Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
“Seikai Sou” (
青海莊
; lit. “Blue Sea Village”) Hotel, and its reasonable rates are a real bargain.
They serve an excellent breakfast too.
MINATABANAREJIMA
(
皆田離島
; Minata-banaré jima). More than almost any other island
in the Ryukyus, Yoron-tō is ringed by coral reefs. However, it is reefs, not true land masses,
that surround it. For the most part, the bits of land circling around Yoron are low coral out-
croppings and sandbars, not true land.
This little islet is an exception. Although tiny, it's a true island. It lies less than 660 feet
(200 meters) offshore from Minata Beach (
皆田離海岸
; Minata-kaigan) on the northeastern
side of Yoron-tō. There's a small fishing port here as well. Running parallel to the shore, the
“island” is actually a set of about five or six mini-islands from south to north, each one smal-
ler than the next. All told, their length is almost 1,650 feet (500 meters). The southernmost
islet accounts for about 580 feet (175 meters); the next is 410 feet (125 meters) long; the next
about 200 feet (60 meters); then 130 feet (40 meters); then 50 feet (15 meters). Each is separ-
ated from the other by 15 or 30 feet (5 or 10 meters). They are all narrow. The first is about
200 feet (60 meters) wide and the rest are less and less wide as they go north. The set of them
is covered in wild tropical vegetation.
Minatabanarejima, a series of green rock mini-islands “floating” in crystal waters.
