For the final part of our family trip to Japan, we decided to explore Okinawa, specifically Ishigaki island, which is only about 250 km from Taiwan. Unfortunately, upon arrival we were told by our taxi driver that we came just in time for the start of the rainy season.
Here I am taking advantage of a brief break in the rain, riding west towards town.
Going by the ferry terminal, I see that gas scooters vastly outnumber bicycles. I didn’t see any evidence that the e-bike wave has hit here yet.
Near the shore there are many signs indicating how far above sea level you are.
My ride for the day: a typical Japanese city bike, one speed with full chaincase, skirt guard, frame lock, kickstand, dynamo light and the seat as far up as I could take it.
On the southwest corner of the island is the Toujin Tomb, a memorial for the Chinese workers who were being shipped to California in 1852. The ship ran aground, there was a mutiny, and then the survivors were shelled by the British and Americans, with troops also sent ashore to capture the runaways. Pretty horrible story, and a reminder that Chinese labourers were imported in part to replace blacks after the “abolition of slavery”.
All the way out to this corner, there was a wide MUP which could be used for various things including parking.
Ishigaki is also known for the production of salt, and the local ramen certainly reflects this.
As mentioned previously, the weather during our stay was mostly rainy, but highly variable. Yesterday we took a cab to Yonehara beach, a prime snorkelling spot, and we got in about half an hour of swimming before a torrential downpour forced us to abandon. Taking a cab back to the south shore, the sun came out for the first time in a couple of days. We were advised that the best times to come are April and early May before the rain hits, and mid June to July before it is typhoon season.
Now heading back to Tokyo, and I’ll be flying back home the rest of the way tomorrow.
A side note on Peach Airlines, a Japanese low cost carrier. Even though it gets generally bad reviews, we found it to be OK, especially considering the low fares. They are very strict about the weight limits on both carry ons and checked luggage. Also the seats are fairly close together and do not recline. Also don’t expect any in flight service. However, overall the experience was OK, flying from Fukuoka to Ishigaki, and then directly back to Tokyo. One downside is that it seems that the website didn’t accept Canadian credit cards, and so we had to book flights through an intermediary. This meant that we couldn’t use some of the features on their website or their app.
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