Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
beach, is the Seamen's Club (
シーマンズクラブ
; Shīmanzu-kurabu). Both are deluxe proper-
ties and if you can find an appealing room rate at either one, grab it.
From this point near the end of the Kabiraishi Cape we'll have to retrace our path back to
the little village of Kabira and Kabira Bay. From there we'll head south, this time staying on
the west side of the island, the East China Sea side.
If you're in a hurry or need to get back to Ishigaki City, from the Club Med it's just a little
under 12 miles (20 kilometers) almost due south all the way on Route 79. You can drive it in
less than 30 minutes. For the first half of the way the coastal road hugs the western shoreline.
It's a scenic drive although not as spectacular as the island's Pacific coast drive.
If you have a little more time, a pleasant side trip along the way back to Ishigaki City will
take you out to the island's westernmost point, the end of Cape Ugan (
御神崎
; Uganzaki).
From Club Med head south past Kabira, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) altogether, to the village
of Sakieda (
崎枝
), then turn right and continue almost another 3 miles (5 kilometers) due
west to the end of the road and the Uganzaki Lighthouse (
御神崎灯台
; Ugan-zaki tōdai). The
view from the heights here is one of the best on the island, like the view at Cape Hirakubo.
It's a marvelous vista.
From Uganzaki it's a scenic 6 miles (10 kilometers) south, then east, rounding the cape
and returning to the coastal road (Route 79) where you started. At this junction turn right,
head south and continue almost 5.5 miles (9 kilometers), then turn right (leaving Route 79)
on to a smaller road heading west. Follow the signs about 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) to Cape
Kannon (
観音崎
; Kannon-zaki) and the Kannonzaki Viewpoint (
観音崎展望 台
; Kannon-za-
ki Tenbō-dai). This road takes you southwest along Fusaki Beach (
フサキビ ーチ
; Fusaki bī-
chi), where you can stop for one last swim of the day before returning to Ishigaki City.
At the cape's end, across the road from the Observatory Viewpoint, you'll find a pair of
very sad little memorials and a modest Shinto shrine with a grand entrance. The first me-
morial is dedicated to a group of Chinese laborers killed in the 19th century. The second is to
three American Airmen killed in World War II. They are almost adjacent to one another. The
shrine is only a couple of hundred meters down the road from the first two memorials.
At first glance the Chinese memorial, Tōjinbaka (
唐人墓
; Tōjin no haka) appears to be
a small, highly decorated temple, but closer inspection reveals it to be the “Tang People's
Grave.” In 1852 a British ship with an American crew was bound for California. Its cargo
was human, some 400 Hokkien Chinese laborers headed for the mining and railroad work of
America's west. The ship ran aground off Ishigaki's shore and the men, at this point already
maltreated, decided to escape. They fled on to the island and sought refuge. Considered
