Our final day saw beautiful blue skies and a village from the past. We headed from Iriomote back to Ishigaki, the main point for all ferry trips down in the Yaeyama region. From there we hopped off, bought tickets, and hopped right back on the same ferry for the ten-minute ride to Taketomi. At its widest point Taketomi is only nine kilometers across, and it's also one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area. You can imagine it can get very very crowded, but thankfully we were able to avoid most crowds because of when we visited.
To my dismay Taketomi's swimming/snorkeling isn't stellar, though the place makes up for it with other things to look at. The beauty of the central town is the main attraction on the island, and for good reason. The place we stayed at was no exception to the rule that residences on the island should use the traditional red-tile roofs, and the couple that ran it were fabulous. We checked out the tiny island a bit and did a tiny bit of swimming, then came back for dinner. There we met some other guests, with whom we later watched the sunset and went looking for fireflies. We found none of the latter, but we did get serenaded by the owner while we drank copious amounts of the local liquor.
Comments
It sure is stunning, tropical, inviting,etc.,etc.. However, I'd be interested to know if that water skipping critter eats blackflies & if we could import several herds to alleviate the pain & suffering of us stuck at home New Englanders. You're certainly lucky to see the wild variety of climates & ecosystems of Japan...Dad
Posted by: dad | May 26, 2007 9:37 PM
Your dad is right; definitely tropical, stunning, and inviting. These photos are great.
Posted by: Manna | May 27, 2007 2:34 AM
The French Bulldog pic is one of my favorites... I can just hear the little snorting :D
And you could always say that the hair is really "Nessie" transported to Japan... maybe "Okinawi"? :P
Posted by: Nina | May 28, 2007 11:20 AM
This is neat - I passed by Ishigaki (where an Okinawan friend worked on a pineapple plantation) and Iriomote, but not Taketomi.
As for snorkelling, the "secret" place I usually went to was Miyako Island, which is rather off on its own a little north of the islands you visited.
Posted by: Maktaaq | June 5, 2007 10:42 PM