Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Although the vast majority of Japanese tourists visit Iriomote on a day-trip out of
Ishigaki, it is entirely possible to stay on the island. There are car, bike and scooter rentals
available at both ports and there are
minshuku
all over. There are about 10 in the eastern sec-
tion of Iriomote, most, but not all, in Ohara. And there are more
minshuku
, over 30, on the
western side. Most are in Uehara, but several each are in Funaura, Sonai (
祖 納
), Shirahama
(
白浜
) and Funauki (
船浮
). If
minshuku
are not your cup of tea, there are several very deluxe
small hotels sprinkled about as well. We'll mention them as we visit the island further below.
Unlike most of the Ryukyus, Iriomote is one of the few islands where its perimeter is not
entirely encircled by a ring road. Nor is the island criss-crossed by all sorts of local roads.
Essentially, there is one road that parallels about two-thirds of the island's shoreline. It's of-
ficially designated as Route 215 but it's commonly known as the Kaichū dōro (
海中道路
; lit.
“marine or sea road”). There are no roads through the interior.
Haemida Beach on southern Iriomote has lovely fine white sand but dangerous currents offshore.
Remember that a third of the island is designated as the Iriomote National Park (
西表国
立公園
; Iriomoté kokuritsu-kōen), the only national park in all of Okinawa, and most of the
rest of the island is a protected nature preserve under local law. Therefore, seeing much of Iri-
omote means either taking one of several river cruises, kayaking, hiking or a combination of
these. There are several rivers where cruises are offered and there are numerous hiking trails.
One word of caution about the trails. The most popular hiking excursion on Iriomote is
the cross-island hike. It's 12 miles (20 kilometers) long and takes about eight hours. It's fairly
well marked and fairly well traveled, but you are crossing jungle and this is home to Habu
snakes. After a Japanese tourist went missing a few years ago, hikers are now requested to
submit their plans to the local police. At minimum you should let your
minshuku
or hotel
know your itinerary for the day.
