Taketomi Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)

Encounter the stars and the blue sea of Okinawa in a 6-day seaside trip

🔮Okinawa is often referred to as the 'Hawaii of the East', each island has its own unique charm🏖. Iriomote Island where wildcats dwell🐱, the primitive charm of Taketomi Island, and the historical ruins of ancient Ryukyu🏛, are like a treasure chest of nature satisfying all beautiful yearnings and aspirations. - 【Encounter on the way】 ✅Yaeyama Islands｜West Coast Pier, Kibouin, Water Buffalo Cart, Okinawa Shisa, International Dark Sky Reserve, Iriomote Island ✅Okinawa Main Island｜Churaumi Aquarium, Ryukyu Ancient City Ruins, Manzamo, Yomitan Pottery Village, Blue Cave, Coral Ryukyu Dyeing ✅Marine Activities｜Fishing, Diving, Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, Paragliding, Whale Watching, Underwater Walk, Mangrove Canoeing, etc. ✅Okinawa Festivals｜Dragon Boat Race (May-June), Tug-of-War Festival (July-October), Eisa Drum Dance (August-September), Seed Gathering Festival (October), Fireworks Festival (April/July/October), Ryukyu Lantern Festival (December-March) - 【Accommodation】 🏡Nijigennomori Okinawa｜Located in Yomitan Village, Naha, all rooms face the calm and shallow sea surrounded by coral reefs and a long private coastline. Experience the Japanese tatami living room, special seawater bath, and enjoy the original scenery of Okinawa. 🏡Nijigennomori Taketomi Island｜On the roof sit various Okinawan lucky mascots Shisa, the single-story wooden villa with red tiles and low eaves echoes the traditional architecture of Taketomi Island with white walls and red tiles. You can also participate in various local experience projects. - 【Delicious Food】 🐮Ishigaki Beef｜Ishigaki beef is delicious, with a suitable fat ratio, the meat is refreshing and not greasy, even the lean part has a unique flavor. 🤴🏻Court Cuisine｜Taste red flower branch cuisine, steamed black sesame pork slices, burdock root roasted pork rolls and other exquisite court dishes of the Ryukyu royal banquet. 🍤Okinawa Seafood｜Okinawa's waters are rich in fish, you can enjoy authentic seafood dishes such as sushi, sashimi, tempura. 🍶Okinawa Awamori｜Originated in the 15th century, it was both a tribute from the Ryukyu Kingdom to China and Japan, and a local celebration and event wine. - 【Itinerary Overview】 🛬D1 Encounter the Starry Sky｜Arrive at Ishigaki Island, take a boat to Taketomi Island: Free marine activities, night star watching 🎨D2 Traditional Culture｜Taketomi local cultural experience, Kibouin, West Coast Pier, free marine activities 🐂D3 Ox Cart Sightseeing｜Iriomote Island Nakama River Cruise, Yubu Island Water Buffalo Cart, go to Okinawa Main Island 🐋D4 Magical Animals｜Churaumi Aquarium, Nakijin Castle, Manzamo, free marine activities 🎏D5 Leisurely Roaming｜Coral dyeing, free activities in Naha city area 👋🏻D6 Farewell Okinawa｜Return/Continue traveling to other cities in Japan

Okinawa Taketomi Island

#thingstodo Okinawa Taketomi Island🏖️ Star Sand Beach is the most famous scenic spot in Taketomi Island. As the name suggests, it is a beach with star-shaped sand grains. Because it is rare to see in other places in Japan, Star hunters work hard to dig for these natural wonders. These are not grains of sand but dead exoskeletons living in the seabed, washed up to the beach in large numbers with the current, which has become a major tourist attraction feature.

It’s so natural place!! Good!!#Iriomote #Jungle hotel painumaya

NISHIHAMA

#okinawatrip My favorite beach in all of the Ishigaki Island's. The sand was impeccable, the coral was vibrant, and there was barely anyone there! They had a nice bed and breakfast nearby but unfortunately we didn't know about it until our last day. We saw lots of sea turtles and cool fish while snorkeling. This is a must stop when visiting Ishigaki!This is Highly Recommended.

Nakamoto Beach

#okinawatrip Really good snorkelling beach. Only able to snorkel during low tide and you can check it with the locals.Be careful when going snorkelling as you might enter the water from the shallow end and for that I'd recommend renting boots which I didn't rent. There are lots of fish and even nemo! And lots of coral reefs. Be aware of a type of beautiful colorful fish which might attack you....

