Japan is an archipelago. You forget it on arriving in Tokyo, but the country officially counts more than 14,000 islands (14,125 according to the 2023 census, nearly double the 6,852 previously recognised, thanks to new satellite measurements). Beyond the four main islands (Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, Shikoku), there’s an entire universe of inhabited islands, some 1,000 km from the mainland, each with its own micro-climate, cuisine, culture. Here are my favourites, organised by mood.
The art islands of Setouchi
The Seto Inland Sea, between Honshū and Shikoku, holds 700 islands. About a dozen form what’s now called the “Setouchi Triennale”, a contemporary-art circuit inaugurated in 2010. Four essentials:
👉 Naoshima (Kagawa). The mother island of the project, transformed by patron Soichiro Fukutake into an open-air museum. Yayoi Kusama’s yellow pumpkin, Tadao Ando’s Chichu Art Museum buried underground, the Art House Project in the village of Honmura. Probably the most defining cultural destination of contemporary Japan.
👉 Ogijima (Kagawa). Naoshima’s neighbour, smaller, wilder. The steep village, the cats, the sculptures scattered among fishermen. Combine with Naoshima over 2 days.
👉 Teshima (Kagawa). Even more discrete. The Teshima Art Museum by Ryue Nishizawa (a concrete cavity open to the sky where water drops appear from the ground) is one of Japan’s purest architectural experiences.
👉 Megijima (Kagawa, facing Takamatsu). The island of demons (per the Momotarō legend). A cave on the hill, beaches, far fewer people than Naoshima.
The cat islands
Still in Setouchi, Japan has half a dozen islands where cats outnumber humans. For details, see my guide Cats in Japan. The essentials:
👉 Manabe-shima (Okayama). 200 cats for 200 inhabitants. Documented in Florian Chavouet’s graphic novel.
👉 Aoshima (Ehime). The emblematic “cat island” of every news story, 150 felines for a dozen elderly inhabitants.
👉 Tashirojima (Miyagi). In the north, with a shrine dedicated to cats at the island’s centre.
The tropical islands of Okinawa
The Ryūkyū archipelago stretches over 1,000 km southwest of Japan. Subtropical climate, postcard beaches, a culture that isn’t really Japanese. See my full guide What to do in Okinawa. The essentials:
👉 Miyako-jima. The picture-perfect island. Bridges over the sea, turquoise beaches, Japanese beach atmosphere without mass international tourism.
👉 Kumejima. Quieter, preserved beaches, unique Tatami-ishi rock formations, and a feline population. The flip side of beach tourism.
👉 Ishigaki and Iriomote. The end of the Japanese world, 400 km southwest of Naha. Iriomote is a wild tropical jungle (endemic wild cat). Ishigaki is more accessible (Dark Sky for astrophotography).
👉 The Kerama Islands (Tokashiki, Zamami, Aka). Marine national park, world-class diving, humpback whales in winter.
The volcanic islands (extreme)
👉 Aogashima (administratively Tokyo). A volcanic island 360 km south of Tokyo, formed of two nested craters. 170 inhabitants, accessible only by helicopter or by 7-hour ferry from Hachijōjima (itself an 11-hour boat ride from Tokyo). Probably one of the most remote and singular places on the planet. No hotel, no ATM, no supermarket. A natural onsen heated by the volcano, and deep silence.
👉 The Ogasawara Islands. 1,000 km south of Tokyo, accessible only by 24-hour ferry. UNESCO World Heritage for unique biodiversity (the “Pacific Galápagos”). No airport, intentionally. A week minimum on-site for the round-trip ferry plus the stay.
👉 Rishiri (Hokkaidō). The “Rishiri-Fuji”, a near-perfect volcanic cone rising straight from the sea off Hokkaidō’s northern cape. Hiking to the summit, fresh sea urchin, and the twin island of Rebun for alpine flowers.
👉 Shikinejima (Tokyo). A tiny Izu island of wild seaside onsen you soak in for free, ringed by clear coves. A 10-hour overnight ferry from Tokyo, or a short hop from neighbouring Niijima.
The wild and abandoned islands
👉 Yakushima (Kagoshima). UNESCO since 1993. Humid forest with thousand-year-old cedars, the inspiration for Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke. The Jōmon-sugi is over 2,000 years old. Combine with a visit to the former abandoned forestry village of Ishizuka for explorers.
👉 Ikeshima (Nagasaki). The abandoned mining island. The less-known neighbour of Gunkanjima but accessible and inhabited by a few retirees. A striking post-industrial atmosphere.
👉 Ōkunoshima (Hiroshima). The rabbit island. And the island of the former poison-gas factory, erased from official maps. See my full guide What to do in Hiroshima.
👉 Tsushima (Nagasaki). For Ghost of Tsushima fans. Halfway between Fukuoka and Korea, coastal landscapes, ancient shrines, samurai history.
👉 Sado (Niigata). Japan’s sixth-largest island, former exile island for emperors and disgraced nobles. The village of Shukunegi, made of patinated wooden houses pressed against each other in a cove, is one of the country’s most beautiful.
How to combine islands in a trip
- Setouchi Triennale: Naoshima + Teshima + Ogijima + Megijima in 4-5 days from Okayama or Takamatsu. Art season March-November.
- South Okinawa: Miyako + Ishigaki + Iriomote in 7-10 days. Flight Naha-Miyako-Ishigaki.
- Wild Kyushu: Yakushima + Tsushima from Fukuoka. 5-7 days.
- The ultimate adventure: Aogashima (10 days minimum due to ferries) or Ogasawara (8 days minimum).
(To plan an island-by-island itinerary, I keep my routes on Ikuzo. Ferry schedules in Japan change by season, so check before going.)
Practical tips for the islands
- Cash is essential on the small islands. ATMs are rare or non-existent, cards often refused.
- Reserve accommodation in advance. Minshuku (rooms at locals) are often the only option, and capacities are tiny (4-10 rooms).
- Typhoon season (August-September): ferries are cancelled without notice. Build margin into your planning.
- Electric bike or scooter are often the best means to visit an island. Very few taxis.
- Learn a few words of the local dialect for the Okinawa islands: a “haisai” (hello in Uchinaaguchi) always pleases.
For many, Japan is its cities: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka. For me, it’s its islands. That’s where you find the ancient rhythms, the raw landscapes, the cats in abundance, and the idea that the continental country was never really the only “Japan” possible. To each island, its parallel Japan.