Amami Oshima is the largest of the Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture. Its forests were listed as World Natural Heritage in 2021, with Tokunoshima, northern Okinawa and Iriomote. The islands were under US rule from 1945 until they returned to Japan on 25 December 1953.
Alongside, no tender: ships berth at the tourist-ship berth in the Nagahama district of Naze Port (280 m, −10 m, opened April 2004, up to the 90,000-ton class). Amami City's call list does not name the berth for each call, and smaller ships may use a quay on the Honko side.
At the terminal
No terminal building is named in any source. The prefecture's photo shows coaches, taxis and tents on the quay on a ship day. Toilets, Wi-Fi, an ATM and a tourist desk at the berth are not confirmed.
If this is your first Japanese port, everyone goes through face-to-face immigration before going ashore; there is no terminal building here, so it is done on board or on the quay. Allow 30 to 60 minutes after the ship clears. What happens at your first Japanese port
How the berths work, and the way into town, in full
The berth: Nagahama, Naze Port
Cruise ships use the tourist-ship berth (観光船バース) in the Nagahama district of Naze Port. Kagoshima Prefecture gives it as a 280 m quay, 10 m deep, opened in April 2004 for ships up to the 90,000-ton class. No terminal building is named in any source; on a ship day the prefecture's photo shows coaches, taxis and tents on the quay.
Amami City's call list does not say which quay each ship uses. The harbour also has quays on the Honko side, and smaller ships may use one, so read the ship's daily notice.
From the ship to each place: how, how long, how much
On foot
Central Naze and the museum on foot名瀬市街地・奄美博物館
Amami Museum: about 10 min from the berth (Amami City); 0.8 km by our estimate
Central Naze (Naze Post Office): about 20 min (Amami City); the shopping streets, the Suehiro market and the AiAi Hiroba tourist desk are around it
Ogamiyama: about 30 min to the entrance, then about 20 min up the steps to the viewpoint (Amami City)
Free, on foot · Any time
The city’s shopping loop: berth → AEON Plaza 10 min → the centre 15 min → Matsumoto Kiyoshi 15 min → berth 7 min. Flat along the harbour; Ogamiyama is a climb.
From the berth, Amami City’s rough fares, one way: Amami Museum 5 min ¥600; central Naze 10 min ¥700; AEON Plaza 10 min ¥800; Ohama Seaside Park 20 min ¥2,000; Kuninao Beach 35 min ¥4,000
Mangrove Park, Oshima Tsumugi Village, Miyakozaki or Ryugakukan 40 min ¥5,000; Amami Park 50 min ¥7,000; Tomori Beach 60 min ¥8,000; Ayamaru Cape 65 min ¥8,500
Companies near the berth (city list): Minami 0997-53-0023, Oshima 0997-52-2233, Tanaka 0997-52-6000, Amami 0997-52-5236, N-One 0997-52-3223
City’s rough standard fares above, one way · Few cars on the island: share, and agree the return time
Taxi: ~¥700 berth → central Naze
Amami City’s English sheet (undated) says yen in cash only, and no currency exchange in town. Assume cash for taxis.
Nagahama-iriguchi stop, about 3 min on foot from the berth (JTA)
Routes run to the airport, Amami Park, Sumiyo and the south; timetables were revised on 1 October 2026
1-day pass ¥2,400, child ¥1,200 · single fares to Amami Park and the airport not confirmed · Check the timetable for the day (revised 1 October 2026) at the stop or in the バスもり！ app
Passes are sold at the head office, at Setouchi and at Nanbu Kotsu, and in the バスもり！ app; only a few runs sell them on board. On a day call a taxi is usually the safer bet.
In a certified guide’s vehicle only, no walk-in visits; book ahead · About 5h · Needs a 7-hour call
The dark pin is your ship. Tap a pin for its page.
Your day, hour by hour
One day in Amami Oshima, timed from the gangway
Pick the tab for the hours your ship gives you. Every day keeps the hour before all-aboard free; shift each time by your arrival.
Naze on foot: the museum, the streets and a keihan lunch
Any call of 4 hours or more, and the best plan on a short or wet-looking day. No taxi needed.
Times assume a 08:00 arrival and 17:00 departure, so off the ship about 08:30, all-aboard 16:30 and back at the gangway by 15:30. Shift everything for your own times.
08:30Off the ship. Walk north along the harbour road to Naze's Amami Museum, about 10 minutes by Amami City's figure (0.8 km, our estimate). It opens at 09:00, so walk the waterfront first.
