5 things to do on Fukue Island

The town of Fukue is the largest population centre on the island and serves as the base for most visitors. Renting a car is recommended when you’re seeking to explore other parts – especially the western edge of Fukue, where two of the island’s most popular sights are located.

The Osezaki Lighthouse towers over Cape Osezaki, overlooking the open waters of the East China Sea. For the best views, ascend to the observation platform just below the summit of nearby Mt Ose. From here, you can admire the full breadth of the rugged coastline as well as the rolling mountains of the island’s interior – and snap more stunning sunset photos. The lookout is also the starting point of a 2.4km round-trip hike to the lighthouse. The trail passes through shady groves of camellia trees to emerge in a meadow at the base of the lighthouse.

Further north along the coast is Takahama Beach, a 400-metre-long expanse of white sand that attracts crowds of sunbathers during the summer months. The calm and clear water is ideal for swimming, and striking gradations of blue and green can be seen in the shallow bay.

Fukue is noted for its many vibrant, festival-style representations of the Goto Islands’ unique spiritual traditions. During the summer Obon festival, people throughout the island perform the nenbutsu odori (‘Buddhist prayer dance’), a practice combining ritual dance, music and the invocation of Amida Buddha’s name. Individual towns have unique costumes, singing styles, movements and names for the dance.

In the central Fukue district, the dances are called chankoko, an onomatopoetic reference to the sound of the dancers’ gongs and drums. Over three days beginning on August 13, groups of dancers in vivid, highly ornate clothing go from house to house performing, making their way through the town of Fukue. They then head to the local cemetery and dance among the graves to pray for the souls of their ancestors.

Another distinctive festival takes place in the Daiho neighbourhood on one day between late October and early November. Figures in grey robes and dishevelled-looking straw headwear roam the village, throwing sand at residents. These ‘sand demons’ are the protagonists of the annual zunauchi, the highlight of the autumn festival at Daiho’s Kotoshironushi Shrine. The festivities are held to pray for health and an abundant harvest and feature a procession through the neighbourhood. During the parade, the ‘sand demons’ fling sand at spectators and houses along the way while children run away from them.

Directly to the south of the town of Fukue lies the Abunze Coast, a 7-kilometre coastline where the ocean waves have shaped black lava rock left behind by a volcanic eruption into strangely shaped pillars and crags. Here, the Abunze Visitor Centre offers extensive multilingual displays about the geology, ecology and culture of the Goto Islands.

The centre’s state-of-the-art exhibits include a 3D projection mapping of the islands and a large-screen theatre, as well as dioramas and colourful panels related to the islands’ plant and animal life. They also detail the Gotos’ designation as a geopark, which is a natural area with a significant geological heritage. The islands were the last part of the Japanese archipelago to separate from the continent, around 20 million years ago.

The source of the lava that formed Abunze – the 315-metre-high Mt Onidake – stands nearby. It’s easily recognised by its conical shape and expanse of green grass, and can be hiked in about 30 minutes.

The Goto Islands have a 2,000-year history of raising wagyu, and a small number of farmers still uphold this meaty tradition. To get a taste of the islands’ highly prized beef, hit up Tayutau in the town of Fukue. This chill café serves up around a dozen different Goto wagyu burgers – among them the voluminous Onidake Magma Burger – in addition to reliable pub grub like fish and chips and fried chicken.

Open for lunch five days a week and for dinner by reservation, Tayutau is also home to a shop called Kiwawa, which specialises in tenugui cloths. These traditional Japanese hand towels made from dyed cotton cloth are available in a wide range of designs, many of them inspired by traditional patterns common in the Gotos, and are complemented by an assortment of accessories made from used kimono cloth.

The ancient Myojoin Temple on the outskirts of the town of Fukue was once treasured by the samurai lords of Goto, who in the 17th century paid an artist of the famous Kano school to decorate the temple’s ceiling with 121 paintings of plants and birds. These vivid images can still be admired at Myojoin, where visitors can also participate in a purification rite believed to cleanse the mind of negative thoughts and energy.

This goma ritual involves writing prayers on papers or wooden tablets, which are then burned in a fire while the temple priest chants sutras. The fire is believed to carry the prayers to the deities while burning away all attachments and desires, which are the cause of human suffering. The ritual is followed by a sermon given by the priest.