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| Kabira Bay |
This was what my little frostbitten heart had been yearning for. With the windows of our fourth gutless yellow plate rental car rolled down, we cruised along the gold and turquoise coast of Ishigaki. I would highly recommend getting a rental car for at least a day if you’re travelling to the island. Though it is small, the stunning scenery stretches right from one end of the island to the other and it is so worth making the effort to see all of it.
My memories of Ishigaki consist of a blissful collage of coral beaches, tropical forests and clear blue seas. Thanks to the suggestion of friends who had visited previously, we took a pair of goggles with us to Yonehara beach. Just a few meters away from the shore we were surrounded by all manner of tropical fish, in the middle of winter!
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| Sunset Beach |
Even for those who aren’t keen on swimming the beach itself is worth a visit. Laden with layers of bleached coral it sounds like glass when you run your fingers over it.
With a lazier start on our second day,we spent a total of 2 days cruising around the Island. Making stops at the famous Kabira bay, where we tried handmade soba one day and the slightly less traditional doner-kebab the next, Mt Nokoso, Yaeyama palm groves (be sure to try the guava and sugar cane juice!) making our way all the way up to Hirakubo lighthouse before watching the sun descend at the appropriately named sunset beach.
On our third and final day in one of the southern most parts of Japan, we boarded yet another ferry and disembarked on Taketomi island.
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| Yaeyama Palm Grove |
Once again avoiding the tourist buses in favour of exploring the island on foot, we pottered our way through the sandy streets, lined with houses, Shisa shrine dogs sitting vigilantly over their doors, until we found the water buffalo carts.
I’m not sure of an appropriate title for the Jiisan that headed the short tour as the water buffalo pulling our cart knew the route by heart and appeared to be both driver and guide. The slow paced leisurely ride felt incredibly therapeutic after all the charging around we had been doing. Terracotta coloured roofs and seashell decorated fences breezed past as our Jiisan sang a traditional song from the island accompanied by his shamisen.
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| Shisa of Taketomi |
Having gained an overt distrust of animal treatment in Japan it was heartwarming to see the care and affection with which the Jiisan treated the water buffalo. Once the ride was over he undid some of the ties from the buffalo’s harness and allowed the animal to flick the rest off of his own accord. Later that day as we were making our way back to the ferry terminal we watched as the Jiisan walked one of the buffalos home, just the two of them down a sandy path.
Following the buffalo cart ride I introduced Henry to kakigori (shaved ice), desiring a little more down time before we got back on our feet again. Making our way to the beach we strolled along the waterfront, familiarising ourselves with the Aza fruit and locating an area to wade out into the crystal clear water. The water stayed little more than knee deep for what felt like miles.
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| Taketomi |
If there’s one thing that I’ll remember from Taketomi, it will be the old man, walking barefoot through the shallows, singing and playing his shamisen. His calm voice carried across the beach and his graceful steps (quite the contrast to my own ungainly hobbling over the sharp and knobbly shells) suggested years of strolling barefoot. Wearing swimming attire I had no camera or phone to record the moment on, which in a way made it all the more special. I had to imprint the moment into my memory. This man was surely the epitome of ‘Island life’.
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| Mangroves, Ishigaki |
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| Aza Tree, Taketomi |
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