Ikina Island 生名島
Description
Ikinajima has a population of about 2,000. Ikina is one of the four main islands that form Kamijima-chou. It is approximately 2km by 0.5km.
Location / Access / Transport
Ikina is near to Fukuyama city (1 hour), Imabari (1 hour), Hiroshima city (2 hours) and Matsuyama city (2 hours). It’s a three mintue ride to Habu town (Innoshima , Hiroshima pref.) makes most necessities possible. Including library, super market, video store (Takamatsu), kendo in the local police station and the possibility to take Japanese classes.
- Ferry access only from Yuge island (6 minutes) or Innoshima island (Habu port) in Hiroshima, which is in turn linked to the Shimanami Expressway.
- There are both passenger and vehicle ferries which operate to Ikina and are cheap. For times, check out:
http://www.town.kamijima.ehime.jp/access/ferry_uoshima.html
Shopping
- Three small food shops and a mini supermarket.
- Bicycle shop, dry cleaners, hairdressers. Etc
- Ehime Bank 9:00-5:00 (ATM 8:40 –3:40)
- Post office 9:00-5:00 (ATM 8:40-4:00)
Dining Out
- 2 okonomiyaki restaurants open lunchtimes only.
Leisure
- Brand new sports complex with swimming pool, baseball ground, badminton, table tennis, sauna.
- Camping grounds and a number of reasonable beaches.
- Ikina motorbike circuit track.
- Ikina JHS indoor sports hall has free access to teachers – basketball, badminton, etc.
- Kendo and Judo in police station of next island
Tourism / Festivals / Highlights
- Great fishing.
- Beautiful views from Mt. Tateishi.
- No noisy port.
- Easy access to Hiroshima ken, Fukuyama, Hiroshima city and to Shikoku, Imabari etc.
- Aki matsuri late Sept. (Autumn festival).
- Annual Junior High School boat race.
- Ikina Marathon – if you like running that is.
- Opportunity to go island hopping around the hundreds of islands of the Inland Sea of Japan.
Iwagi Island 岩城島
Description
Iwagijima is located north-east of the top of Ehime, with a population of about 2,200.
Location / Access / Transport
- Only by ferry: to/from Imabari and Habu (also connects with neighboring islands).
Shopping
- Basic necessities
Tourism / Festivals / Highlights
- Mt Sekizen has lots of sakura trees.
- Around the second Sunday of April, people from neighboring islands come to Iwagi to drink sake on the mountain.
- Quiet walks in the dark.
Uoshima Village 魚島村
Description
Uoshima is a small island, part of Kamijima. Kamijima is a cluster of islands to the north-east of the northern most tip of Ehime. Population is approximately 280 people! This is quite possibly the most inaka location in all of Japan.
Website - http://www.town.kamijima.ehime.jp/ (Japanese only)
Location / Access / Transport
- Getting to Uoshima:
- Only by ferry. on/off Uoshima is the new Uoshima 2, a high-speed ferry that runs four times daily. For times check out:
http://www.town.kamijima.ehime.jp/access/ferry_uoshima.html - Getting to Kamijima:
- By road: from Shikoku – take the Shimanami Expressway north from Imabari. It connects a whole series of islands in the Seto Inland Sea between Shikoku and Honshu.
- By ferry: from Imabari – high speed ferry Chidori. It stops at Iwagi, Yuge and Ikina (all parts
of Kamijima township – change at Yuge to continue on to Uoshima). Chidori timetable:
http://www.town.kamijima.ehime.jp/access/ferry_yuge.html#01
Shopping
- Basic necessities on Uoshima, with a small restaurant that is part of the tourist centre (open for lunch Sunday – Friday)
- For Grocery type stores, go to Yuge.
Tourism / Festivals / Highlights
- Small libraries on Uoshima and Yuge (Yuge has videos)
- Volleyball and badminton in Uoshima school gym
Tourism / Festivals / Highlights
- Fishing and diving for clams
- Kameihachiman-jinja (shrine) on Uoshima
- Observation point on the top of “Castle Mountain” and a nice display of sakura in the spring.
Yuge Town 弓削町
Description
About 3,000 on Yuge Island, about 8,000 with all five islands of Kamijima-chou combined.
Location / Access / Transport
- Yuge is only a fifteen-minute ferry ride from Hiroshima prefecture. From mainland Honshu, a bus can be taken to the island of Innoshima, from which a fifteen-minute ferry can be taken from Habu port.
- From mainland Shikoku, an hour ferry ride can be taken from Imabari port.
- On the island, most places can be accessed on foot or by bike, although a free public bus drives around the island.!
Shopping
- One small supermarket, one coop, and convenience store, a small stationary shop connected to the supermarket, a shop of locally-made food and crafts connected to the supermarket. Not much other shopping unless you like to dress like your grandmother
Dining Out
- A couple hole-in-the-wall okonomiyaki joints, a yakiniku place, and a sushi place
Leisure
- Lots of community sports, music, craft groups, free video rental from the public library, a saltwater spa, and nice beaches.
- No cafes, the public library has a VERY limited amount of English-language books (just some children’s fairy tale books), the supermarket hardly has any foreign food. Your best bet is to go to the neighboring island of Innoshima part of Hiroshima prefecture.! Yuge is a great place to go to get away from it all, as there’s next to nothing but beaches, mountains, and good people here
Nightlife
- Various hobby groups meet in the evenings. Shops close around 7pm.
Tourism / Festivals / Highlights
- The fall festivals are not to be missed (especially ass sumo at the Shimoyuge fall festival). Good beaches, good hiking, and great bicycle rides around the island.
Accomodation
- There’s a lodge located on a hill overlooking Matsubara beach that has a spa and a restaurant inside. There’s also a small guesthouse behind the community center/ board of education.
Health
- There’s a health clinic in Kamiyuge, a dentist, and a hospital is a fifteen-minute ferry ride away in the port town, Habu, on neighboring Innoshima Island.