Travel Features :
A tale of two islands
— Taketomi & Iriomote
It’s Japan, but not as we know it. There are no giant corporations, no neon lights, and no bullet trains. On tiny Taketomi Island, rush hour occurs when two water buffalo pass in the street. Iriomote, meanwhile, is Taketomi’s bigger, untamed brother. Known as the “Galapagos of the East,” the island is covered with subtropical forests and is ringed by coral reef. Although people live along the northern and eastern coasts, they are comparative newcomers Iriomote’s long-term residents are crested eagles, wild cats and manta rays.
The Yaeyama Islands are part of Okinawa, Japan’s most southern prefecture. They lie near the Tropic of Cancer, and are far closer to Taiwan than they are to Tokyo. Taketomi Island gives visitors a glimpse of a slower, simpler way of life. It is a place to relax, to sit on white sand beaches, and listen to the waves. Iriomote has a primeval natural beauty, with cascading falls and virgin forests. Visitors can hike along jungle trails or kayak mangrove fringed rivers. The Okinawan Islands have long been a special place, a crossroads for trade and culture between Japan, China and the West. Taketomi and Iriomote let you experience the hospitality and traditions of its people, along with the splendor of the natural world.
Taketomi Island
Taketomi Village
Typhoons, war and modernization have swept over Okinawa. And yet, Taketomi Village remains unchanged, unaffected by the outside world. The buildings are all single story, with traditional clay tile roofs. The walls are made of thin wooden panels that can be slid aside and stacked up against each other. Island breezes keep the houses cool during summer, and the open layout lets in more light during winter.
On the roof of each building there is a shîsâ, or lion-dog, statue. The shîsâ are guardians, ancient talismans, protecting the occupants from evil spirits. At the entrances to the village, there are pairs of shîsâ; one has its mouth open letting the evil spirits escape, the other has its mouth closed stopping evil from entering.
Between the buildings, deep red hibiscus and bougainvillea climb yellow limestone walls. The narrow roads are covered with white sand that cushions each footstep. Visitors can explore the area by themselves, or take a brief guided tour in a water buffalo cart. Even if you are not fluent in Japanese, the slow rhythmic hoof beats are enough to relax the most stressed urbanite.
In the evenings you can hear the occasional TV set, but the most popular form of entertainment are social gatherings. Accompanied by the sanshin, a small three-stringed guitar, the people of Taketomi like nothing more than a good sing-a-long and several glasses of the Okinawan rice wine awamori.
Hoshizuna and Kondoi Beaches
It is not just Taketomi Village that has retained its beauty. Taketomi’s beaches have managed to remain free of both tourist hotels and insidious coastal protection schemes. (i.e. government programs that have “saved” many of Japan’s beaches by covering them with concrete tetrapods.)
Hoshizuna, literally means star sand. It is a small quiet beach, where visitors are normally crouched over the sand sorting through the grains. They are looking for miniscule five pointed stars little more than a millimeter across. To a biologist, each star is merely the exoskeleton of foraminifers－marine protozoa that once lived on the ocean floor. To the locals, they are the tiny offspring of the Southern Cross and the North Star. These children of the stars were born in the ocean just of Okinawa, but killed by a giant serpent. Their tiny skeletons are all that remains of the heavenly union. The best time to find the star sand is just after a typhoon, when rough seas have thrown fresh sand onto the beach. Otherwise, it is a slow task and most visitors find no more than a couple of grains, then resort to buying a small vial of pre-found stars.
Kondoi is the larger of the two beaches, and popular with families, paddlers and the occasional snorkeler. There are parasols and loungers for rent, with vendors selling cold drinks and, in case you don’t have any already, little bottles of star-shaped sand.
Iriomote Island
Nakama River
More than 90 percent of Iriomote is covered with subtropical and tropical virgin forest. A large part of this has been designated a national park and forest ecology conservation area. The centre is broad-leafed forest, while along the coast and rivers, mangroves form their own unique ecosystems. The Nakama River meanders down from the island’s rugged interior to the ocean near Ohara Port. The mangroves are home to a wide variety of fish, amphibians, and birds. The Ryukyu Crested Serpent Eagle, with its distinctive crown of feathers, can be seen scanning the surface of the river looking for its next target. Adan trees hang over the river, their pineapple-like fruit almost touching the water.
Boat tours along the Nakama River take visitors upstream to see one of the island’s true giantsthe colossal Sakishima Sappan trees. The trees have always had a significant role in the lives of people on Iriomote. The large flat buttress roots, which spread over the forest floor, became the rudders for boats, dyes were made from the bark, and slices of the enormous trunk could be used as wheels.
Iriomote’s most famous resident is far smaller, and so secretive, it wasn’t until 1965 that is was even discovered. The Iriomote Wild Cat is little larger than a house cat, weighing in at three to four kilograms. Its image, with rounded ears and thick tail, can be seen on everything from T-shirts to road hazard signs. You would have to be amazingly lucky, however, to see one in the wild. There are estimated to be only around 100 individuals on the island, so the only sure chance of a sighting would be in a local gift shop.
Yubu Island
Just off Iriomote’s east coast is the small island of Yubu. It has a botanical park where you can see familiar Okinawa sights, like the yellow or red hibiscus, and a few less common ones like the wild boar. Yubu’s fame, however, comes not from the island itself, but how people get to it. The narrow strip of water that separates Yubu from Iriomote, never gets much more than half a meter deep. At low tide it is possible for people to wade across, but most visitors take the local “taxi” service. Water buffalo, once used for farming, now play a new role. At a slow but deliberate pace, they ferry visitors from one island to the other in rickety, wooden carts. The water buffalo taxis provide an interesting break from air-conditioned coaches, and are one of Okinawa’s most iconic scenes.