Encounter the stars and the blue sea of Okinawa in a 6-day seaside trip

🔮Okinawa is often referred to as the 'Hawaii of the East', each island has its own unique charm🏖. Iriomote Island where wildcats dwell🐱, the primitive charm of Taketomi Island, and the historical ruins of ancient Ryukyu🏛, are like a treasure chest of nature satisfying all beautiful yearnings and aspirations. - 【Encounter on the way】 ✅Yaeyama Islands｜West Coast Pier, Kibouin, Water Buffalo Cart, Okinawa Shisa, International Dark Sky Reserve, Iriomote Island ✅Okinawa Main Island｜Churaumi Aquarium, Ryukyu Ancient City Ruins, Manzamo, Yomitan Pottery Village, Blue Cave, Coral Ryukyu Dyeing ✅Marine Activities｜Fishing, Diving, Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, Paragliding, Whale Watching, Underwater Walk, Mangrove Canoeing, etc. ✅Okinawa Festivals｜Dragon Boat Race (May-June), Tug-of-War Festival (July-October), Eisa Drum Dance (August-September), Seed Gathering Festival (October), Fireworks Festival (April/July/October), Ryukyu Lantern Festival (December-March) - 【Accommodation】 🏡Nijigennomori Okinawa｜Located in Yomitan Village, Naha, all rooms face the calm and shallow sea surrounded by coral reefs and a long private coastline. Experience the Japanese tatami living room, special seawater bath, and enjoy the original scenery of Okinawa. 🏡Nijigennomori Taketomi Island｜On the roof sit various Okinawan lucky mascots Shisa, the single-story wooden villa with red tiles and low eaves echoes the traditional architecture of Taketomi Island with white walls and red tiles. You can also participate in various local experience projects. - 【Delicious Food】 🐮Ishigaki Beef｜Ishigaki beef is delicious, with a suitable fat ratio, the meat is refreshing and not greasy, even the lean part has a unique flavor. 🤴🏻Court Cuisine｜Taste red flower branch cuisine, steamed black sesame pork slices, burdock root roasted pork rolls and other exquisite court dishes of the Ryukyu royal banquet. 🍤Okinawa Seafood｜Okinawa's waters are rich in fish, you can enjoy authentic seafood dishes such as sushi, sashimi, tempura. 🍶Okinawa Awamori｜Originated in the 15th century, it was both a tribute from the Ryukyu Kingdom to China and Japan, and a local celebration and event wine. - 【Itinerary Overview】 🛬D1 Encounter the Starry Sky｜Arrive at Ishigaki Island, take a boat to Taketomi Island: Free marine activities, night star watching 🎨D2 Traditional Culture｜Taketomi local cultural experience, Kibouin, West Coast Pier, free marine activities 🐂D3 Ox Cart Sightseeing｜Iriomote Island Nakama River Cruise, Yubu Island Water Buffalo Cart, go to Okinawa Main Island 🐋D4 Magical Animals｜Churaumi Aquarium, Nakijin Castle, Manzamo, free marine activities 🎏D5 Leisurely Roaming｜Coral dyeing, free activities in Naha city area 👋🏻D6 Farewell Okinawa｜Return/Continue traveling to other cities in Japan

Exploring Ishigaki/Taketomi Island 🏝

Ishigaki: A small island within the Ryukyu islands! It’s an hour away from Okinawa and it is the main port to access the smaller islands of the Yaeyama islands. Ishigaki is very beautiful and it lives up to the name of emerald beaches with white sand. We went in November and it is still bright and sunny highly recommend that if you want to visit, get a rental car so it is easy to visit the attractions. Taketomi: A tiny island within the Yaeyama islands. It feels like a blast in the past and it is interesting to see the Okinawan culture. It’s a 10 min ferry ride from Ishigaki and the island is so small you can sightsee by just renting a bike!

The cruise on the tip of the tongue, the unparalleled Hawaiian west of the East China Sea, east of the Pacific Ocean, is the third largest island in Okinawa after Okinawa and Iriomote. It is said that in order to avoid the typhoon attack, the houses on the island are surrounded by stone walls, and the name "Shijie" is named. This island is not a popular island in Japan. The day and night are very quiet. There are fewer people and fewer cars. There will be an illusion of being in Kamakura. In the summer of nearly nine months, time seems to be pulled. Its very long. If you can stay here for a day and rent a motorbike, you can take a look around the island. The southernmost part of the island can also see the lighthouse. The consumption on the island is not too high. Car rental The international driver's license is the most convenient, rent a car directly, around the island for about an hour and a half, except for the city center, there is basically no car, no one... Of course, at night There is no light. It takes about 8 hours for the round-the-island bicycle. Please be cautious... necessary TIPS sunglasses, hats, light-colored jackets, these basic measures are of course necessary, physical sunscreen is always effective and essential . Don't forget to wash your face with hot water after sun exposure, which will cause the capillaries to dilate, inflamed and swollen. These cheap things in the Japanese drug store, the most exciting, the other time the plan is to rush into the drug store, crazy sweeping, Japan The drug store is like a magical hypermarket, where you can always find something very stunned. I have never been alone with the sea for a long time. I have been too eager to go too far. Maybe we owe ourselves a slow boat ride to see how blue it is. How wide the sea is, how small the so-called troubles are, how lucky it was once. There are too many unexpected encounters on the road. You can never see tomorrow that the evening is dull or splendid. People always put too many happy bets on the final result, so it is important. It is not where I am going, but how happy I am willing to enjoy every process of progress.

Ishigaki Island, Okinawa. "Island Taiyaki Honpo" where they bake after you order.

At "Island Taiyaki Honpo", they start baking the taiyaki after you place your order. It takes a little time to bake, but you can enjoy freshly made, piping hot island taiyaki. The menu starts with "Black Azuki (170 yen)". There's smooth red bean "Beni-imo (250 yen)" "Matcha An (250 yen)" contains Euglena from Ishigaki Island. "Island Banana Custard Cream (300 yen)" "Special Island Curry (300 yen)" There were many menu items related to Ishigaki Island that you can enjoy. This time, I had one "Beni-imo". The baking time is about 10 minutes. The filling is rich and includes mochi. The surface is crispy with a dark bake. There's also a famous "Island Taiyaki Soft Cream" which is a taiyaki topped with soft serve ice cream, so it might be worth a try 😊 30m from the bus stop "Kanehide-mae" "Island Taiyaki Honpo" 〒907-0004 Okinawa Prefecture, Ishigaki City, Tonoshiro 628-9