Hamahiga Island

This guide to Hamahiga Island off Okinawa's Katsuren Peninsula follows the creation myth built around Amamichu, credited as the goddess who made these islands, sharing an unmarked tomb in Hama village with an uncredited partner. It traces the myth's stranger turns and the centuries Okinawans have argued over the fine print, then climbs stone steps through a red torii gate to a cave that priestesses still visit every Lunar New Year. You'll hear why that cave stays sealed to everyone else. Climb slowly; even the guidebooks can't agree how many people live on the island below you.