Western Peripheral Road

You can walk to the western peripheral road from Ogami Port. And also, there is a narrow path leading to the western peripheral road from the west side of the village in Ogami Island, where many of the cats in the island gather around. The number of the cats in Ogami Island is around 50 compared to the number of residents which is around 25, and as the population in the island is not going to increase anymore, it may become the island of cats in the future.

A Cat in Ogami Island

There is an only beach in Ogami Island along the western peripheral road. You can walk to the beach from a footpath in the bush next to Ogami Port when the beach gets longer and wider during the low tide in the morning.

Beach in Ogami Island

Water coming from the sea through under the road make ponds on the island side of the western peripheral road, and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the both sides of the road while walking. Although it is artificial, the scenery viewed from the road is very unique. And maybe because of its lower population, the water around the island is clearer than that of Miyako Island.

Western Peripheral Road

You can see rocks called “notches” in the sea. These rocks rolled down the hill in the past, and their base has been chipped away gradually by the erosion of waves. Some of notches are about to fall, so you may not be able to see the mushroom shape of them in near future. You can see mushroom-shaped notches clearly during the low tide.

Notches (Rocks)

The length of the western peripheral road is maybe around 1km, much longer than the eastern peripheral road. There is a rock God dwells in in the bush along the middle of the western peripheral road. It is said that in the past, construction workers tried to break the rock in order to construct the peripheral road; however, these workers got sick one after another, so they restored the rock, and soon after that they got recovered. They changed the route to avoid the rock, and the current road was constructed.

Rocks in the Bush

The western peripheral road was dead-ended too. There seems to be various stories surrounding the road, but I heard from a guide that they couldn’t continue the construction work due to a huge rock on the route. The road was collapsed at the end. I thought it was due to the curse of God at first, but later it turned out that it was due to a typhoon.

End of the Western Peripheral Road

There are many crabs walking along the edge of the surf. Be careful as the road at the end gets slippery due to water especially during the high tide in the evening.

You can see the beautiful sunset setting over West Henna Cape in Miyako Island from the western peripheral road. But the last ferry departs from Ogami Island at 4:20 pm during the winter months (5 pm during the summer months), so you will need to stay for a night in the island if you want to watch the sunset from Ogami Island. The sunset viewed from the port or Tomidai Observatory must be beautiful as well.

Sunset from Ogami Island

Ogami Port

Rocks are enshrined at Ogami Port. According to a guide, when people tried to break and remove a huge rock placed at the port using a heavy machine, the machine was broken down, and they were told by obaa (old women) in the island that God became angry because they tried to break the rock of God, so they asked the obaa to purify the rock. People put their hands together and pray to the rocks at the port.

A Rock at Ogami Port

Rocks at Ogami Port

The port is calm and quiet except the time a ferry arrives. The water around the port is very transparent, and the fish underwater are visible to the naked eye. Local people often do fishing at the port. It seems that they have a lot of time to kill in this small island.

Ogami Port

Water Around Ogami Port

A lovely dog often walks around the port. Her name is Yuri-chan, aged 8. She is an only dog in Ogami Island, and as most people living in the island are old, she is always looking for someone to play with. She often accompanies tourists and walks around the island together with them.

Yuri-chan

There are many power spots (sacred areas) in Ogami Island. I’m not a religious person, but I feel that daily worries and anxieties are disappearing and that I’m protected by some magical powers while staying in this island. And when returning back to Miyako Island from Ogami Island, I always feel as if I’m coming back to this world from the other world.