Solar Eclipse help - ferries to witness it

Hi there,

I want to see the solar eclipse this July 22nd, and it looks like the totality will occur in Yakushima and Tokareretto islands. It looks like it%26#39;s pretty much impossible to find accommodation on these islands, so I%26#39;m hoping to stay in Kagoshima and take a ferry to one of these islands for the day. I%26#39;ve gotten nowhere finding out any detailed or updated information regarding ferry schedules, and I%26#39;m worried that I%26#39;ll get all the way to Kagoshima (from the U.S) only to find the ferries overbooked and miss this amazing experience. I don%26#39;t want to take one of those week or 10 day tours, just a day (or possibly overnight) thing. Does anyone know of any private chartered boats that can make it to any of these islands?

Thanks

Solar Eclipse help - ferries to witness it

I don%26#39;t know of any private boats to Yakushima but this is how it stands now:

As I understand it access to the ferries and jet foils to Yakushima on July 22nd will be controlled by Yakushima local government and without a special voucher (won by lottery which finished in Feb)you will not be able to board. The accommodation on the island is linked to these special vouchers, so yes it is very doubtful that you will find a place to stay. The plane however is not controlled by the local government, so if there were spaces, it would be feasible to make a day trip. Information on this and regular updates on the situation is at www.yakumonkey.com.

Solar Eclipse help - ferries to witness it

auradawn,

My understanding is that you can see the eclipse in the southern part of Tanegashima (種子島), in the northern part of Amami-Oshima (奄美大島), and also in China (i.e. Shanghai). Re Tanagashima, a local travel agency called “Tanagashima Tourist” has organized a tour.

http://tour.tanegashima-air.jp/

phone: +81-997-27-3737

e-mail: takayuki.himeno@tanegashima-air.jp

If you don’t find any tours/ferries in Japan, you may want to go to Shanghai/China. There are discussions re the eclipse tours in TA’s China Forums. See

tripadvisor.com/…14989852

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g308272-i2804-k223…

tripadvisor.com/…5132551

Correction!!! -%26gt; “Re Tanegashima, a local travel agency called “Tanegashima Tourist” has organized a tour.

Please disregard the 3rd thread in the China Forums I previously mentioned because there is not much info in there. The 1st and 2nd threads are informative, I think.

Thank you for your help! It looks like we%26#39;ll be flying to Japan for fun, and then on to Shanghai on the 21st for the eclipse. We had hoped to stay in Japan, but it just looks way complicated at this time.

auradawn,

I believe you’ve made a right choice! I’ve heard that some Japanese people have planned on traveling to China to see the eclipse as those islands in Japan have very limited hotels/ryokans. Please make sure that you book your flight asap if you want to fly from Japan to China right before the 21st. If you have a moment, please come back to the Forums and let us know whether you could see the eclipse. Good luck!

:-)