16. Kouri Island

The weather said chance of rain, haha! The day was perfect! We were greeted with beautiful blue skies, puffy white clouds, and crystal clear water. It was amazing… The tour was scheduled for 2:00 pm for the sole purpose of catching this place on a high tide. We scored perfect electric blue water and lots of sun. Yes, July humidity mixed with hot sun is a little over the top but we managed. Everyone met at a parking lot just before the entrance to Kouri Island bridge. It was crowded so most of us parked down below at a picture perfect restaurant (red building in the image below). There was about 14 of us today, which was awesome! We even had a couple kids to model for us by splashing and jumping in the water. We learned how to freeze water sprays and action with fast shutter speeds. Thanks little Ninjas!

The bridge that leads to Kouri Island is awesome. Of course the main focus of our images was the bridge but there was plenty of other photo ops. The close proximity to water and length of the bridge provided excellent photographs. A line/subject like that will lead viewers to the other side with a sense of curiosity to what is over there. Here we ensured our ISO was low, our F-stop was ranging in the middle (F11), and our shutter speed was set to the perfect metering (-3, -2, -1, |, 1, 2, 3). The photographers with circular polarizers were in for a special treat as the water just popped with clarity and the sky screamed blue! Awesome…

After driving over the bridge to a secret beach we found more clear water and beautiful rock formations. These little rock formations are scattered throughout Okinawa waters. There were a few snorkelers and family picnics going on so we didn’t stay too long (it was really hot too).

Located up on a hill was a lookout that provided an amazing view of Kouri Island bridge and Yagaji island. With the road leading downhill and bridge in the distance, it made for a great picture. The landscape was terrific. Our little convoy of cars and group of photographers attracted quite a few other tourists and we had a good laugh!

Of course no hot day in Okinawa is complete without a stop at the Blue Seal Ice Cream shop… This was our last stop of the day and everyone loved it. So refreshing… ahhh.

Please see below for a few of my favorite photos taken at Kouri Island. Enjoy!

The following article and photographs by: Cynthia McKeague

Though challenged by the hot temperatures, we were mesmerized by the beautiful blues of the ocean around Yagaji Island and Kouri Island. We captured the swimming activities of some of the children from our group and even pictures of each other as we maneuvered around to get the best shots. The bridge between Yagaji and Kouri allowed us to see so many hues of blue from up above. It was gorgeous. The day was made even more beautiful because I was able to spend some quality time with my daughter Taylor, home from college for the summer. We accessed secret little beaches on Kouri Island and were able to catch a glimpse of the local residents riding their motorcycles on the back roads and making their way to the local beaches. Most excellent day!

I hope you enjoyed our Okinawa Photography Tour of Kouri Island and hope to see you next time.

Do you have any pictures of Kouri Island? Please share with me by clicking HERE and I may post on this site.

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Thanks,

Chris