Welcome to Ohama!
My name is Nicholas. I’m originally from California but I’ve been living in Goto since 2016. We are happy to welcome you to our island and our neighborhood of Ohama. I know that it can be a bit tricky to find good information about Goto online in English so I thought I’d do my best to organize information for non-Japanese travelers and try to provide some “insider” information about Goto and our neighborhood of Ohama. Of course, if you speak Japanese everything will be a bit easier. If you don’t speak/read Japanese, don’t worry. We’ll do our best to help. I hope this information and the links below will help you plan your stay in Goto.
About Ohama
Our accommodation is located in Ohama. We have two accomodation locations in Ohama; Goto I-House and Ako House. Ohama is about 10 minutes away from the Fukue Airport and about 15 minutes away from the downtown area (and the Fukue Port Terminal ). Ohama is directly between downtown Fukue and Tomie town (the second largest town on the island). Ohama has a nice park (Kozaki Park) and a great beach (Ohama Beach). It is also a short bike ride or (even shorter) drive to Kojushi Beach. Kojushi is a popular spot for both locals and tourists and has soft cream, souvenirs, etc.
Getting Around Goto
Almost all of our visitors choose to rent a car during their stay as there aren’t any shops or restaurants in Ohama. We have a few bicycles for our guests so you can easily cruise to the park, beach, cafe at Colorit Hotel, or Kojushi. But, unless you are sporty and enjoy conquering the hills of Goto, we recommend having access to a car during your stay. Thus, we also offer rent-a-car services to our guests. We have all of the certifications to operate a rent-a-car company in Goto but our main purpose is to make sure our guests can easily move around the island. Thus, our cars are simple and our prices are low (¥5,000 per day). Information about prices can be found on our website at the link here. We offer a free drop off/pick up service for your arrival and departure day for those staying at our accommodation. If you’d like to rent a bigger (or more fancy) car, there are plenty of car rental companies on the island. If you’d like to take a taxi to the downtown area, it’ll be about 2,500 to 3,000 yen each way. You’ll have to call a taxi and ask them to come pick you up.
RENT-A-CAR
AKO Rent-a-Car is our rent-a-car information is here: (this is obviously our favorite) 
http://gotoakohouse.com/rent-a-car/
SA Rent-a-car is owned by a good friend of ours (Mr. Gen Segawa). He’ll have a few more options for you if you are looking for a bigger car.
https://www.rental-car.jp/company/shop/3849
Irie Rent-a-car is also run by a friend of ours. This is another good option.
Booking your tickets to Goto
Having difficulties figuring out the ferry and jetfoil schedule? Don’t worry, it’s tricky for everyone. Here is some links that will send you in the right direction. You can fly (ANA/ORC), take a ferry, or a jetfoil.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uEXyos1oyCUP2oJVzYexTsB5gfpN3_2TfumOP4o7Z_c/edit?usp=sharing
Need a step by step guide to make those reservations? Here you go →
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15TEj0K5lMZHyyqExZCOx-h8YPvS9QbHL/view?usp=sharing
Sightseeing information
An English pamphlet with basic information about Goto
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J8ero8J0lO680ZQul96MvgvSv_jXb3YW/view?usp=sharing
This A virtual map allows you to see different areas in Goto: (requires a bit of Japanese)
https://www.nomo.co.jp/goto_360map/fukue_island/fukue_island.html
Here is list of a few of my favorite restaurants:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14XLFsbTbMeb5nAz-0lcDUveGOQqGk4Q_dXnocG-O6P8/edit?usp=sharing
Stores: You might be surprised that there are quite a few stores on the island. You never know what you might need to pick up so here are a few options you’ll have:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CulYlZ0dMNxzYyBK7HK0db_h7ZHCFFMz32_XFcMmJxc/edit?usp=sharing
Some ideas for Things to DO
Try some local food.
Kankoro-mochi, soft cream, fresh fish, Goto beef, Goto wine, Goto gin, and more. If you aren’t sure what to do, you can always try to sample the food. Here is a list of a few of my favorite restaurants. Leaving it up to chance and sampling a random place as you drive around is also a good option but if you are looking for something specific, please let me know and I can point you in the right direction. Here is my list of restaurants.
Drive around the island
If you are just driving, it’ll take about 3-4 hours to drive completely around the island. But, we recommend stopping at various sightseeing destinations, restaurants, cafes and shops along the way. By doing so, you can expect to spend a full day cruising around the island. In addition to the virtual map above, we have paper maps at our place and we’d be happy to point out some of our favorite spots that you can visit as your explore the island.
TRY SUP / KAYAKING
We also do SUP/Kayak lessons/rentals in Ohama (includes snorkel sets, wetsuit jacket, marine shoes, waterproof bag, etc.). We start from Ohama beach just a few minutes from your accommodation. We’ve guided 100s of visitors who were trying SUP /Kayak for the first time. So, don’t worry if you don’t have any experience. For more information, check our our website below.
Go scuba diving
I’ve never gone diving with them but there I know two diving shops on the island. Their websites are below if you’d like to find out more information about enjoying some scuba diving during your stay. You can rent
http://lagoon.tn.goto-tv.ne.jp/
Go Stargazing
Although you can enjoy stargazing from just about anywhere in Goto, Onidake is probably the best place as there is limited light pollution. There is an observatory (click here) as well if you’d like to learn more. Make sure to give them a call to make a reservation.
JOIN a Tour.
English tours are pretty limited on the island. If you can’t drive, you can rent a taxi for the day.
Go hiking
Goto has some great hiking routes. If you are an experienced hiker and would like to explore independently, check out this information here to discover which route might be best for you. If you’d like to go with a hiking with an English-speak guide, you can make a reservation here.
Go boat fishing
One of your new neighbors in Ohama is also a fisherman who provides half day and full day fishing trips for visitors. His boat is just a short walk from your accommodation and he is a really nice guy. He doesn’t speak English but he is happy to share his love of fishing with anyone. If you’d like to learn more about him, check out his youtube channel here → https://www.youtube.com/@misakimaru
His prices are on his About page → https://www.youtube.com/@misakimaru/about
Full day charter (8 hours from departure)
1 person: 20,000 (add 5,000 yen for additional people)
2 people: 25,000
3 people, 30,000
etc.
Half-day charter (4 hours from departure)
1 person:15,000
Add 3,000 yen per person up to 4 persons
He also has options to rent equipment.
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