Kouri Island (Kourijima)

Shall we drive to Kouri Bridge while enjoying the scenery of Yambaru (Okinawa’s North Area)?

Kouri Bridge is a famous tourist spot in Okinawa and takes you to Kourijima. The island’s circumference is about 8 km, and fishing and agriculture are popular there. Also, there are a lot of traditional Okinawa houses. You will need a little money for gas, but you will definitely get some sun and be impressed when you get to see the amazing view of the sea.

We would like to introduce some famous spots of Kouri Island and let foreign students know the beautiful environment around Okinawa, and know the unknown culture and history of Kourijima.

This is the front of Kourijima Bridge. It was opened in 2005. Until 2010, it was the longest bridge to a remote island in Japan. But, in 2010, a longer bridge from Miyakojima to Irabu Ohashi was built.

The two pictures above show the observation tower.

These two pictures show the view from the tower (above) and the deep blue sea opening in front (below).

Kouri Ohashi stretches straight from the center of the blue sea. You will be impressed by the superb view.

Heart Rock in Kouri

It became famous since a Japanese commercial started to broadcast on TV. If you would like to stop by there, the best time to see it is around sunset. This side of the sea is not very famous so it is very quiet and you are going to feel that you are on private beach.  You will definitely enjoy the sun and seascape shining bright and may spend time relaxing in winter.

Kourijima’s legend: Okinawa’s version of Adam and Eve

Once upon a time, two children, a boy and a girl, fell from the sky to Kourijima. At first they were naked, and every day they ate rice cakes which fell from the sky, and they lived happily. They became worried about what they would do if one day a rice cake did not fall, so they began to save a little bit every day. After they began saving, however, the rice cakes stopped falling. They sang songs toward the moon of the sky. But the rice cakes never fell again. Therefore, they began to live at the beach and they caught fish and shells and knew the pains of life and labor. They watched the copulation of the dugong and came to cover their private parts with Kuba leaves, being conscious of the difference between men and women. Their descendants increased and they became the parents of the RyuKyuans.

How to get there 

Ten years ago, people traveled to Kourijima by going back and forth on a boat from Nakijin village harbor. Now, though, you can drive there easily:

To get to Kouri island from the expressway in Nago, take Route 58. You can stay on 58 through the city, but you have to be prepared for a traffic jam, especially on weekends. Drive past AEON and JA, then take a left on to 110, toward Yagaji Island. Drive across Yagaji island, and take a left to stay on 110 mid-island. Then take a right on 247 to Kourjima, and you will soon see the longest bridge in Okinawa leading right to the island.