Kouri Island (Kourijima) 古宇利島のハートロック

If you're in the mood for a drive, set out for Kouri Island, two hours north of Naha on Route 58. You'll find a bridge that spans islands and hearts made of stone.

There are tour lines to get to Kouri Island by Yanbaru Express Bus. From Naha Airport, take the Airport Line connecting to Unten Port in the north. On the way, change to the Shijima Line connecting Sesoko Island to Kouri Island. Routes and timetables are subject to change.

By car, take National Route 58 heading north from Naha City . After about two hours, take the bridge over to Yagaji Island at Nago City's Makiya Park and cross to the far side of the island, where you will find the approximately two-kilometer bridge to Kouri Island.

The two remarkable heart-shaped rocks at Tinu Beach are not the only reason Kouri is known as Love Island. There is a local legend similar to the tale of Adam and Eve in which the two ancestors of mankind lived in a cave at Chigunu Beach.

Did the rocks give birth to the legend, or does the legend prompt us to see the rocks as hearts?

In addition to the hotels and tourist spots, there are fields of sugarcane and purple potatoes, as well as sun-drenched beaches.

If you are in the mood for a peaceful drive, there are few places better than Kouri Island. The island is only eight kilometers in circumference.