Okinawa, Japan · Remote island, Sea / Beach
The gateway to the Yaeyama Islands, with coral reefs, beaches, and some of Japan's best diving and snorkeling.
Plane — Direct flight from several Japanese cities, not accessible by train
A reef manta cleaning station off Kabira-Ishizaki, best in March and early April with a second window in October and November; sighting rates drop sharply in summer. The number of boats at once is capped. Rules: do not touch, do not chase, do not position yourself above the animal or over the cleaning station, no flash, and let them pass.
Some of Japan's finest coral reefs, in crystal-clear waters.
A district of izakaya and folk music bars beside the port, where the sanshin is played and the night ends in kachashi dancing.
A white-sand beach with calm waters, perfect for unwinding.
During the lunar Bon in August, masked processions led by an old man and an old woman visit houses and hold improvised comic dialogues with the living. It is a domestic ritual: you do not go in without an invitation.
On the fourth day of the fifth lunar month, between May and June, the fishing districts race traditional boats for the year's safety and catch. It is considered the biggest traditional festival on Ishigaki.
Trademarked wagyu raised on the island itself, eaten mostly at the grill restaurants in Misakicho and around the market. In high season book days ahead.
A joint facility of the city and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, with a 105-centimetre telescope and free weekend sessions by reservation. Ishigaki and Iriomote form Japan's first Dark Sky Park, and 84 of the 88 constellations are visible from here — including the Southern Cross, from December to June.
It is the hub for all of Yaeyama: Taketomi in ten to fifteen minutes, Kohama and Kuroshima in twenty-five, Iriomote in thirty-five to forty, and Hateruma in a little over an hour. Ferries to Hateruma and to Iriomote-Uehara are cancelled extremely often: better not to slot them into a rigid itinerary.
Snorkel over one of the largest blue coral colonies in the Northern Hemisphere, off the coast of Shiraho.
The best shore-entry snorkelling reef on Ishigaki. Serious warning: it has dangerous rip currents with documented fatalities. Do not go past the outer channel, wear a buoyancy vest, and from May to October a suit against box jellyfish.
In August the city switches off the street lighting for about thirty minutes so the Milky Way can be seen, with live music.
Very shallow and sheltered, the best on the island with small children, and free.
A memorial to the 1852 episode of the sailing ship Robert Bowne, carrying Chinese labourers from Xiamen to the United States: they mutinied over mistreatment and the ship ran aground here. Around 380 reached land and the islanders helped them, but British and American warships shelled the camp; 128 died on the island. This is not a scenic viewpoint: it is a place of remembrance.
The pattern alternates blocks of five and four squares, a play on words meaning forever, for all eternity: it was the belt a woman gave the man she loved. In the workshop you make coasters or table runners.
A forest park about ten kilometres from the centre, with views over the south coast and Taketomi. Its upper car park is also one of the best stargazing spots reachable by car.
At 526 metres it is the highest peak in all of Okinawa Prefecture. The trail is short but muddy and slippery, and there are habu in the area: closed boots and stay on the path. Best avoided from June to September because of the heat.
A covered shopping arcade next to the Public Market. The crossing known as 730 commemorates 30 July 1978, the day Okinawa switched from driving on the right to driving on the left after reversion to Japan.
Views of the seafloor without getting wet, suitable for everyone.
Several distilleries on the island offer a factory visit with tasting. It is made with black koji and Thai indica rice, not Japanese rice.
Relocated traditional Yaeyama houses, live sanshin and workshops. Note: it keeps squirrel monkeys in an enclosure, in case animal welfare matters to you.
Kabira is one of only two places in Japan where black-lipped black pearls are farmed; the process can be seen and the pearls bought. It is also the reason swimming is banned in the bay.
A gentle paddle through one of Japan's best-preserved mangrove forests.
Built in 1819, it is the only Ryukyuan samurai-style noble residence surviving in the Sakishima Islands, with a dry garden of coral. Closed Tuesdays.
Skies with very little light pollution, offering views of constellations not visible from Honshu.
A panoramic clifftop viewpoint in the north of the island, with views of the coastline and, on clear days, all the way to Kabira Bay.
A Zen temple founded in 1614, the oldest in Yaeyama, with two Nio guardians carved in 1737. The adjoining Gongendo is a national Important Cultural Property and fuses Buddhist and Ryukyuan architecture. Free entry.
A singing contest for tubarama, the emblematic Yaeyama love ballad, held outdoors under the full moon of the eighth lunar month, in September.
Festival canoes, textiles and objects from the era of the poll tax. Closed Mondays.
On the third Sunday of January, with full marathon, half and ten kilometres; it is billed as the southernmost mass-participation marathon in Japan. It closes roads across the whole island that day.
A municipal market in the city centre with stalls selling tropical fruit, local fish, and products typical of the Yaeyama Islands.
A local noodle dish in pork broth unique to the Yaeyama Islands, different from standard Japanese soba.
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