Zamami, Okinawa

Zamami 座間味村
—  Village  —
Location of Zamami in Okinawa
Zamami
Coordinates: 26°13′44″N 127°18′12″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyūshū
Prefecture	Okinawa
District	Shimajiri
Area
• Total	16.74 km2 (6.5 sq mi)
Population (March 1, 2010)
• Total	955
• Density	57/km2 (147.6/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Website	Village of Zamami

Zamami (座間味村, Zamami-son, Okinawan: Kushigiruma (後慶留間)) is a village located in Shimajiri District, Okinawa, Japan. It includes the islands of Zamami (座間味島, Zamamijima), Aka (阿嘉島, Akajima), Geruma (慶留間島, Gerumajima), and Fukaji (外地島, Fukajijima). Zamami village has a population of 955 (as of March 1, 2010) and a population density of 36.32 persons per km². The total area is 16.74 km².

Zamami's economy is based almost entirely on tourism. The main activities on Zamami are scuba-diving, snorkeling and sea kayaking. Furuzamami beach is popular for its crystal clear waters teeming with coral and fish. Many people flock to the island in winter and early spring for the chance to see humpback whales. There are many locally operated sightseeing boats for this purpose, as well as observation gazebos located around the island. There are smaller, uninhabited islands nearby which are accessible by boat from Zamami's harbour. Visitors to Zamami often enjoy renting and riding motor scooters around the island's narrow, winding and picturesque mountain roads. Zamami is considered to have some of the most beautiful scenery in Okinawa prefecture.^{[citation needed]}

Zamami was used as a port for trade with China during the fourteenth century. The island was among the first sovereign Japanese lands containing civilian inhabitants to be invaded by America during World War II. It was taken on March 26, 1945 along with other islands in the Kerama archipelago. Before and during the invasion, citizens of Zamami were ordered by the Japanese military to commit suicide using hand grenades. Controversy surrounding this issue continues to this day. The American military used the Kerama islands as a base to launch their invasion of the main Okinawan island on April 1, 1945.

Zamami can be reached by ferry from Naha's Tomari Wharf. The standard Zamami ferry takes two hours, while the high speed passenger ferry, Queen Zamami III, takes 50 minutes to reach the islands from Naha. The Zamami ferry makes a brief stop at the island of Akajima, before completing the journey to Zamami. The Queen Zamami's schedule changes between its first and second trip of the day. The schedule, in English can be found here.

Zamami was the setting for the manga IO (manga).

An English website, Zamami English Guide, was built by the local English teacher in 2010.

Transportation

The Kerama Islands are served by the Kerama Airport, located on Fukaji.

External links

Media related to Zamami, Okinawa at Wikimedia Commons

• Zamami official website (Japanese)