Evening was approaching and the sky was getting cloudy. I walked back the one straight road from Kaberu Cape and then headed to the west (north) side of Kudaka Island. A road along a reservoir leads to a paved road called Romance Road.
Romance Road
You can see the beautiful sea and the main island of Okinawa in the distance from Romance Road. And there are Pandanus odoratissimus trees on the side of the road.
Scenery from Romance Road
Pandanus Odoratissimus Trees
There is a ladder staircase leading to a small rocky area along Romance Road. I heard that there is a beach called Udi Beach (Udihama) under the rocks, but I couldn’t see the beach due to the high tide.
Staircase Leading to Udi Beach (Udihama)
Staircase Leading to Udi Beach (Udihama)
Udi Beach (Udihama)
After walking through Romance Road and walking for a while along the road, there is Fubo (Kubo) Utaki near the center of Kudaka Island. Utaki is a sacred place often found in Okinawa, and Fubo Utaki is one of seven utakis which also appear in the myth of the beginning of Ryukyu, and is the most sacred place in Okinawa in which no men were admitted. There is a circular place for religious services behind the rope, but now it is off-limits to people (both men and women).
Path to Fubo (Kubo) Utaki
Fubo (Kubo) Utaki (Off-limits)
I left Fubo Utaki, and then walked the road leading to the village. There are several stairs leading to wells called “ga (ka)” along the west (north) side of Kudaka Island. Some of wells are off-limits due to the danger of collapse. You may feel like walking down these stairs, but the scenery from the stairs may not be so attractive, and you will find only a well at the end of the stairs.
Entrance to Yaguru Ga
Yaguru Ga (Off-limits)
Mi Ga
Mi Ga
After walking the road along the west (north) side of Kudaka Island for a while, I got to Kudaka Port near the village. There were several people looking like locals at the port, and some of them sat on the breakwater and leisurely watched the sun setting over the sea. The sunset was not visible clearly as it was getting cloudy in the late afternoon, but anyway I was able to come back to the village before getting dark. I left the village at around 3:00 p.m. and came back to the village at around 6:00 p.m.
Kudaka Port During Dusk
Kudaka Island, so-called “the island of gods.” Although I could enjoy the rustic scenery of a small isolated island, I couldn’t feel the same mysterious atmosphere as I felt in Ogami Island, an isolated island of Miyakojima which is also called “the island of gods,” maybe because I’m not very familiar with the history and culture of Kudaka Island, or maybe because Kudaka Island is close to a big city (Naha) and therefore it has been developed to a certain extent.
I also visited Sefa-utaki in the main island of Okinawa in the morning on this day, so I think I walked about 20 km in total in a day. I felt exhausted, and went back to Kudakajima Shukuhaku Koryukan (Kudaka-jima Accommodations and Exchanges House) where I’m staying before getting dark.
Continue to Staying at “Kudakajima Shukuhaku Koryukan,” A Recommended Hotel in Kudaka Island