Urauchi River
The Urauchi is the longest river in Okinawa and, as with the Nakama River, the mangroves that flank them form a vital part of the island’s ecosystem. Motorboats take visitors from the mouth of the river, eight kilometers upstream to the Gunkan-iwa River jetty. The more adventurous can also get to Gunkan-iwa on a half-day guided canoe tour. From the jetty it is a 40-minute hike along a winding forest trail to the Mariyudu Falls. After another 10 minutes on foot, trekkers will reach Kanbire Falls.
Mariyudu is a 16 meter-high triple-decked waterfall which is generally impressive, but spectacular after heavy rain. The rocks surrounding the falls are slippery, but provide great views of the cascade, especially in the afternoon. Although some people have swum downstream from the falls to the Gunkan-iwa jetty, it is not recommended. Jumping from the top of the Mariyudu Falls into the rock strewn plunge pool, is verging on the insane, and strictly for the cerebrally challenged.
Kanbire means “god’s throne” in the local dialect. The waterfall is longer and wider than Mariyudu, but at a much shallower angle. In many ways, the continuous mass of churning water makes Kanbire look more like a whitewater river than a traditional vertical waterfall.
Reef Encounters
The Yonara Channel is a two kilometer passage between Iriomote and Kohama Island and is a thoroughfare for manta rays cruising through on the Kuroshiro Current. Along with Kabira Bay on neighboring Ishigaki Island, this is one of the best places in the world to dive with mantas. The reef between Iriomote and Ishigaki is 20 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide. It is the largest coral reef in Japan and a fantastic place to explore the aquatic world. Although there are not as many dive shops on Iriomote as there are on Ishigaki, there are several on the island. However, all the shops are Japanese speaking, and although the language difference becomes inconsequential underwater, it means there is no place to get diving certification in English.
Hoshizuna Beach
Like Taketomi, Iriomote also has a beach named for its star-shaped sand. Hoshizuna is an excellent place to relax for an afternoon. The ocean is crystal clear and, near the beach, shallow without strong currents. It is a popular place for people to snorkel, throw a Frisbee or sunbathe. If this sounds too much like hard work, there is a small restaurant with a balcony overlooking the sand. Sitting under a palm tree, you can enjoy the idyllic scenery with a cold drink in your hand.
When to go
Both Iriomote and Taketomi have warm subtropical climates. Temperatures in winter do not fall much below 18 degrees Celsius and ocean breezes make the mid-summer heat bearable. The islands, like the rest of Okinawa, are located in “Typhoon Alley.” A visit during July, August or September can mean either glorious weather or torrential wind and rain. When typhoons occur the ferry services between the islands are stopped. Also, flights back to Okinawa or mainland Japan will be delayed or cancelled.
During early October, Iriomote celebrates Shichi, a harvest festival that has taken place on the island for more than 500 years. The event, which is the highlight of the Iriomote year, takes place over 3 days in the Sonai and Hoshitate villages.
Getting There
There are no direct flights or ferries to Iriomote or Taketomi. Access to the islands is via the nearby island of Ishigaki, which is accessible by direct flight or ferry from Naha on Okinawa’s main island. Ferries going to Iriomote take 30 minutes to Ohara in the south, or 40 minutes to Uehara and Funaura in the north. From Ishigaki Port to Taketomi, the ferry takes 10 minutes and runs every half and hour from 7.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
There are almost hourly flights from Naha with both JTA (JAL) and ANA. Flights each way are around ¥20,000, but can be close to half this if you book more than three weeks in advance. Ferries run from Naha port, and are either direct or stop at Miyako Island. The journey takes 14 to 16 hours, but at a little under ¥6,000, it is an option when there are calm seas and you are not in a rush.
Getting Around
Taketomi has several shuttle buses that take visitors from the port area into the centre of the village and onward to the beaches. Another popular option is to rent a bicycle (or even walk), as the island is so small. The water buffalo carts take visitors on a guided tour of the preserved village, but do not connect with either the beaches or the port.
The one main road on Iriomote follows the coast from Ohara through Uehara to Shirahama. Tourists use either organized bus tours or they rent a car. There are infrequent public buses on the island, but hitching is relatively easy.
The ferry ride from near Ohara Port up to the Sakishima Sappan tree and back, costs around ¥1260. A return boat trip up the Urauchi River to the Gunkaniwa jetty is ¥1500 and boats leave approximately every hour.
Where to stay
Iriomote and Taketomi are both less than an hour by ferry from Ishigaki Island. It is possible, therefore, to base yourself in one of the hotels in Ishigaki City, and visit the islands on day trips.
If you have a little more time, Taketomi Island has several minshuku (traditional guesthouses). Spending the night on Taketomi allows visitors to experience the quiet serenity of the island once the day trippers have departed.
Iriomote is an excellent place to stay for several days. The Nirakanai is a luxurious hotel that opened in the summer of 2005 at Todomari Beach. Nature Hotel Painumaya Resort is located twenty minutes from Ohara and has Japan's southernmost hot spring. Many visitors, however, stay at smaller cheaper hotels near Uehara Port. Locally run hotels such as Kanpira can also arrange kayaking, diving or tours to the waterfalls.
More Information
Kanpira Hotel has its own website at www.kanpira.com
Flight information for JAL and ANA can be found at www.jal.co.jp/en/ and www.ana.co.jp/eng/
View all Taketomi and Iriomote images at Alamy.com
