According to Okinawa Outdoors, Amami-Oshima is a great place for surfing, scuba diving, kayaking, hiking and camping, and it has beautiful and clean beaches. For bird watchers, Virtual Ginza points to a protected species of bird called Rurikakesu, or Lidths Jay, which is found only on Amami-Oshima.
The island is primarily a place to enjoy the outdoors and its scenic beauty, and, Okinawa Outdoors says, "the surfing culture is alive and well on the island." Those who also enjoy nightlife can usually find live music in the city of Nase.
Nase Island lies about 30 minutes by plane or 12 hours by ferry north of Okinawa, and, according to Okinawa Outdoors, its people, customs and climate are similar to those of Okinawa.
Airlines that fly to Amami-Oshima include JAL Express, Japan Airlines, Skymark Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Air China, according to Skyscanner. No airline flies directly from the United States to Nase Island.
According to Wordnik, the word "naze" means "why" in Japanese. Those who love visiting or living on Naze Island (or Nase Island or Amami-Oshima) would probably say that "why" they do so is a lot clearer to them than the name of the island may be to many others.
