Ishigaki, Administrative center in Yaeyama Islands, Japan
This settlement sits on an island south of the main Okinawa islands and serves as the economic and logistical center of the Yaeyama archipelago. The town consists of a compact downtown near the port, surrounded by coastal villages, rice paddies, and forested hills inland.
Fishing communities inhabited this coastline for centuries before the Yaeyama Village administration was established in 1908. The settlement adopted its current name in 1914 and gained official city status in 1947.
Residents practice the traditional Yaeyama minyo singing style, accompanied by the sanshin, a three-stringed lute, during festivals and family gatherings. Local weaving workshops still produce handwoven minsah textiles using natural dyes, and visitors can observe weavers at work in studios around the town center.
Buses run regularly from the airport to the center and connect the main coastal settlements and beaches across the island. Bicycles and scooters are available for rent during the day to explore rural areas and small fishing villages along the coast.
More than 80 small islands and reefs lie offshore, many visible only at low tide. Some of these reefs attract sea turtles that come to nest on shallow sandy shores between June and August.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
