Scene No.7 — Oki Islands

02 — The Story

Where Japan sent the people it couldn't kill

When medieval Japan needed an emperor to disappear, someone too sacred to execute and too dangerous to keep, it shipped him to Oki. Emperor Go-Toba died here composing poetry; Go-Daigo escaped in a fishing boat and took back his throne. Go-Toba's shrine is still kept on Nakanoshima, one short boat hop from the cliffs.

The scenery that met them is the Kuniga coast of Nishinoshima: seven kilometers of volcanic cliff-line, a UNESCO Global Geopark, culminating in Matengai, one of Japan's highest sea cliffs. A walking path runs 2.3 kilometers from the summit down to the shore, straight through pastures where cattle and horses graze right up to the unfenced edge. There is no guardrail above the 257-meter drop, and on most days no other walkers on the path.

03 — When to Go

April and May, when the crossings are calm

Winter suspends the fast ferry and routinely cancels the slow one; summer brings Japan's own vacationers to the campsites. April and May are the reliable window, with calm crossings and foals in the green clifftop pastures.

Jan×

Feb×

Mar△

Apr◎

May◎

Jun○

Jul○

Aug○

Sep○

Oct◎

Nov△

Dec×

◎ the calm windows ○ summer works, book ahead × winter: the fast ferry stops entirely and main-ferry cancellations are routine. The candle-rock sunset boat (Dōgo island) sails Mar 15 – Nov 30.

The Peak Moment

Golden hour on the Matengai rim: the grass goes amber, the horses keep grazing, and the cliff shadow stretches out over a sea with no ships on it. Most evenings there is no one else up there to see it.

The Island Arithmetic

Matengai cliff	Kuniga coast, Nishinoshima · trail 2.3 km, top to shore	257 m
Ferry (main)	Shichirui Port ⇄ Beppu Port · ~2 per day	2 h 25 m · ¥3,870
Fast jet	runs Mar–Nov only; suspended in winter	~1 h · ¥7,360
Between islands	inter-island boats, any hop	¥300
Candle Rock boat	Dōgo island · sunset-timed · reservation required	¥3,000

Checked August 2026. The airport-to-port shuttle bus was abolished in January 2024 (see Getting There); older guides still list it.

04 — Getting There

A plane, a taxi, and a ferry, in that order

Lv.5

Our maximum rating: three legs, two departures a day on the key one, and sailings that cancel in rough weather. The details below turn that into a workable plan.

Tokyo · Haneda

Flight to Yonago · 1 h 20 m · ~¥12,000–45,000 one way
ANA, 6 a day; take the earliest to make the morning ferry

Yonago Airport the old port shuttle bus is gone (since Jan 2024)

Taxi to Shichirui Port · ~20 min · ~¥3,000–4,000
one lone bus at 8:05 exists; the taxi is the honest answer

Shichirui Port buy a return you're willing to change

Oki Kisen ferry · 2 h 25 m · ¥3,870
~2 sailings a day toward the Dōzen islands · second class is open carpeted deck space

Beppu Port, Nishinoshima the cliff is a 20-minute drive from the dock

Other ways in: fly Izumo → Oki Airport (30 min, JAL, from ~¥10,450), but note the airport is on Dōgo, the far island; connect by boat. From Matsue Station, a direct bus reaches the port (40 min, ¥1,200). The Rainbow Jet fast boat halves the crossing Mar–Nov.

Trip Receipt per person · from Tokyo · 2 nights (this scene needs them)

Flights, round trip~¥25,000–45,000

Taxi + ferries, round trip~¥12,000

Island rental car, 2 days~¥12,000

Getting there & around~¥49,000–69,000

Inns · 2 nights with meals¥22,000–44,000

Boats, geopark & small change~¥5,000

The whole scene~¥76,000–118,000

This is the Budget badge itemized: the most expensive page on our list, and most of it is transport. Checked August 2026.

Map of the route from Tokyo (HND) to Oki Islands

Tokyo (HND) Oki Islands Map © OpenStreetMap contributors · tap to open the route in Google Maps

JR Pass

Barely relevant. The pass covers neither the flights nor the ferries, so it saves almost nothing on this route.

Car

Book one with the inn. Nishinoshima's rental fleet is tiny and sells out on holidays; at least one operator is cash-only. Buses exist but skip the places you came for.

Which island?

Four are inhabited. The cliffs are on Nishinoshima; the airport and candle rock are on Dōgo; the Michelin-listed hotel is on Nakanoshima. Boats between them cost ¥300, whichever hop you take.

Cash

Island-grade cash-first. ATMs exist at post offices; assume small businesses take cash only.

The Honest Part

Every plan on this page depends on the boats, and boats cancel: occasionally in shoulder season, routinely in winter. When they do, you stay until the next sailing. Build a spare day into the return leg and keep your tickets changeable; a weather-stranded evening at a harbor izakaya is easiest to enjoy when it was budgeted for from the start.

