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I have been to Yonaguni. It is a quant little island with wild horses and cows. On a clear day you can see Taiwan, so it should be easy to take a ferry or fly to Yonaguni.
in the local language, Yonaguni is a tiny speck of an island (28 sq. km.) with a population of less than 2000, located 125 km from Taiwan and 127 km from Ishigaki. The main population centers are Sonai (祖内 on the north coast, Kubura (久部良 on the west coast and tiny Higawa (比川 in the south. The total population is about 1700. , tel. 0980-87-2555, runs boats from Ishigaki on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with return trips on Mondays and Thursdays, always departing at 10 AM. The trip takes four hours on a good day and costs ¥3460/6580 one-way/return; note that most of the journey is across the open sea and people prone to seasickness may wish to steer clear. A cargo boat also offers an irregular (unscheduled) service to Naha. . Yonaguni's main aboveground sight of any interest is the marker for the westernmost point of Japan (日本最西端の碑, located here at the westernmost tip of the island, about a kilometer from Kubura (15 minutes on foot). , at the east tip of the island. The kanji mean East Cape, but the reading of the name refers to the rising sun. You can observe it from a cliff. On a clear day, if you're lucky, you can see the coast of Iriomote. Also a grazing area, many Yonaguni horses can be found here. . This cliff near the northern side of Kubura's port offers views of the last sunset in Japan, and on a good day it is possible to see the shadow cast by Taiwan in front of the setting sun from here. This is also the site where, in the rough period when residents of the island were forced to pay an alarmingly expensive head tax after the Ryukyu Kingdom was conquered by the Satsuma clan from the Japanese mainland, pregnant women were sometimes made to jump to their death to avoid an increase in population. . From the cliffs here, there's an impressive view of much of Yonaguni's beautiful northern coastline. . Kuburadake is a Natural Conservation District in the west of Yonaguni, about 188m above sealevel. It is valuable because it contains both a Chinquapin mountain forest and a lowlands forest, home to such natural monuments as the colorful Emerald Dove (リュウキュウキンバト, Japanese Wood Pidgeon (ヨナグニカラスバト, Ryukyu Robin (ウスアカヒゲ, and others. From about halfway up the mountain to the summit, the trees are mostly date palms. Lower than halfway, you can find Javanese bishopwood trees (アカギ and other diverse plants which the Atlas moth eats. . Tindabana is a natural rock formation with a nice view. About 70m tall. From Tindabana, you can see the entire village of Sonai, and Nandahama. According to tradition, the great empress of Yonaguni, Sanai Isoba, resided here. . The "Battleship Rock", about 2km south of Agarizaki, is a series of peculiarly-shaped reef rock formations. Supposedly, the main rock bears a close resemblance to the shape of a battleship, and that's how it got it's name. It can be observed from Sanninudai. . Believed by some to be an above-water portion of the mysterious undersea ruins because it is shaped almost like a sort of stairway. The strangely-shaped rocks of Gunkaniwa can be easily seen from here. Also, there's a rock here with some writing on it which is mysterious. It bears little resemblance to kaida-dii, the island's indigenous writing system, and some have even suggested that it is Phoenecian. . The "Standing God Rock", at the southeast tip of the island, is also noted for the underwater ruins nearby (see Do, some with what appears to be indigenous writing. Also, it's considered a spiritual site for followers of Yonaguni's indigenous traditional religion. . One of Kubura's two general-goods stores. Has a pretty good range of hanazake tucked away in the back. [5]. Located near the beach in Higawa, this store sells salt harvested from Kuroshio Current. The best stuff comes in big crystals several millimeters in size, and supposedly tastes somewhat sweet.
, Kubura. The only restaurant in town. Open 9 AM to 10 PM daily except Tuesday. , Sonai. Famous far and wide for its chomei-so soba (長命草そば, which contains a local grass reputed to extend longevity. Was closed in 2007 and may be out of business. , literally "flower sake", a drink nowhere near as dainty as you might expect from the name: it's the local 60° awamori and tradition demands drinking it straight, without even an ice cube to ease the pain. The best known brand is Donan (どなん and the other labels brewed on the island are Yonaguni (与那国 and Maifuna (舞富名, meaning 'clever person' in the local dialect). You can visit the breweries of all three in Sonai, sample a little, and learn about brewing methods. It's fairly steeply priced though, as a 600ml bottle of the stuff will set you back over ¥2000; and you need to add a few hundred yen if you want the traditional protective straw coat for your bottle. Cheaper and marginally less lethal 43° and 30° versions are also available. , Sonai, tel. 0980-87-2211. , Sonai, tel. 0980-87-2419. ¥4500. No bathrooms in the rooms, as it's a minshuku. You can take a bath between 4:00 - 8:00 PM, although they'll usually let you take a bath outside of these times if you ask. Private rooms, nice meals also included. Washing machine costs ¥100. No phones in rooms, but there's a green-phone (public telephone) in the lobby you can use. Be warned, though, that there is a danger of theft because there are no keys to the rooms. , Sonai, tel. 0980-87-2976. ¥5000; the interior is much better kept than the backpacker-style Omoro but the food may or may not match up. Amenities include a large television and a small manga library; ideal for elderly visitors not used to roughing it. , Kubura, tel. 0980-87-2658. Operated by Yonaguni Diving Service, this standard-issue minshuku offers shared lodging in Japanese-style rooms for ¥5000/3500 with/without meals, ¥1000 extra if you want your own room. Expect some noise in the evenings from boozing divers, but it's lights-out by 11 PM.
