Tanegashima

Travel guide to the Rocket Island

Tanegashima Island is located about 20 kilometers east of Yakushima Island and about 34 kilometers southeast of the Osumi Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture. I traveled by ship from Kagoshima to Yakushima, and then to Tanegashima. The island is famous for the Tanegashima Space Center, Japan’s largest rocket-launching complex, which is operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Tanegashima is also known as a surfer’s paradise. Although this subtropical island can get cold in the winter and you need a wetsuit to surf, you probably won’t need gloves or booties thanks to the warm Kuroshio Current coming from the south. Swells come from the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea all year round, and there are many surf points available for beginners and experts.

Tanegashima Space Center has a museum, souvenir shop and cafeteria.

Accommodation

I stayed at one of ADDress hotels called Shimayado HOPE. ADDress is a rent subscription service, I explained it in Yakushima page. This place is great for digital nomads. The working area is isolated from the hotel and has a kitchen with a fridge, coffee maker and kitchenware. Be careful that accommodation in Tanegashima becomes full around a rocket launch date.

I also stayed at the Minokichi Business Hotel in Minamitane Town. A single room with a bathroom cost 5,600 yen per night. The hotel also has a reasonably priced restaurant. If you visit Tanegashima in the off-season (winter), this hotel is a good option because many restaurants in town are closed.

There is a campsite by the beach in Nakatane Town. You can rent tents and other camping goods at the office. There is a cold shower in the campsite, but an onsen facility is a few minutes away from the campsite.

I recommend renting a car because public transportation on the island is limited. Besides, driving along the coast to the space center is beautiful. To save money, you can rent a van and sleep in it. It’s safe to sleep in a car in Tanegashima. I slept in parks and other parking areas throughout the island.

If you do not want to drive, it is better to stay near the Nishinoomote Port in the north or Minamitane Town in the south part of the island because there are bus terminals, hotels, restaurants and supermarkets in these areas.

Access

The Hibiscus, a cargo ship, departs from Kagoshima Port at 6:00 p.m. and arrives at Nishinoomote Port in Tanegashima at 9:40 p.m. It departs Tanegashima at 5:00 a.m. and arrives in Yakushima at 7:00 a.m.

A ferry, the Princess Wakasa, departs from Kagoshima at 8:30 a.m. and arrives in Nishinoomote at 12:10 p.m.

There is also a direct 40-minute flight from Kagoshima to Tanegashima. A ferry, the Taiyou II, runs from Miyanoura to Shimama in Tanegashima from Yakushima. The trip takes about one hour and costs 1,460 yen for one adult passenger. I took the Hibiscus and the Taiyou II. Both are very comfortable.

About Yakushima

Yakushima and Tanegashima are about 18 kilometers apart. If you’re planning to visit Tanegashima, you might as well visit Yakushima, too. Despite their geographical proximity, these two islands are quite different from each other. Yakushima was formed by the uplifting of the seafloor and volcanic activity. The island is mainly composed of volcanic granite rocks. As a result, Yakushima has many high mountains. When moist air from the sea hits Yakushima’s high mountains, it releases a lot of water, creating moss-covered, dense forests. Tanegashima was also formed by the uplift of the seafloor, but it has no high mountains. Instead of dense mountain forests and rocky coastlines, Tanegashima has beautiful sandy beaches. For more information, please visit my Yakushima webpage.

Birds on Tanegashima

Birds seem to be friendly here.