Taketomi, Taketomi Town (Taketomi Island)
Featuring the longest stretch of sand on Taketomi Island -- one of the Yaeyama Islands -- and tranquil water with a smooth sandy bottom, Kondoi Beach provides a great swimming experience for everyone. In addition the beach is easily accessible from Ishigaki, with regular ferries departing every 30 minutes for Taketomi.
Maeda, Onna Village
The Blue Cave has been one of the most popular diving spots on island in recent years. The place offers the extraordinary sight of the entire cave naturally illuminated in blue. The sunlight streaming in from the entrance hits the bottom of the cave through clear seawater, and the reflected light from the water provides a natural illumination to make the cave blue. The cave is located at the base of Cape Maeda, and unaccompanied swimming is dangerous. Most visitors go on a tour guided by a local diving shop or are accompanied by a local guide with knowledge of the geography of the area. Half of the cave is under water, so you must snorkel to enter it.
Known as Kume Island’s signature feature, Tatami Ishi is an artistic natural creation of polygonal rocks one to two meters in diameter that look like tatami on white sand. These rocks were created by a unique natural phenomenon in which lava slowly cooled and hardened into rock with regularly shaped cracks.
Kin, Kin Town
This is the only place on the main island of Okinawa where four different types of mangroves can be observed growing together. The area is also known as a good spot for bird watching as the natural surroundings attract quite a large number of birds.
Aka, Zamami Village (Aka Island)
This is a stunning beach with a fully developed coral reef and colorful tropical fish. The most popular beach on the island, it is frequented by diving and snorkeling lovers during the summer season.
Ama, Zamami Village (Zamami Island)
Tel:098-987-2277
Five minutes from Zamami Port by vehicle. There is a facility in the vicinity called Kujiranosato, which offers campsites, bungalows and a swimming pool. Even though Ama Beach is not as busy as Furuzamami Beach, it is a convenient spot with shops and food concessions available during the high season.
Zamami, Zamami Village (Zamami Island)
Tel:098-987-2277
The best-known beach on Zamami Island. Visitors can sometimes observe tropical fish even just standing on the shore. This beach is popular among tourists during the summer season.
Aharen, Tokashiku Village (Tokashiki Island)
Tel:098-987-2323
Fifteen minutes by vehicle from Tokashiki Port. A popular beach where visitors can enjoy various marine sports and have access to shower facilities. There are many places of accommodation and restaurants near the beach.
Higashieue, Ie Village (Ie Island)
A craggy, 172-meter-high mountain known as Tacchu is approximately 7,000 years older than the island itself. The mountain was created by a rare crustal deformation in which part of an old rocky layer moves to the top of a new rocky layer while being folded under the new layer. Here you can get the feeling of the enormous force of crustal movement.
3614-1 Higashiemae, Ie Village (Ie Island)
Tel: 0980-49-5850
Hours: 9:00-17:00
Open daily
Admission: Free
Displayed in the garden are about 1,000 different varieties of colorful hibiscus. Every December the garden plays host to the annual Ie Island Hibiscus Festival.
380 Higashieue, Ie Village (Ie Island)
Tel: 0980-49-2906 (Ie Village Department of Commerce, Industry and Tourism)
Open daily
Admission: Free
In the huge 86,000-square-meter Lily Field Park, some 200,000 lily bulbs are planted with the beautiful landscape of the north coast as a backdrop. The park is the perfect place to go for a walk and a picnic. There are rest areas, and you can also enjoy fishing from the rocks on the coast side of the park. The Lily Festival is held from April to May, when the park is blanketed with 1 million lilies including teppouyuri -- a variety of lily native to the Ryukyu Islands -- and colorful foreign species.
69 Sunabe, Chatan Town
Located in Chatan's Sunabe area, a few minutes’ walk from the popular Miyagi coast, Sunabe Baba Park boasts a variety of playground equipment designed for children of all ages. There is also a basketball court and skatepark that features a number of structures such as half-pipes and rails. Sunabe Baba Park is crowded with local and American families especially during the weekend.