09:00The museum, adult ¥400 from 1 September 2026. Ground floor: the Kuroshio current and live island animals. First floor: island history from the Palaeolithic, with a loom and a sugarcane press to try. Top floor: a subtropical forest diorama. Allow an hour; closed the third Monday.
10:10Walk south into central Naze, about 30 minutes, back past the berth. The covered shopping streets, Oshima tsumugi shops and the Suehiro market are around Naze Post Office.
11:00AiAi Hiroba, the city's tourist centre in Suehiro-cho (09:00–20:00, free): the tourist desk, a display of kokuto shochu brands, and left luggage if you are carrying shopping.
11:45Keihan lunch. Several restaurants in the centre serve it, Torishin among them; their hours are not confirmed, so check on the day. Rice, shredded chicken, egg and toppings, with hot chicken broth poured over.
13:00Optional: Ogamiyama. About 30 minutes on foot to the entrance and 20 up the steps to the viewpoint over the harbour and the ship. Allow 2 hours there and back from the centre.
15:00Walk back to the berth, about 20 minutes, or a taxi from the centre, about 10 minutes and ¥700 (city table).
From your ship, the 2 stops in order, and back, by their map pins. A phone takes three stops between start and end, and none on a train or bus, so the day opens in parts.
A 7-hour call or longer, on a dry day. Two taxi rides of about 40 minutes each; share the car.
Times assume a 08:00–17:00 call. Book the canoe if you can, and agree the return pick-up with the driver.
08:30Off the ship. Taxi to Mangrove Park at Sumiyo, about 40 minutes, ¥5,000 on the city's table, cash. Taxis are few: share, and ask the driver to come back for you.
09:15Arrive at the roadside station (道の駅 奄美大島住用). Park entry is free. Check in for the canoe 20 minutes before your start.
10:00Canoe through the mangroves, 60 minutes: adult ¥3,000, child ¥2,000. The 60-minute course starts at 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00; book online if you can. The 90-minute course (09:30 or 15:30, ¥4,000 / ¥2,500) must be booked by the day before. Tide and weather decide the route.
11:15Taxi back towards Naze, about 40 minutes. If the canoe is cancelled, the Oshima Tsumugi Village is about the same distance from Naze.
12:00Keihan lunch in central Naze. Then the shopping streets and AiAi Hiroba.
13:45Walk north to Naze's Amami Museum, about 30 minutes from the centre, back past the berth (last entry 16:30).
From your ship, the 2 stops in order, and back, by their map pins. A phone takes three stops between start and end, and none on a train or bus, so the day opens in parts.
A long call of 8 hours or more and a group to share one taxi for the day. Not on the first or third Wednesday, when Amami Park is closed (it is open daily 29 April–5 May and 21 July–31 August).
The city's table gives one-way fares only (Amami Park ¥7,000, Ayamaru ¥8,500), so agree a day fare with the driver before you set off. Times assume a 08:00–17:00 call.
08:30Off the ship. Taxi to Amami Park, about 50 minutes, ¥7,000 one way on the city's table.
09:20Amami Park and the Tanaka Isson Memorial Art Museum (09:00–18:00; common ticket adult ¥630). Tanaka Isson painted the island's plants and birds in his last years here.
11:00Taxi to Ayamaru Cape, 8 km, about 10–15 minutes, our estimate.
11:15Ayamaru Cape and Tomori Beach, the white beaches of the north-east coast. Swim only where it is signed as safe.
12:30Taxi to the Oshima Tsumugi Village, 18 km, about 20 minutes, our estimate.
12:50The village (09:00–17:00, adult ¥550): the workshop, the mud-dyeing fields and the garden. Mud-dyeing prices changed on 1 September 2026; ask there.
14:15Taxi back to the berth, about 40 minutes on the city's table.
From your ship, the 4 stops in order, and back, by their map pins. A phone takes three stops between start and end, and none on a train or bus, so the day opens in parts.
Rain or rough weather. About 5h ashore; taxis about ¥7,000 to Amami Park and about ¥7,000 back (city table), cash. Museums ¥400 and ¥630. Times count from when you step off the ship.
+0:00Walk or taxi to the Amami Museum (about 10 min on foot). Taxi 5 min, ¥600
+0:10Amami Museum, all indoors. Adult ¥400
+1:10Taxi to Amami Park (about 50 min). Closed the first and third Wednesdays
+2:00The Tanaka Isson Memorial Art Museum and the exhibition hall. Common ticket adult ¥630
+3:30Taxi back to central Naze (about 50 min)
+4:20Keihan lunch, hot broth on a wet day. Check hours on the day
+5:00Taxi back to the berth (10 min, ¥700)
+5hBack at the gangway, about 5h after you set off.
