- Zamami, Okinawa
nihongo|Zamami|座間味村|Zamami-son is a village on Zamami island, located in Shimajiri district, Okinawa,
Japan .As of 2008, Zamami-son, which includes Zamami, Aka, and Geruma islands, has an estimated population of 984. Zamami village has a population of 608 and a population density of 36.32 persons per km². The total area is 16.74 km².
Zamami's economy is based almost entirely on tourism. The main activities on Zamami are scuba-diving, snorkelling and sea kayaking. Furuzamami beach is popular for it's crystal clear waters teeming with coral and fish. Many people flock to the island in winter and early spring for the chance to see
humpback whale s. There are many locally operated sightseeing boats for this purpose, as well as observation gazebos located around the island. There are smaller, uninhabited islands nearby which are accessible by boat from Zamami's harbour. Visitors to Zamami often enjoy renting and riding motor scooters around the island's narrow, winding and picturesque mountain roads. Zamami is considered to have some of the most beautiful scenery in Okinawa prefecture.Fact|date=April 2008Zamami was used as a port for trade with
China during the fourteenth century. The island was among the first sovereign Japanese lands containing civilian inhabitants to be invaded by America duringWorld War II . It was taken onMarch 26 ,1945 along with other islands in the Kerama archipelago. Before and during the invasion, citizens of Zamami were ordered by the Japanese military to commit suicide using hand grenades. Controversy surrounding this issue continues to this day. The American military used the Kerama islands as a base to launch their invasion of the main Okinawan island on April 1st, 1945.Zamami can be reached by ferry from Naha's Tomari Wharf. The standard Zamami ferry takes two hours, while during peak periods, a 55-minute journey is possible on the Queen Zamami. The Zamami ferry makes a brief stop at the island of Aka, before completing the journey to Zamami.
Transportation
*
Kerama Airport serves Zamami.External links
* http://www.vill.zamami.okinawa.jp/whale/english.htm
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