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Locrawl

Taketomi

Taketomi (竹富) is one of the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa, Japan. This small island just north of the tropics with its picturesque beaches and architecture is a popular getaway especially for domestic visitors. Far out in the Philippine Sea and part of the Ryukyu Kingdom until the late 19th century, Taketomi offers attractions that you won’t encounter on the Japanese mainland.

See
5
Do
3
Eat
2
Drink
1

11 places

  1. Drink

    Bar Take-To-Me

    Forget marble countertops and tuxedoed waiters: this is an open-air wooden platform piled with plastic lawn chairs and surrounded by hibiscus flowers. Order an awamori straight or turned into a cocktail, kick back, watch the starry skies and enjoy the quiet of Taketomi at night. Open only during high season.

    Daily 19:00-23:30Drinks ¥500-900

  2. Do

    Kaiji Beach

    カイジ浜

    Taketomi is one of only two islands in Japan (the other is Iriomote) that accumulate this 'sand' formed from the shells of thousands of tiny crustaceans. While Star Sand Beach (星砂の浜 Hoshizuna-no-hama) usually refers to the more accessible Kaiji, you can also find the stuff at the rarely visited Aiyaruhama (アイヤル浜) near the Hoshinoya resort. People are not allowed to take the sand — you must pick the individual stars.

  3. See

    Kihōin

    喜宝院

    Japan's southernmost temple, but it's not much to look at. It houses about 3,000 historical artifacts and local handicrafts gathered from around the island. With no English explanations, visitors may find it to be of limited interest; however, it is essentially the island's history and culture museum.

    Daily 09:00-17:00¥300

  4. Do

    Kondoi Beach

    コンドイ浜

    A spectacular expanse of white sand and turquoise water, and the only beach where swimming is allowed.

    Free toilets and showers; expensive beach gear rentals

  5. See

    Nagomi-no-tō

    なごみの塔

    A purpose-built concrete tower that offers views over the entire island. The steps up are very steep.

    24 hr

  6. Eat

    Shidame-kan

    しだめー館

    Lovely little cafe-restaurant-bar right below the Nagomi-no-to tower, serving up a wide variety of Okinawan and Japanese staples. Best known for their rafti-don (ラフティ丼, ¥1,000), a rice bowl dripping with porky goodness, and their home-made sata-andagi donuts (2 for ¥100). Stays open late, with customers hanging out after dinner drinking awamori and sampling snacks.

    Closed · opens 10 amMeals from ¥700

  7. Eat

    Takenoko

    竹の子

    A well-known island eatery, Takenoko is justly famous for their rendition of Yaeyama soba, which they've been serving since 1975. Order the soki variant with melt-in-your-mouth pork ribs, spice it up with a dash of their homegrown piyashii pepper or a careful slug of kuchu chilli-infused awamori, then cool down with a bowl of shaved ice (kakigōri).

    Daily 10:30-16:00, 19:00-21:00Soba from ¥700

  8. See

    West Pier

    西桟橋 Nishi-sanbashi

    This disused pier is where Taketomi's villagers used to set off by canoe to tend their rice fields on Iriomote. Today, it's Taketomi's best sunset-watching spot, but you'll have to stay overnight to catch this nightly event.

  9. See

    Yugafukan

    ゆがふ館

    An informative museum run by the national parks authority, but all the information is in Japanese. On the plus side, the 15-minute film and the audio sets of Yaeyaman stories and songs are interesting to everyone.

    Free

  10. See

    Folkcraft Museum

    民芸館 Mingeikan

    Has local artisans weaving traditional Yaeyaman minsā cloth.

    9AM-5PMFree

  11. Do

    Taketomi Kankō Center

    竹富観光センター