TouchScreenTravels
Our Touch, your Travels…
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Taketomi Island 竹富島
Ryūkyū culture in the Yaeyama Islands
A 10-15 minute ferry ride west from Ishigaki-jima’s port, this small island in the southern Yaeyama group is an absolute joy to visit.
The island’s preserved and protected village features crushed-coral roads, traditional wooden houses that are surrounded by stone and coral walls, and are covered with red-tiled roofs with shisa statues to ward off evil spirits. Hibiscus and bougainvillea flowers are everywhere.
The island and village is small - the island’s population is around 350. Most visitors explore on foot, by rental bicycle or by water buffalo-drawn cart.
While most visit on a day trip from Ishigaki-jima, it’s also possible to overnight as some village houses operate as minshuku.
Image by Banzai Hiroaki