05 — Where to Stay

Sleep at the edge of the map

Disclosure: some booking links below may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Inns are chosen on merit, never for commission.

Price guide, per person with meals: $$ from ~¥11,000 · $$$ ¥25,000+. Inventory is small everywhere: book the inn before the flights.

Entô

$$$

Nakanoshima (Ama) · Michelin-listed · all glass and sea

The islands' surprise: a minimalist geopark hotel where the wall facing the water simply isn't there. Ten minutes by boat from Nishinoshima, so it pairs easily with a cliff day.

Booking.com

English: fullThe inbound-friendly pick

Oki Seaside Hotel Tsurumaru

Nishinoshima · by Beppu Port · seafood-first dinners

Walkable from the ferry, minutes from the cliff road, and rated a startling 9+ by the few hundred travelers who've found it. Sashimi that was swimming at lunchtime; staff who'll ring the rental car for you.

Booking.com

English: limited (simple requests)Closest to the cliffs

Island minshuku

All four islands · family-run · the exile experience proper

The tourism board's English directory lists the little places phone-booking would otherwise hide. Expect squid at breakfast and firm opinions about the ferry schedule.

Official directory (EN)

English: variesFor the second night

06 — The Next Morning

Walk down the cliff you stood on

If you drove to the Matengai lookout yesterday, walk it today: the 2.3-kilometer path runs from the summit down through the pastures to the arches and sea caves at Kuniga's shore, with the unfenced drop staying on your right the whole way. The cattle and horses are used to walkers and mostly ignore you.

Afternoon options depend on the boat timetables: the ¥300 hop to Ama for Entô's café and the shrine of the poet-emperor, or, with a reservation and a sunset, the candle rock off Dōgo, lit for three minutes a day when the sun balances exactly on its wick. Then home the next day, assuming the weather cooperates; in spring it usually does, but check the shipping company's status page before you pack.

A mare rolling in the grass while her foal watches, on the Kuniga coast pastures — Kuniga's commuters: a mare mid-roll, a foal supervising. This is the traffic on the trail. Photo: Yuvalr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)

07 — Commissioned Review

The review we commissioned

Disclosure: This review was commissioned by SPECTRIP, the publisher of HYAKKEI. The writer traveled independently (their visit date is shown below) and was paid for their writing, not their opinion.

Writer: recruiting nowOnly seasoned Japan travelers who have crossed to the islandsVisit date shown on publish

VerdictOne line. Did the scene earn its number? Filled in after the visit.

The momentThe specific minute it moved them, and what the light was doing when it did.

Who shouldn't comeThe honest anti-recommendation. Every scene has one.

Expert Panel Score3 travel writers who have stayed here · recruiting now

Impact★★★★★—

Onlyness★★★★★—

Worth the Journey★★★★★—

Stay & Food★★★★★—

Return Intent★★★★★—

Average of 3 writers with published travel work, each of whom has made the crossing. Panelists are paid for their judgment, never for a number.

08 — Make It a Trip

If you've come this far

The San'in Ladder

Adachi Gardens → the ferry → the cliffs

Scene No.6 sits an hour from the ferry port, so the garden and the cliffs combine into one 48-hour San'in itinerary.

The bragging rights

Why Lv.5 exists

Every traveler has a friend who's "done Japan." Very few have crossed to Oki: three vehicles each way, to a coastline so little visited that stock libraries carry no photos of it.

09 — Good to Know

The questions you'd ask us over coffee

I'm confused about the islands. Fix that.

Four inhabited islands, two groups. The Dōzen trio huddles together, ¥300 boats between them: Nishinoshima (your cliffs), Nakanoshima (Entô hotel), Chiburijima. Dōgo, larger and separate, has the airport and the candle rock. This page's scene is Nishinoshima; sleep Dōzen-side.

What happens if my ferry is cancelled?

You wait, like emperors did. Practically: check the shipping company's status page each morning, keep the return flexible, and hold that spare day. Cancellations cluster in winter and typhoon season; April and May are the calmest months.

Is the cliff walk dangerous?

It's a maintained trail on grass, walked by schoolchildren and livestock. But there is no rail, the edge is real, and the clifftop wind can be strong. Keep a few meters back from the drop and wear proper shoes. In fog, skip it; there's nothing to see anyway.

Why did these photos take a treasure hunt?

Every commercial stock library came back empty. For a place this photogenic, that says a lot about how few people make the trip. The images on this page exist because Wikimedia volunteers hiked the trail and shared their shots freely. Our commissioned writer crosses in April, camera included; until then, the photo credits belong to a volunteer named Yuvalr.

10 — Traveler Voices

Been here? Tell the next traveler what the guidebooks won't.

Share your story · coming soon