Last Trip in Japan: Ishigaki and Taketomi Islands
In the last post, I covered my trip to the island of Okinawa, in the far south of Japan. Following my two night stay there, I flew even further south, to the island of Ishigaki, which is about the same latitude as northern Taiwan. Somewhat confusingly, Ishigaki is also in the prefecture of Okinawa, the name Japanese people use interchangeably to mean either the main island or all the islands under the same administrative division.
Like in Okinawa (the island, not the prefecture), I stayed on Ishigaki for two nights. I took a short flight from Naha to the Ishigaki Airport, on the southeast side of the island. It's about 10 miles, or 30 minutes by airport bus into the main town. I managed to score another great deal on a hotel; this one was a 15 minute walk from the central commercial area, but I got a two double bed room for less than $25 a night. That's one of the upsides of Covid!
By the time I checked into my hotel it was close to 9 pm. I hadn't eaten dinner yet, so I went for a stroll around the town to orient myself and find food. For a small town--the whole island has less than 50,000 people--there were a surprising number of restaurants and shops. I guess I should have expected that, since it is a popular tourist spot. I did pass other tourists on my walk, but the scene was probably much quieter than normal due to the pandemic.
By around 9:30 many places were closed; I settled on an empty ramen shop. The owner didn't speak much English, but I tried my best to hold a conversation in rudimentary Japanese; he was actually from the Tokyo area and had moved to Ishigaki over five years ago to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. I imagine Ishigaki would get boring after a few months (at least for me), but if I were to choose a small town in Japan, I'd like to be next to the beach with tropical weather!
Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate for me. The highs were close to 70 (just over 20 Celsius)--not bad for late December--but periodic rain was forecast for the two days I was in Ishigaki. When I woke up the next morning, however, it was still dry, so I decided to take my chances with a trip to Taketomi Island. Taketomi, a 2 square mile (about 5 square kilometer) island, is a 10 minute ferry ride from the main port on Ishigaki. The island only has a few hundred residents, but many tourists come to see its traditional Okinawan houses, well preserved stone walls, and sandy streets.
Some visitors rent bikes or take ox cart rides, but since the island is so small, I figured I could easy cover it on foot. The first hour or so was great--I took a dirt road around the northern part of the island to a secluded beach. But around lunch time the rain started...and it didn't let up until the evening! I managed to temporarily stay dry while I ate my bento (boxed) lunch under trees. Afterward, as I walked toward town, my cheap 7/11 umbrella did keep my upper body dry, but soon my shoes were soaked.
Despite the rain, I enjoyed my walk through town. The weather further reduced the low numbers of Covid tourists, so I had the streets mostly to myself. After an hour or so of walking, I headed back to the pier to catch the ferry to Ishigaki. I had tentatively planned to make my way to Banana Park, north of town, but it turned out to be farther than I realized. After exploring a bit more, I ditched the idea of an hour walk in the rain, went back to the hotel to rest, and tried out the room's hair dryer on my shoes and socks.
Below are some pictures from the village on Taketomi:
After a relaxed evening, the following day I was ready to explore more of Ishigaki island itself. My flight back to Tokyo departed at 6 pm, but with one small terminal, I figured there was no need to get there super early. I rented a bicycle from a shop near the port, then headed out along the west coast, towards Kabira Bay. Once I reached the bay I decided to keep cycling to the end of peninsula and then circle back to Kabira for lunch. I actually took a wrong turn and ended up at Sukuji Beach, after which I went to the end of the peninsula, which has an exclusive Club Med hotel.
Once I got to the small town at Kabira Bay (only a few miles from Club Med), I stopped to have lunch and take photos of the picturesque green and blue water. The rain started to pick up, but after 20 minutes or so it was only a sprinkle, so I got back on the bike. I figured I could cycle to another small peninsula on the northwest tip of the island to visit Oganzaki Lighthouse, then circle back and drop off the bike by 4 pm.
The views over the sea from the lighthouse were amazing, but I felt like I had been transported to Ireland, with never ending gusts of wind. It was so windy that my hat would have blown off my head if I hadn't grabbed it. The road from the lighthouse around the peninsula was less than six miles, but the constant elevation change slowed (and wore) me down. I'm not a huge cyclist; I enjoy it for sightseeing from time to time, but hate riding up hills!
By the time I got back to the main road and began heading toward town, it was already after 3 pm. Fortunately, the way back was mostly flat, so I made up time and reached my hotel, where my luggage was waiting, just after 4 pm. From there, it was a quick ride to the bike shop and a short walk to the bus station. I arrived at the airport before 5 pm and still had enough time to grab an early dinner (or second lunch). I needed the energy after the ride; I didn't keep track of distance, but I estimated via Google maps that it was a 40+ mile (65 kilometer) excursion. My legs were happy to take a rest on the three hour flight back to Tokyo!
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