Scuba diving is very popular in okinawa, but very expensive compared to, say, South-East Asia — you’ll usually be looking at around ¥12,000 for a day’s diving off a boat plus an additional ¥5,000+ if you need gear rental. For a 3-day certification course you’ll need to fork out a cool ¥70,000 or so. To [...]
A new sightseeing attraction recently opened onMiyako, Ueno Villagefs German Cultural Hamlet. The project was established to commemorate the friendship between Ueno Village and Germany, based on a historical event that took place in 1873 when the local people saved the lives of German sailors whose ship went down off their coast. The German Emperor [...]
The Miyara-dunchi is the only residence of the samurai class left in its original state from the Ryukyu Kingdom Era. It is located in Ishigaki City, Ishigaki Island, and was built in the second year of Bunsei (1819) by the Miyara family who were administrators in the Ohama District of the Yaeyama Islands. The edifice [...]
The tomb of Chinese design, Tojin-baka, on Ishigaki Island which serves as a memorial for 300 Chinese laborers who died in Ishigaki, has an exotic background. In 1852, a group of Chinese left Hsia-men in southeastern China on a British ship to go to America to work in the gold fields of California. Before far [...]
In prewar okinawa, many of the roofs of Okinawan homes were covered with characteristic red tiles; and on the roofs facing the main entrance were the traditional, fierce-looking shisa (lion-dogs), standing guard against anyone or anything that might cause harm to the household. Homes were typically surrounded by walls of coral, or red hibiscus known [...]
Yonaguni Island is the southwesternmost boundary of Japan. On clear summer days, it is possible to view mountains of Taiwan over Yonagunifs western horizon.
When visiting this island, one will get the impression of a very bright place inhabited by people of simple charm, always ready with a warm smile. However, this easy-going environment was not [...]
One of the famous historical figures of Miyako is Nakasone-tuyumiya, who unified Miyako and the seven outlying islands during the latter half of the 15th century. His large stone tomb is located on the north side of Hirara Port.
At eighteen years of age, Nakasone-tuyumiya defeated many rival chieftains and brought all the Miyako Islands under [...]
history has shown that a variety of methods were used by rulers to extract taxes from the people they governed. During the Ryukyu Kingdom Era, the Ninto-sekih, literally meaning human head stone, was used to determine the roster of those from whom taxes would be collected. A heavy tax was imposed on anyone taller than [...]
A monument stands in Hisamatsu hamlet, Miyako for the five fishermen who, during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, braved 90 miles of rough sea to row to Ishigaki Island by sabani (canoe-like boats) to dispatch a cable to mainland Japan to report the approach of a Russian battle fleet. The story of the five heroes [...]
Located on the western edge of Shimoji Island in the Town of Irabu lies Tori-ike, a mysterious body of water surrounded by a barren rocky plateau. Visitors have called it the devilfs mouth.
Tori-ike is about 35 meters deep and has an eroded natural rock bridge crossing its center. Although appearing to be landlocked, it is [...]