Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Because local inter-island transportation is so good, many visitors make Ishigaki the base
for their stay in the Yaeyamas and take a series of day trips to the other islands from there.
Ishigaki has a well-developed tourist infrastructure and has more hotels,
minshuku
inns, res-
taurants, and car, scooter and bike rental companies than any other place in the island chain.
The ANA Intercontinental Hotel, the best hotel near Ishigaki City, has both indoor and outdoor swimming
pools, and its own beautiful beach.
This display map of the Yaeyamas is on the Southern Gate Bridge overlooking Ishigaki Port. The bridge
connects to Yashima artificial island.
The Yaeyamas are located only one degree north of the Tropic of Cancer, lying on the
same latitude as Miami, Florida. The islands are the first to receive the warm waters of the
Kuroshio Current (see page
101
) from Taiwan and the Philippines and thus they are the most
“tropical” destination in the Ryukyu Archipelago and in Japan. Many people think that, as a
group, the Yaeyamas are the most beautiful islands in the country. Without question, they are
one of the most exotic.
