The Yaeyama Islands

Just before six o’clock each evening, the tiny island of Taketomi-jima (竹富島) undergoes a profound, magical transformation. This is the time of the last ferry back to Ishigaki-jima – after that, you’re marooned, but there are few better places to be stuck. Just over 1km wide and home to fewer than three hundred people, the island’s population swells during the day with folk eager to see its traditional houses, ride on buffalo-drawn carts and search lovely sandy beaches for the famous minuscule star-shaped shells. When the day-trippers are safely back in Ishigaki, those who have chosen to stay on will have Taketomi almost to themselves – it’s possible to walk its dirt paths at night for hours on end without seeing a single soul.

There’s only one village on Taketomi – also called TAKETOMI (竹富) – and it’s a beauty. Practically all its houses are built in traditional bungalow style with low-slung terracotta-tiled roofs, crowned with bug-eyed shiisā. Surrounding them are rocky walls, draped with hibiscus and bougainvillea: these are the ishigaki that gave a certain neighbouring island its name, yet these days they’re far more prevalent on Taketomi.

Brooding darkly some 20km west of Ishigaki, Iriomote-jima (西表島) is an extraordinarily wild place for Japan. Rising sharply out of the ocean, some ninety percent of its uncharted, mountainous interior is covered with dense subtropical rainforest, much of it protected as the Iriomote National Park. Yaeyama rumour would have it that Iriomote often – or even perpetually – plays host to disaffected Japanese, living rough in the jungle. A more substantiated inhabitant, though equally elusive, is one of the world’s rarest species, the yamaneko or Iriomote lynx, a nocturnal, cat-like animal. The island and its surrounding waters are also home to a splendid array of flora and coral reefs shimmering with tropical fish. There are also plenty of opportunities for snorkelling, diving, kayaking and hiking through the rainforest.

Although it’s Okinawa’s second-largest island, fewer than two thousand people live here, most of them along barely developed strips on the north and south coasts. Ferries from Ishigaki sail to two ports on the island: ŌHARA (大原) in the south and UEHARA (上原) in the north. The latter is the better place to head for since it’s closer to Iriomote’s main scenic attractions and offers the widest range of accommodation.

Yaeyama life revolves around Ishigaki-jima (石垣島), the islands’ main transport hub and population centre. Most travellers base themselves here, making use of the excellent accommodation and dining options to be found in ISHIGAKI (石垣), the only Yaeyama settlement large enough to warrant description as a town. The rest of the island is a predominantly rural and mountainous landscape, fringed with rocky peninsulas, stunning beaches and easily accessible reefs, while its interior is scored with the gorgeous walls of hand-stacked stone which gave Ishigaki its name.