<strong>Amami Oshima: </strong> One of eight islands in the Amami archipelago, Oshima ("Big Island") offers travelers a unique experience unlike anything else they'll find in Japan.
Amami Oshima: One of eight islands in the Amami archipelago, Oshima ("Big Island") offers travelers a unique experience unlike anything else they'll find in Japan.
263/iStockphoto/Getty Images
<strong>Good Harvest Festival:</strong> A man tries to cut the rope during a "Tsunakiri" ritual as a part of Amami Oshima's Good Harvest Festival.
Good Harvest Festival: A man tries to cut the rope during a "Tsunakiri" ritual as a part of Amami Oshima's Good Harvest Festival.
The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images
<strong>Keihan: </strong>The area's most celebrated and ubiquitous dish is keihan (chicken rice): soup-infused rice topped with shredded chicken, thin strips of egg and shiitake mushrooms.
Keihan: The area's most celebrated and ubiquitous dish is keihan (chicken rice): soup-infused rice topped with shredded chicken, thin strips of egg and shiitake mushrooms.
Eric's library/Adobe Stock
<strong>Yanigawa Street: </strong>Amami's remote position far from the mainland has helped preserve the island's endemic identity. Today, two dialects of the Amami language are still spoken in Amami Oshima.
Yanigawa Street: Amami's remote position far from the mainland has helped preserve the island's endemic identity. Today, two dialects of the Amami language are still spoken in Amami Oshima.
Eric's library/Adobe Stock
<strong>Fresh fruits: </strong>Amami's combination of plentiful nature, fertile soil and history of trade has created a bounty of culinary creativity. From orange groves halfway up a mountain to vegetable patches in the middle of town, there's no shortage of places to sample the island's harvests.
Fresh fruits: Amami's combination of plentiful nature, fertile soil and history of trade has created a bounty of culinary creativity. From orange groves halfway up a mountain to vegetable patches in the middle of town, there's no shortage of places to sample the island's harvests.
miki saiki/iStockphoto/Getty Images
<strong>Local wildlife: </strong>An abundance of life can be found in the waters surrounding the archipelago. Tropical fish can be spotted swimming just off the coast and beaches provide nesting grounds for sea turtles.
Local wildlife: An abundance of life can be found in the waters surrounding the archipelago. Tropical fish can be spotted swimming just off the coast and beaches provide nesting grounds for sea turtles.
Khun Ta/Adobe Stock
<strong>A remote corner of Japan: </strong>The beautiful rugged coastline of Amami Oshima.
A remote corner of Japan: The beautiful rugged coastline of Amami Oshima.
Ippei Naoi/Moment RF/Getty Images