Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nakanouganjima is a protected seabird breeding ground and sanctuary.
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YONAGUNIJIMA
与那国島
This is the end of the line, the final island in the Ryukyu Archipelago and the furthest one
can go in Japan and still be in Japan. Yonagunijima (
与那国島
; Yonaguni-jima) is the south-
westernmost island of the nation and Cape Iri (
西崎
; Iri-zaki) is the island's furthest western
point. The island is both Japan's westernmost and southwesternmost place. To reach Japan's
opposite extreme end would require traveling some 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) by air, all
the way to Cape Sōya (
宗谷岬
; Sōya-misaki), Japan's north-ernmost place near Wakkanai (
稚
内市
; Wakkanai) on the island of Hokkaidō (
北海 道
; Hokkaidō). Wakkanai, which is the
nearest city to Cape Sōya, and Ishigaki, the nearest city to Yonaguni's Cape Iri, are paired as
“sister” cities in recognition of their status as Japan's most far-apart towns.
There's a stone marker at the end of Yonaguni's Cape Iri to indicate this final point. It's
called Nippon sai seitan no ishibumi (
日本最西端の碑
, lit. “most western place in Japan”) and
it's arguably Yonaguni's most famous sight. Thousands of Japanese tourists come here every
year to have their photos taken with this marker. Conversely, there's a northern monument at
Wakkanai on Hokkaidō's Cape Sōya (Sōya-misaki) to mark Japan's northernmost point.
Irizaki is the nearest city to Yonaguni Island's westernmost Cape Iri.
