Japan Travels: Profiling some of our favorite places we have visited in Japan.
Tatami-ishi 畳石 (Tatami-Rocks) is a Nationally Designated Natural Monument located on the south coast of Oujima 奥武島 (Ou Island). A bridge connects Oujima with Kumejima. Andesite Magma cooled under a process called columnar jointing creating 1 to 1.5 meter pentagonal and hexagonal shapes. Called Tatami-Rocks because of the resemblance to the tatami mats of traditional Japanese home design. Water erosion has leveled and smoothed the tops of the rock structures.
Hatenohama はての浜 is off the shore of Kumejima 久米 in Okinawa Prefecture. Hatenohama is a 7 km sandbar that can only be accessed by a 20 minute boat ride from Kume island. November is the off season so the charter boat from our hotel only did one trip a day. We were also required to wear life preservers if we were going into the water. Unfortunately because it was the off season, we were only allowed to be on Hatenohama for one hour. We did go in the water for about 5 minutes and spend the rest of the time wandering and collecting shells and coral.
We travelled around the many beaches of Miyakojima, Okinawa.
Okinawa - Miyakojima Highlights: