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- The easiest way to extend this trip is to go to the many other Ryukyu
islands, traveling by ferry rather than airplane. You could go by
ferry from Naha to explore the islands to the west, then travel by ferry
to Amami-Oshima and whatever other islands your time would allow before
the last ferry finally deposits you at Kagoshima on the southernmost major
Japanese island of Kyushu. From there, you could plane or take sleeper trains
back; there's also a sleeper-seat train (with comfortable chairs that tilt
back) that's significantly cheaper than a sleeper train. (See the Nuts & Bolts section
for the Kyushu route, under "Getting Away.") If you choose to
take ferries, plan carefully, and be sure to check not only what days they
run but what time the ferry arrives. (For example: the ferry from Okinawa
to Amami Oshima docks at three in the morning!) Note also that many of these
islands (Amami Oshima in particular) are supposedly very rugged and will
take time to cycle.
- Lastly, if you're REALLY ambitious, note that the Ryukyu Islands extend
viertually all the way to Taiwan, and it appears to be about a five-hour
ferry ride from Ishigaki to Keelung on the northern tip of Taiwan near Taipei.
I haven't researched the current visa situation, but many nationalities
can visit for two weeks with no visa. There is a Taiwanese Consulate in
Naha at (098) 862-7008 and information can be found among other places at: | |
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