Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Hai Donan Minshuku, one of the nicest minshuku on Yonaguni, is right on Kubura Port, 820 feet (250
meters) from the ferry dock.
The smallest village is Higawa (
比川
), located in the center of the south coast of the island.
Although it's really a tiny place, it has two
minshuku
. Perhaps the main attraction for staying
there is that Higawa has the longest and most sheltered beach on the island.
Yonaguni is a popular destination for Japanese tourists, especially divers, that's why the
island can support about 20
minshuku
. Although most people will take their meals at their
minshuku
, and most quoted rates include breakfast and dinner, there are also a couple of
restaurants in Sonai and Kubura. There are car, bike and scooter rentals available in Sonai,
Kubura and the airport. Most of the
minshuku
will make the arrangements for you.
Ferry service to the island from Ishigaki runs twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, with
return trips on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The sailing distance by the ferry from Ishigaki
Port to Kubura Port is 83 miles (133 kilometers). It takes from four to five hours one way de-
pending on sea conditions. All ships in both directions depart at 10
AM
. hey are subject to
cancellation in case of high seas, which are relatively frequent. The airport (
与那国空港
; Yon-
aguni Kūkō), is on the north central coast, near Sonai. The commuter flights from Ishigaki
only take about 30 minutes. Depending on the time of year, there can be one or two flights a
day. The airport's landing strip was expanded ten years ago to handle larger aircraft and there
are several flights a week direct to and from Naha. There has been sporadic air service origin-
ating in Taiwan and there seems to always be talk about this becoming a regular route, but to
date it has not happened.
Yonaguni is a scenic and hilly island and has several quite impressive cliffs offering sweep-
ing views. On a very clear day Taiwan can be seen from the cliffs at Kuburabari (
久部良バ
リ
; Kubura-bari). These cliffs, near the northeastern side of Kubura Port, are also the place to
watch the last sunset over Japan. As is the case with many islands of the Ryukyus, the cliff and
rock formations host many caves and Yonaguni is no exception, with caves both above and
below the waters. Most of them require a guide and there are many dive shops that specialize
in this, so that's not a problem.