Tick the places in the order you want them. The map numbers them and draws the way from your ship and back; the buttons open the same route in Google Maps, in parts a phone can draw.
There is no bookable tour for Amami Oshima in our catalogue. The days above are the plan: public transport, timed from the gangway.
Before you go
Cash, Wi-Fi, toilets, steps: the practical answers
Cash, cards, ATM
Amami City's English taxi sheet says taxis take cash yen only and there is no currency exchange in town. The sheet is undated; bring enough yen for the day.
Luggage
AiAi Hiroba, the city's tourist centre in Suehiro-cho, has left luggage (partly paid; no valuables).
Steps and slopes
Flat along the harbour into town. Ogamiyama is a steep climb up steps.
Two things to eat in Amami Oshima, and where
Dish
Where, price, hours
Keihan: rice with shredded chicken, egg and toppings under hot chicken broth
The pickRestaurants in central Naze, Torishin among themNot confirmed: check on the day
Kokuto shochu, made from brown sugar
The pickAiAi Hiroba has a display of the island brands, shops in central NazeOnly the Amami Islands may make it
Mistakes to avoid
Counting on a card for the taxi.The city's English sheet says cash yen only, and there is no currency exchange in town. Bring enough yen from the ship.
Leaving the taxi question to the gangway.Taxis are few on the island. Share one, and agree the return time before you set off.
Planning Kinsakubaru on your own.Since February 2019 the forest can be visited only with a certified Amami eco-tour guide, and vehicles on the road are limited. Book ahead, or choose Mangrove Park.
Going to Amami Park on its closing day.It closes on the first and third Wednesdays (open daily 29 April–5 May and 21 July–31 August). Check your call's weekday.
Reading the long taxi fares as return fares.The city's table is one way: Tomori Beach is ¥8,000 each way, so about ¥16,000 there and back, plus any waiting.
Assuming the berth from another ship's day.Amami City's list names no berth per call. Smaller ships may use the Honko side of the harbour; read the daily notice.
Amami Oshima cruise port questions
Where do cruise ships dock at Amami Oshima?
At Naze Port, at the tourist-ship berth in the Nagahama district: a 280 m quay, 10 m deep, for ships up to the 90,000-ton class (Kagoshima Prefecture). Amami City's list does not name the berth for each call, and smaller ships may use the Honko side, so check the daily notice. Asuka II's calls at Koniya, in the south of the island, are a different port.
Can I walk from the ship to Naze town?
Yes. About 10 minutes to the Amami Museum and about 20 minutes to Naze Post Office in the centre, by Amami City's berth map. The Nagahama-iriguchi bus stop is about 3 minutes away.
Is there a shuttle bus from the cruise berth?
None is published. The town is a walk, and the city's taxi table covers the rest. Ask at the gangway in case the ship or the city runs one on the day.
How much is a taxi from the Amami Oshima cruise port?
Amami City's rough fares from the berth, one way: central Naze 10 min ¥700; Ohama Seaside Park 20 min ¥2,000; Kuninao Beach 35 min ¥4,000; Mangrove Park, the Oshima Tsumugi Village or Miyakozaki 40 min ¥5,000; Amami Park 50 min ¥7,000; Tomori Beach 60 min ¥8,000; Ayamaru Cape 65 min ¥8,500. Cash only, by the city's sheet.
Can I use the bus?
Shima Bus runs across the island from the Nagahama-iriguchi stop, about 3 minutes from the berth. A 1-day pass is ¥2,400, sold at the head office and in the バスもり！ app, and only on a few buses. Timetables changed on 1 October 2026; on a day call a shared taxi is usually safer.
Can I see the World Heritage forest on a port day?
Only with a certified Amami eco-tour guide, booked ahead: Kagoshima Prefecture has required one for the Kinsakubaru forest since February 2019. Mangrove Park, 40 minutes by taxi, needs no guide.
What is the best short trip from the ship?
On foot: the Amami Museum and central Naze. By taxi: Ohama Seaside Park, 20 minutes and ¥2,000, a beach with the small Amami Seaside Museum, which the city itself suggests to cruise passengers.
What is the local food?
Keihan, rice with shredded chicken, egg and toppings under hot chicken broth, served in several restaurants in central Naze. The local drink is kokuto shochu, made from brown sugar.
Do I need cash in Amami?
