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Okinawa & the Southwest Islands

Why Go? Ōsumi Islands ...... 724 ’s Southwest Islands (南西諸島; Nansei-shotō) are the ...... 731 other Japan: a chain of semitropical, coral-fringed islands that feels more like Hawaii or Southeast Asia. -hontō ...... 737 They’re a nature lover’s paradise: in the northern Ka- ...... 747 goshima Prefecture lush primeval forests hide among the ...... 750 craggy peaks of Yakushima, and the starfish-shaped Amami- Ōshima has fine beaches on its convoluted coastline. Head- ing south, Okinawa-hontō (沖縄本島) is the bustling main island of . The nearby Best Beaches are tiny gems with white-sand beaches and crystal-clear ¨¨Ida-no-hama, waters. Miyako-jima boasts killer beaches and a laid-back Iriomote-jima (p756) scene. And furthest south, the Yaeyama Islands have Japan’s best coral reefs, subtropical jungles and mangrove swamps. ¨¨Sunset Beach, But spectacular nature is only part of it – the Southwest Ishigaki-jima (p751) Islands exude a peculiarly ‘un-Japanese’ culture. Indeed, ¨¨Sunayama Beach, they made up a separate country for most of their history, Miyako-jima (p747) and the Ryūkyū cultural heart still beats strongly here. ¨¨Nishibama Beach, Aka-jima (p745) ¨¨Furuzamami Beach, When to Go Zamami-jima (p745) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 16/400

30/86 Best Diving 12/300 Destinations 20/68 8/200 ¨¨-jima (p759) 10/50 4/100 ¨¨Kerama Islands (p744) 0/32

¨¨Ishigaki-jima (p750) -10/14 0 J F DNOSAJJMAM ¨¨Iriomote-jima (p756) May & Jun Travel Jul–Sep This Oct–Mar The may coincide with is the best time water is cooler the rainy season; to enjoy the but swimmable, while it’s not too beaches, but and you’ll have intense, sunshine expect some big entire beaches to may be scarce. crowds. yourself. KŸbe Tokyo Osaka; Shibushi Tanegashima KY§SH§ Nishi-no-Omote Kikai-jima Yakushima Nakano-shima Suwanose-jima a Miyanoura Yonaguni-jima Yonaguni-jima Amami-±shima a Kagoshim (p735), with its with its (p735), Amami Kakeroma-jima IŸ-jima Kodakara-jima Uke-jima Chilling out on peaceful Chilling out on peaceful Searching the horizon for for the horizon Searching Taira-jima Kuchino-shima Mishima-mura Okinoerabu-jima and sugarcane 7 from Taiwan westernmost Japan’s (p759), and diving its island, ruins underwater mysterious 6 Yoron-tō beaches of scenery blissful Yoron-tŸ Akuseki-jima Kuchino-Erabu-jim Okinawa-hontŸ P A C I F I C O C E A N Tokunoshima Tonaki-jima Yoro-shima ±SUMI ISLANDS Okinawa City Naha Kerama Islands Tokashiki-jima AMAMI Ie-jima Izena-jima ISLANDS Iheya-jima TOKARA ISLANDS Yokoate-jima (p756) Taketomi-jima Taketomi-jima Aguni-jima Aka-jima xploring the mangrove xploring the mangrove Zamami-jima E Taking a ferry to a simpler to a ferry Taking Kume-jima Iriomote-jima Iriomote-jima 5 ‘living museum’ time on the island of (p758) 4 and coral jungles swamps, frontier, last Japan’s of reefs Tonaki-jima MIYAKO ISLANDS a KAGOSHIMA Miyako-jima a 100 km 60 miles Hirara Irabu-jima (p744) Taketomi-jim Shimoji-jima (p750) Ishigaki-jim Tarama-jima Ishigaki sand beaches of of beaches sand 0 0 (p724) to to (p724) East Sea trees a a OKINAWA PREFECTURE

Kuro-shima Kerama Islands Kerama Soaking up the sun on one Soaking iking into the Hiking into iving with playful mantas mantas with playful Diving

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YAEYAMA ISLANDS -jima

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