Kudaka-jima

Ryukyu myth says the creator goddess Amamikiyo came down to Kudaka from heaven to begin making the land, and that the five grains washed ashore here at Ishiki-hama in a jar. Kings of Ryukyu once crossed to worship here with the high priestess, the Kikoe-ogimi, and later worshipped the island from Sefa-utaki across the strait. Kudaka is still a working place of worship. Fubo-utaki (Kubo-utaki), its most sacred grove, is closed to visitors all year, and other prayer sites close at certain times.

About 240 people live here, in a village of old stone walls near the port. Land is still held in common by the community, a system written down in the 1988 Kudaka Land Charter after a resort plan threatened two-thirds of the island, and the island has no hotels and only a handful of places to eat. The famous Izaiho ritual, held once every twelve years for the island's women, has not taken place since 1978.

Ride slowly and greet the people you pass, as the island asks. Islanders want swimwear kept for the beach and every stone and piece of coral left where it lies, and coconut crabs, an endangered species here, are off limits. Swimming is allowed only at Meegi-hama, just north of the port, where there are no lifeguards or jellyfish nets.