Yes. The city's taxi sheet says cash yen only and no currency exchange in town. It is undated, so some taxis may now take cards, but bring yen for taxis, entry fees and lunch.
Is the Amami Museum open on my call day?
It opens 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30) and closes on the third Monday of the month (the following weekday if that is a holiday) and over the New Year. Adult ¥400.
What is the weather like?
Warm all year. JMA's 1991–2020 normal daily high at Naze is 17.7°C in January and 32.3°C in July; rain falls on 10–16 days a month.
When are typhoons a risk?
JMA's normal is about four typhoon approaches a year for the Amami region, most in August and September. Calls are sometimes cancelled for rough weather, as AIDAdiva's was in January 2026.
Read on
Amami Oshima in depth: the places, the history, the myths
594 words · 7 chapters
Into Naze on foot
Amami City's berth map starts at the ship. The Amami Museum is about 10 minutes away, and Naze Post Office, in the middle of the town, about 20. The city's shopping loop runs from the berth to AEON Plaza (10 minutes), on to the centre (15), to the Matsumoto Kiyoshi drugstore (15) and back to the berth (7). The Nagahama-iriguchi bus stop is about 3 minutes from the quay.
In the centre: covered shopping streets, Oshima tsumugi shops, the Suehiro market and AiAi Hiroba, the city's tourist centre (9:00–20:00, free), with a tourist desk, left luggage and a display of kokuto shochu. Ogamiyama, the viewpoint over the harbour, is about 30 minutes to the entrance and 20 more up the steps.
Taxis: the city's fare table
Amami City publishes rough fares from Naze Port, one way. Central Naze 10 minutes, ¥700. Ohama Seaside Park 20 minutes, ¥2,000. Mangrove Park, the Oshima Tsumugi Village or Miyakozaki 40 minutes, ¥5,000. Amami Park 50 minutes, ¥7,000. Tomori Beach 60 minutes, ¥8,000. Ayamaru Cape 65 minutes, ¥8,500.
The city's English sheet says cash yen only, no credit cards, and no currency exchange in town. It also says taxis are few, so share. The sheet is undated, so check whether cards work, and bring yen anyway.
Beyond Naze
The mangroves at Sumiyo are the easiest of the island's nature: a canoe from the roadside station, 60 minutes for adult ¥3,000, with no guide needed. The Oshima Tsumugi Village shows the island's silk, dyed in mud and hand-woven (adult ¥550). Amami Park holds the Tanaka Isson Memorial Art Museum (common ticket ¥630) and closes on the first and third Wednesdays. Tomori Beach and Ayamaru Cape, on the north-east coast, are the longest rides on the city's table.
The Kinsakubaru forest, the heart of the World Heritage listing, is open only with a certified Amami eco-tour guide.
The best things to do in Amami Oshima on a port day
On foot: the Amami Museum, the shopping streets and markets of central Naze, a keihan lunch, and Ogamiyama for the view. By taxi, in order of distance: Ohama Seaside Park (20 minutes), Mangrove Park and the Oshima Tsumugi Village (40), Amami Park (50), Tomori Beach and Ayamaru Cape (60–65). With a certified guide: the Kinsakubaru forest.
How to think about your hours
Most calls on the city's lists arrive between 07:00 and 09:00 and sail between 15:00 and 19:00. Off the ship about 30 minutes after arrival, all-aboard 30 minutes before departure, and back at the gangway an hour before that: a 08:00–17:00 call gives about 7 hours ashore.
Naze fills 3–4 of them on foot. Each taxi destination on the city's table costs its time twice, out and back, so one far place a day is the rule. The Kinsakubaru forest takes a guided morning or most of the day.
Money, cards and the practical stuff
Bring yen: the city's taxi sheet says cash only and no currency exchange in town. AiAi Hiroba in Suehiro-cho has the tourist desk and left luggage. The walk into town is flat along the harbour; Ogamiyama is steps. The berth's own facilities (toilets, Wi-Fi, ATM) are not confirmed.
Weather and the seasons
Warm all year. JMA's normal daily high at Naze is 17.7°C in January and 32.3°C in July, and rain falls on 10–16 days a month. The hikan-zakura cherry first blooms around 20 January. Typhoons approach the Amami region about four times a year, most in August and September.
Researched from official timetables, operators and the port authority, with our estimates where none is published. Every time and fare in this guide was checked against the sources listed above on 13 November 2026; where we had to estimate (a walk, a taxi in traffic), the text says so. Timetables change — if you find one that has, tell us and we will fix it.
