Buffalo cart
With old songs.
Ken FUNAKOSHI from Yokohama, Japan — CC BY-SA 2.0 · user:Jajaklar82 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chica — CC BY-SA 2.0 · ajari from Japan — CC BY 2.0 · Syced — CC0 · 松岡明芳 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Syced — CC0 · 松岡明芳 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small, flat raised-coral island in the Yaeyama group, about six kilometres south of Ishigaki, 5.42 square kilometres and some 9 kilometres around, all of it within Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, with just a few hundred residents. It is known for its traditional village in the middle of the island: low houses under red tiles topped with shīsā guardians, walls of coral stone and white sand lanes lined with bougainvillea and hibiscus. Local rules protect this character, so concrete walls may not replace the stone ones. Visitors tour the village in carts drawn by water buffalo whose drivers sing traditional songs, or on rented bicycles. On the west coast lie Kondoi Beach, with shallow clear water, and Kaiji Beach, famous for star-shaped sand. A fast boat from Ishigaki port takes about 10 minutes; walking around the island is free, and buffalo carts and bikes are paid. It is busy by day, and an overnight stay brings quiet mornings and evenings.
With old songs.
And coral walls.
Shallow, clear water.
Yaeyama Islands, about 6 km south of Ishigaki
By fast boat from Ishigaki port in about 10 minutes; boats run often throughout the day.