Ishigaki Island

Ishigaki City, Japan's southernmost city, has a beautiful coastline with magnificent beaches and excellent hiking trails in the center of the island. It has long been known as "the country of poets, the island of songs, and the land of dance" and has an entertainment culture unique to Okinawa. This island offers several nice beaches and good snorkeling and diving in the surrounding coral reefs. Snorkeling can be enjoyed at nearly every beach on the island, while diving is offered through the numerous dive shops with tours available for all experience levels.

Kabira Bay

Kabira Bay is one of only two cultivation sites of black pearls in Japan. The other is on nearby Iriomote Island. The beautiful emerald green water around the islands of Okinawa is a must-see. Among the islands of Okinawa, Ishigaki Island is one of the best.

Ishigaki Island Limestone Cave

The largest limestone cave in the most southern island of Japan. The enormous underground space created with myriad of stalactite looks almost a castle. Find some fossil giant clams that prove that the cave had been under water.

Miyara Dunchi

Miyara Dunchi is a preserved samurai style residence, built by a local nobleman in 1819

Ishigaki Yaima Village

The Yaima Village attraction on the west coast of Ishigaki makes a great stop-off point on any exploration of Ishigaki Island . Here, a cluster of well-preserved houses exude the atmosphere of the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Sunset Beach

The beach is a short walk down from the parking lot and offers swimming and snorkeling that is good even during low tide. Most of the beach is surrounded by a net to protect swimmers from habu jellyfish. Next to the parking lot are picnic areas and paid showers and restrooms.

Ishigaki Port Ritoh Terminal

Ishigaki Port Ritoh Terminal is a ferry dock and meeting place for travelers.

Ishigaki Public Market

The Ishigaki City Public Market is a market located in Yugurena Mall in the downtown area of Ishigaki-jima (Ishigaki Island). Here you can buy all kinds of local goods from Ishigaki-jima and the Yaeyama Islands for affordable prices. On the 1F, you can find just about any kind of food available in Okinawa including fresh fish and Ishigaki beef and pork, as well as local fruits, vegetables, and spices. On the 2F, you can find a wide variety of local souvenirs to take home. On the 3F is a restaurant where you can even hand over the ingredients you bought downstairs and have them cooked for you into a delicious meal. This place is always festive and may just be the perfect place to do your shopping on Ishigaki-jima.

Nakama River Mangrove Cruise

The Nakama River is a river flowing in Okinawa's western Iriomote Island. It is said that there are 500-600 hectares of mangrove forest in Japan, and the Nakama River accounts for over 200 hectares of that. It is Japan's largest mangrove forest and is home to many valuable flora and fauna.

Yubu-jima Botanical Garden

Yubu-jima Botanical Gardens is an expansive park of about two square kilometers that showcases subtropical plants, ponds, and a few animals as well. Beautiful gardens like this in Japan can only be seen in Okinawa’s subtropical climate which is the perfect climate for the wide variety of species growing here with origins from around the world.