Size: About 450km²
Population: About 33,000
Accessed from:
Boat: Kagoshima and Yakushima
Plane: Kagoshima and Osaka
Tanegashima and us: We live next door and think it is a wonderful island!
In Brief:
Tanegashima is one of the Osumi Islands featuring Tanegashima, Yakushima and Kuchinoerabu. Tanegashima is famous for having the best surfing in Japan. Tanegashima is the birthplace of the gun in Japan. Tanegashima is home to Japan’s largest space station. In short it is a fascinating place and 100% worth a visit! It is located next to Yakushima and Kuchinoerabu island and island hopping is possible. Tanegashima means ‘seed island’. This is partly because it looks like a seed from above and partly because it might be where rice was first imported to Japan.
Too touristy?:
In a word: no. Tanegashima is pretty much unknown in international tourism even though it is quite a well known place to Japanese. Some space enthusiasts may seek it out but generally you won’t expect to see many foreigners here. Tanegashima is visited by Japanese tourists for surfing, beaches, or space tourism but remains a gorgeous, well-kept secret.
Getting there:
By boat:
High speed: There are high speed jetfoils called Toppy and Rocket which run from Kagoshima to Tanegashima. They cost 7,700 yen one way or 13,800 return. They take around 1 hour 15 minutes. There are seven boats per day. Find the timetable here.
Four of these boats then make the journey between Tanegashima and Yakushima everyday. This costs 4,000 yen one way and takes 50 minutes.
Slow boats: The Princess Wakasa is a a ferry which leaves from Kagoshima at 8:40 and arrives in Tanegashima at 12:10. The return leaves at 14:00 and arrives back in Kagoshima at 17:30. One way costs 2,970 yen and return costs 5,510 yen. Find the schedule here.
The Hibiscus Ferry leaves Kagoshima late at 18:00 and arrive at 21:40 costing 3,700 yen one way. The next morning it sets off early at 5:00 to Yakushima and arrives at 7:00 costing 2,300 yen one way. Full schedules can be found here.
Finally the Ferry Taiyou is an island hopping boat between Tanegashima, Yakushima and Kuchinoerbau Island. Check out the timetable here. It is the cheapest way to island transfer at 1,440 yen one way.
The three islands are all so beautiful and so different. They make an awesome island hopping trip. For those willing to commit the time and effort it is so worth it! Only our website is recommending this. Why? Because only we are promoting all the islands. Try something no one else is doing! Contact us.
by plane:
About four planes per day run from Kagoshima to Tanegashima and one plane runs from Osaka to Tanegashima. Flights are by JAL and can be found here.
Getting around:
This is simple advice: Rent a car or take a guided tour. This island is too big to be done on foot and too rural to have a good bus system. Trust us on this! You can use our booking service. We can rent cars for you from as low as 2,400 yen for 12 hours. Using us may actually save you money. Or why not consider using our exclusive guiding service.
Tanegashima is a long island and has three sections. Nishinoomote is the northern town, Nakatane is the central town and Minamitane is the southern town.
The sights:
Culture:
Tanegashima Space Station: The biggest in Japan and the most beautiful space station in the world. When you see the shimmering blue ocean, the white beaches and red sandstone cliffs surrounding it I think you will agree. There is a free museum on site and three times a day there are free 75 bus minute tours of the facility, including excursions into areas the public is prohibited from viewing. If you want an English guide, a private guide will be dispatched for free if you book in advance. Our booking service can help you there.
Gun Museum: In1543 a Portuguese boat crashed into the rocky coast of south Tanegashima. They sold guns to the warlord there who ordered them to be copied. That was the birth of the gun in Japan. This museum has exhibits of these guns as well as other historic guns of the world. 420 yen to enter and 550 yen if bought with a combined ticket to Gessotei Samurai Residence.
Gessotei Samurai Residence - This museum is a 220 year old building and was the house of the most remote samurai in Japan. The small residence is simple but on entrance you will receive tea and cake and watch a small video about the place made my local school students (in English). The staff are wonderful volunteers and for only 200 yen they will teach you Kyudo, Japanese archery.
beaches:
The beaches are amazing in Tanegashima! The whole island is covered in huge, white sandy beaches. A lot of them have sea turtles laying their eggs there in the May, June and July. Here are some of the best:
Urata beach - This calm and family friendly beach in the north has gorgeous snorkelling and scuba diving.
Takezaki beach - This is possibly the best surfing beach and it is stunning. Pristine sandy beach sandwiched between big red sandstone cliffs. The waves are fantastic!
Chikura Grotto - At low tide caves on the cliffs base can be explored. You can walk around 100m through them. It makes a wonderful photo spot.
Kanehama beach - Another huge, wonderful surfing beach in central/northern Tanegashima. There are several small guest houses here too.
Onsen:
There are a few onsens on Tanegashima. Most in the south. Two highly recommended hot springs are Kawauchi Onsen in the south for 300 yen and Akagaoki Onsen in the north.
Organised activities and tours:
Surf Lessons - There are surf lessons available in Southern Border near the space station in the south. There are two surf shops on the island which rent surf boards, body boards etc. Starting at 2,000 - 3,000 per day.
Scuba Diving - There are three diving shops in Tanegashima. Two in the north and one in the south. The seas are rich with an abundance of sea life. Large fish, coral, turtles, rays etc. Contact us to book. We can also offer this as an add on in part of our guiding service.
Kayak tours - Sea kayaking and river kayaking in the mangrove forests are available on Tanegashima.
Food and Drink:
With so many restaurants, I will give you a few highlights and let you discover the rest by yourself.
Okonomiyaki Yasubei (お好み焼安兵衛)- In the southern town of Minamitane is this cheeky store so popular with the locals that it can be hard to get a seat. Cheeky, old, friendly ladies cook up Osaka soul food with large portions and good prices.
Karahana (からはな)- Tanegashima Craft Beer - In the south, near the space station is a small brewery making local beers with a shop where you can try and buy.
Steppin’ Lion (ステッピンライオン) - This burger joint is in Nakatane in central Tanegashima. Famous for its jerk chicken burgers. The shop closes at 19:30 but often sells out before then so go early to avoid disappointment.
Seafood Ichijo (魚匠 一条) - In the northern and larger town of Nishinoomote is a popular seafood restaurant. Open 17:00-23:00 this is a great place for a classy seafood dinner. They menu may seem expensive at first but the quality and size of the dishes makes it really cheap.
Accommodation:
Again with so many to choose from, I will just give you a few highlights in different areas and ranges.
Tanegashima Iwasaki Hotel (いわさきホテル)- For a mid-high end place in the south, right on the best surfing beach in Tanegashima and the space station. This is a great option for those looking for a larger, luxurious hotel in a peaceful location.
Sunny Spot (サニースポット) - In the south, near the surfing and the space this small mid range guesthouse gives a more local experience.
Minshuku HOPE (民宿HOPE) - This mid range small guesthouse is on the south east near the mangroves and the beach caves of Chikura Grotto.
Minshuku Seiryukyo - This cheap guesthouse is a series of cute little Flintstone houses are located in the north but away from the large town.
Zeus House - This is in the north near some of the best surfing on the island. They are mid range and have great breakfasts.
There are so many more good options not easily found online. Contact us for help from our booking service.
A 2 night/3 day Itinerary:
Day 1 - Go surfing. Book yourself a surf lesson or just rent a board if you know how to surf. Warm up in a hot spring afterwards.
Day 2 - Go diving for the day. And you guessed it: hot springs after.
Day 3 - Save at least a day or more for space and culture. See the space station and the gun museum with a tour.
This plan can be done in any order and can be done over a longer period of time.