Awashima

Awashima (粟島) is an island in northern Niigata with 365 inhabitants, the island has two main settlements: Uchiura (内浦) on the east coast and Kamaya (釜谷) on the west coast. The island lies far off the beaten path for both international and domestic tourists but has many nice beaches and can provide an escape from the urban centres of Tokyo and Osaka. The island is administered as a municipality, Awashimaura Village (粟島浦村).

Understand
First settled in the Jomon Period, Awashima was long the last frontier for many of Japan's northern clans and inhabited by the Emishi, an ethnic group comprised of non-Yamato and Ainu people. The Emishi were slowly pushed out by pirates and traders, causing Awashima to become a hub for trade heading to Tohoku. Awashima was also greatly impacted by the 1964 Niigata earthquake, as many structures were destroyed due to the subsequent flooding. Now Awashima is an Important Birding Area and its economy is centred around seasonal tourism and fishing, leading to its reputation for fresh fish. Like most rural areas in Japan, its population is declining.

Tourist information


The local tourist association has a guide site.

Get in
The only way to access Awashima is by ferry or catamaran from Iwafune in Murakami. They depart regularly and are operated by Awashimakisan ☏ +81 254-55-2131. The journey by high-speed catamaran takes 60 minutes and costs ¥3860 for adults and ¥1940 for children, the slower ferry costs ¥1910 for adults and ¥960 for children, the journey takes 85 minutes. is in the centre of Uchiura and the rest of the island is accessible from there.

By bus
The Awashima community bus ☏ +81 254-55-2146 is the only bus service on the island and runs two routes. Due to the number of tourists outnumbering the bus capacity reservations are required from April to the end of October, reservations are not required from November to March. There are two routes across the island. The main one is the prefectural road route which connects the in Uchiura to the. This route costs ¥200 for adults and ¥100 for children. The entire journey takes around 15 minutes. The second one is the northbound route which connects Iwafune and Kamaya via in the north. This route costs ¥500 for adults and ¥250 for children regardless of where one gets on. All bus journeys must be paid with cash.

By foot
Both settlements are so small one can easily around them. One could probably circumnavigate the island in one day.

By bicycle
One can easily bike around the island in three hours or less, tourist information centre offers bike rentals from 8:30-17:00. it is 500 for less than 4 hours and 1,000 for more than four hours. Bikes can be brought on the car ferry for an additional ¥460 and on the catamaran for ¥560.

By car
Although a car ferry connects Awashima with the mainline, tourists are not allowed to bring cars onto the island.

Beaches
The main attractions of Awashima are its numerous beaches. The most popular beaches are and

Buy




Eat
As fishing remains a large industry on the Island fresh most local specialities involve the island's local seafood. Wappani is the island's number one dish and people say it can only be found on Awashima. Wappani is made of cooked fish, miso and negi (Japanese onion) and served in a Wappa (bowl made from cedar), the chef then adds hot water and a burnt stone that boils the water. Sashimi can also be found all around the Island with the speciality dish being sea bream as Awashima is a spawning ground for them, sea bream is usually freshest in May and June. Most guest-houses serve dinner.





Drink
There are very few nightlife options in Awashima though there are options in Murakami, there are vending machines around the Island. Sake Awashima is the island's only sake brand and potato sucho is also produced. Both are said to have a clean taste.



Sleep
The number of accommodations are limited to due to the island's small population and many will do it as a day-trip from Murakami due to there being being more options there.



Connect
Pocket WiFi works on the island and can be rented in Niigata. Most accommodation options have free WiFi.

Go next
The only way to leave is on the boats to Murakami, from Murakami one could head south and explore the rest of Niigata prefecture, Niigata City is only one hour south of Murakami and from there one could depart to the less remoteSado for another island adventure. To the North of Murakami lies Tsuruoka and Sakata in Yamagata Prefecture, both cities are about an hour north on the Uetsu Line and can serve as jumping off points to Dewa Sanzan. From Sakata one could depart to the even smaller Tobishima, another remote island. Yamagata Prefecture also lies east of Murakami and when travelling east one must always depart from Sakamachi station (rather than Murakami station). Yonezawa is the largest city directly east of Murakami and is a two hour journey from Murakami on the Yonesaka line.