Online Hostel Bookings Hostels and inexpensive ryokan from $10 per night!

Online Ticket Bookings Special fares for domestic air tickets

Car Rentals Compact cars from around 4,000 Yen/day!

Related Pages

Travel Sightseeing Okinawa Prefecture Okinawa Islands Okinawa Main Island Kume Island Miyako Island Yaeyama Islands Ishigaki Island Iriomote Island Taketomi Island Okinawa Food Guide Yaeyama Islands: Orientation

Related Questions

Okinawa (Ishigaki) in late...  3 reactions, last updated 130 days ago Medical certificate to dive in...  1 reaction, last updated 135 days ago Cheapest way from Tokyo to...  2 reactions, last updated 238 days ago Okinawa (Naha to Ishigaki) 3 or 4...  3 reactions, last updated 243 days ago Ishigaki Island...  2 reactions, last updated 339 days ago Accommodation in Ishigaki  3 reactions, last updated 611 days ago Ferry from Okinawa to Ishigaki  1 reaction, last updated 921 days ago Rental scooter in ishigaki  0 reactions, last updated 932 days ago Ishigaki city, kiteboarding  0 reactions, last updated 935 days ago Getting to Taketomi from Naha  3 reactions, last updated 965 days ago Kuroneko luggage service in...  2 reactions, last updated 965 days ago

Japan Sightseeing Guide

Hokkaido Sapporo Otaru Hakodate Asahikawa Furano Abashiri Noboribetsu Niseko Lake Toya Daisetsuzan Shiretoko Rishiri Rebun Akan Tohoku Sendai Matsushima Hiraizumi Akita Kakunodate Hachimantai Aomori Hirosaki Lake Towada Shimokita Hanto Dewa Sanzan Yamadera Aizu Bandai Kanto Tokyo Yokohama Kamakura Nikko Kinugawa Hakone Kawagoe Kusatsu Ikaho Minakami Oze Narita Ogasawara Chubu Nagoya Inuyama Mt.Fuji Fujigoko Izu Peninsula Shizuoka Hamanako Nagano Bessho Onsen Matsumoto Kamikochi Kiso Valley Hakuba Yamanouchi Sado Island Takayama Okuhida Shirakawa-go Gujo Gero Onsen Kanazawa Kaga Onsen Noto Peninsula Kansai Kyoto Osaka Nara Kobe Himeji Kinosaki Mount Koya Kumano Asuka Yoshino Amanohashidate Hikone Iga Ueno Ise Shima Chugoku Hiroshima Miyajima Onomichi Okayama Kurashiki Takahashi Inujima Tottori Daisen Matsue Iwami Ginzan Iwakuni Yamaguchi Hagi Shikoku Takamatsu Kotohira Naoshima Shodoshima Matsuyama Uchiko Kochi Tokushima Naruto Kyushu Fukuoka Dazaifu Arita Nagasaki Shimabara Kumamoto Mount Aso Kurokawa Minamata Beppu Yufuin Mount Kuju Miyazaki Takachiho Kagoshima Kirishima Satsuma Hanto Yakushima Okinawa Honto Kume Miyako Yaeyama

Survey

Have you visited Japan in the last 3 years? Yes No see results Other Surveys: Preferred Airport Favorite hotel reservation website Favorite travel guide books How to improve tourism Next trip to Japan Purpose of visit Most popular region Have you recently entered Japan?

japan-guide.com newsletter

Keeping you up to date on Japan travel and living related issues and site updates. Click here to subscribe!

Home - Travel - Sightseeing Guide - Okinawa - Yaeyama Islands
Taketomi Island	# 3   of 3 most visited sights in Yaeyama Islands
access  -  ratings  -  tours  -  links

Taketomi Island (Taketomijima) is an island just off the coast of Ishigaki Island and the site of a beautifully preserved, traditional Ryukyu village. As Taketomi Island is fairly small, it is often visited as a day trip from Ishigaki. Thanks to preservation efforts, the small village consists almost entirely of traditional style, one-storied houses, which are surrounded by stone walls, and covered with red tiled roofs and ample lion-like shiza statues to ward of evil spirits. Some of the village's houses serve as minshuku accommodations. Other traditional homes inside the village are used as restaurants and shops selling local food and crafts. There are no rental cars on Taketomi, and most visitors either walk or rent a bicycle to travel through the village's white sand roads and to the nearby beaches along the western shore of the island. The preserved traditional streets of Taketomi Island Attractions: Water Buffalo Cart Rides Hours: 8:30 to 17:00 Fee: 1200 yen Two companies offer water buffalo drawn cart tours of Taketomi Village. The 30 minute tours travel around the preserved, traditional streets of the village while a Japanese speaking guide talks about the island, sings songs and plays Okinawan music on their sanshin (Okinawan stringed instrument). You may notice that the guides rarely offer guidance to the water buffalo who know their routes by heart. Nagaminoto Tower The 4.5 meter tall Nagaminoto Tower sits roughly in the center of the village, from where you have a view over most of the island. Combined with the hill on which it stands, the tower is about 10 meters above the surrounding houses. Its steps are rather steep and narrow and no more than two people should be on the platform at a time. Below the tower is a grassy area, with a few shops and restaurants nearby. Beaches: Taketomi Island has both sandy beaches and rocky beaches where you can enjoy swimming and snorkeling. Except for Kondoi Beach, the beaches do not have any public facilities. When using the beaches always beware of strong currents that can pull you out to sea and poisonous creatures such as Habu Jellyfish, a type of box jellyfish, that are most prevalent from June to October. Signs in English inform about the dangers while some beaches have netted off swimming areas. Although stings are rare, if stung you should pour vinegar over the sting, remove any tentacles, and seek medical help as it may become life threatening. Kondoi Beach Kondoi Beach is Taketomi Island's best beach with emerald green water with a shallow, sandy floor. It has a large white sand beach that is perfect for laying out in the sun, and warm waters to swim in, although they are too shallow to swim in during low tide. Grassy, shaded picnic areas as well as restroom, changing, and rental facilities are also available. Kaiji Beach This beach, together with Hoshizuna Beach on Iriomote Island, is known for its sand which is shaped like tiny stars (although it is actually made up of the skeletons of small one-celled organisms that live among the sea grass). Though a protected beach today, little star sand remains as it was bottled and sold as souvenirs in past decades. Swimming and snorkeling are only possible during high tide, and there are no facilities available at the beach. Any Questions? Ask them in our question forum.

Advertisements

Travel Community

Ratings for Taketomi Island: japan-guide.com Rating:   best of the best   User Rating (by 29 users): 92/100   highly recommended Popularity of Taketomi Island: Users who have been to Yaeyama Islands: 93 Users who have been to Taketomi Island: 46 3rd of 3 most visited sights in Yaeyama Islands. 488th of 726 most visited sights nationwide. Have you been to Taketomi Island? No - I have not been there yetYes - no ratingYes - highly recommendedYes - recommendedYes - mildly interestingYes - nothing specialYes - not recommended User Feedback We strive to keep japan-guide.com up-to-date and accurate, and are always looking for ways to improve the user experience. If you have any updates, suggestions, corrections or opinions, please let us know:

Tours and Packages

Okinawa Tours Various tours and travel packages for Okinawa.

English Links

Anei Kanko Official English website of the ferry company. Ishigaki Dream Kanko Official English website of a ferry company.

Japanese Links

Yaeyama Kanko Ferry Official website of the ferry company. Anei Kanko Official website of the ferry company. Ishigaki Dream Kanko Official website of a ferry company.