Taketomi Island: day trip from Ishigaki

Kondoi Beach, Taketomi Island. Photo: Paipateroma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The closest island to Ishigaki and the easiest day trip: a short crossing, a preserved village and beaches you can cycle to.

What to see and know

• Flat island with a preserved village: red-tile roofs with shisa lions, coral-stone walls and white-sand streets. Visitors walk, rent bikes or ride an ox cart. (Taketomi Town, Taketomi Island (English))
• Tanadui, held in November, is the island's largest annual event and shows its traditional song, dance, theatre and martial arts. (Taketomi Town, Taketomi Island (English))
• Kondoi Beach on the west side has wide soft sand, toilets, changing rooms, picnic tables and a shallow sandbar suited to children. (Visit Okinawa Japan, Taketomi Island)
• Kaiji Beach is the star-sand beach; the grains are foraminifera shells. Taking them is prohibited, and swimming is not allowed because of strong currents. (Visit Okinawa Japan, Taketomi Island)
• Bikes can be rented at the port and in the main village, about a 15-minute walk from the terminal. A 6 km nature walking path starts at Yugafu-Kan visitor centre. (Visit Okinawa Japan, Taketomi Island)
• Buffalo cart tours last about 30 minutes with a guide playing the sanshin. Cart and bike operators run free shuttles between the port and the village. (JNTO, Taketomi Island (Taketomijima))
• Nagomi Tower stands in the village centre and gives a view over the whole island. (JNTO, Okinawa: Island Hopping)

Boats

Highlighted: the next departure in Japan time. Tickets work only on the operator that sold them.

Taketomi ferry timetable

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