Have you been to Ishigakijima?

[deadhippo]

Im going to this island in a couple of weeks and i was wondering if anyone has been there and if so di they enjoy it.
what things shouldnt be missed
what to look out for
i heard the jellyfish can be pretty bad

any tips or information would be appreciated

 

[jet_dee]

It's beautiful, one of the best of Japan's thousands of islands that I've visited :-D
I didn't go swimming (I found either one beach was off limits as a type of Club Med style resort, one beach was too thick with seaweed and also deserted, so I didn't feel comfortable swimming with no potential help around in case of trouble).

Usually you will arrive at the south western port of the island, Ishigaki-shi, which is nice, although I somehow completely lost my directional skills in this part of the island and was hopeless at returning to my hostel. I'd suggest a day there exploring, because there isn't much to see bar some minor tourist attractions. There was one memorable private residential garden off limits to Japanese (Japanese-owned garden) but the owner was excited to have an Englishman look around.

Now, the North-west, specifically Kabira-wan, is outstanding. Go there and enjoy the views, glass boat tours, and diving if you can afford it.

There are many cheap places to stay in Ishigaki city, I stayed at the incredibly hospitable Yashima Ryokan Youth Hostel, which isn't too far but a little off the main roads. Servings of Okinawan Shochu nightly, a breakfast if you ask in advance, and a very communal atmosphere.

 

[budd]

the original poster has bothered to say thanks for all of that valuable info.
maybe he should use google from now on?
however, i found it quite informative. thanks for posting.

 

[jet_dee]

Thanks. If anyone does visit Ishigaki-jima, they should consider visiting Iriomote-jima as a day trip if time allows. It does get horribly boring there after having finished the mandatory trek into the jungle and boat trip that all tourists perform, I can attest to that as I stayed for two full days, then left as fast as I could the next morning (to be honest, it wasn't because I disliked the island. My ferry was leaving from a port 80 miles away from my hostel, so I was screwed if I missed it with buses running so infrequently).

 

[budd]

also appreciated. peace!

 

[deadhippo]

thanks jet_dee
actually i just noticed your reply now that ive returned
ive been so busy recently it slipped past me
well, i had a great time in ishigaki
and i made it to iriomote and taketomijima

for those going to ishigaki the beaches there arent so terrific
you have to be wary of powerful rips (kabira)
or potentially deadly jellyfish
kabira as jet_dee said is a beautiful sight

but there is a new beach which is quite cool
small but not crowded (at leat not during off season)
called sunset beach famous for its sunsets

iriomote is larger than ishigaki area-wise but yes there is less to do
i went on the obligatory jungle trek
i didnt have time to look for the iriomote yama neko of which there are reported to be only 100 left
but i did go to yubujima and took the cow transportation to a small nature park island

the highlight of my trip though was to the tiny island called taketomi
this had some sort of otherworld charm
most of the narrow streets were covered in fine white sand and surrounded by stone walls



the houses were old style with red tiled rooves
there was also the water buffalo pulling the cart full of tourists about
there were a couple of nice beaches
at one you can walk out to your waist and see tropical fish

we rented bicycles and cycled pretty much around the island
its very small
id like to have stayed overnight though to catch the sunset or the folowing mornings sunrise

i stayed in a new hotel called hotel mizuho ishigakijima and the staff were extremely kind right up to the end where they gave us goya sandwiches chinsuko cookies and sanpin tea to keep our energy up for the trip

the original poster has bothered to say thanks for all of that valuable info.
maybe he should use google from now on?
however, i found it quite informative. thanks for posting.

the original poster has only seen the reply now for some reason
im sure you meant to say "hasn't bothered"
maybe you shouldn't be so presumptious

and i always use google

 

[deadhippo]

Thought I'd post a few photos. When they are all ready I'll post a link to the gallery if anyones interested
The bottom photo is iriomote island
the next two up are of the water buffalo taxi from iriomote to the tiny island of yubujima
and the rest of the photos are from the wonderful place - taketomijima
















you can see more deadhippo photos at my site deadhippo.com

 

[deadhippo]

this is a very different japan and is now my favorite place in japan so far

click here to see more taketomi pictures

..