©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Okinawa & the Southwest Islands Why Go? Ōsumi Islands ........... 724 Japan’s Southwest Islands (南西諸島; Nansei-shotō) are the Amami Islands ...........731 other Japan: a chain of semitropical, coral-fringed islands that feels more like Hawaii or Southeast Asia. Okinawa-hontō ..........737 They’re a nature lover’s paradise: in the northern Ka- Miyako Islands ...........747 goshima Prefecture lush primeval forests hide among the Yaeyama Islands .......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 Okinawa Prefecture. The nearby Kerama Islands 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) Naha °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 16/400 30/86 Best Diving 12/300 Destinations 20/68 8/200 ¨¨Yonaguni-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. 722 KY§SH§ Kagoshima Shibushi 0 100 km 0 60 miles IŸ-jima Mishima-mura Okinawa & &the the S S Nishi-no-Omote Kuchino-Erabu-jima Tanegashima ±SUMI ISLANDS Miyanoura KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE Tokyo Kuchino-shima Yakushima Nakano-shima TOKARA ISLANDS Taira-jima Suwanose-jima Akuseki-jima O O East China Sea uthwe Tonaki-jima Kodakara-jima uthwe Osaka; KŸbe S AMAMI S Amami t ISLANDS Kikai-jima t Is Is Amami-±shima Yoro-shima land Kakeroma-jima land Yokoate-jima Uke-jima Tokunoshima S S & Okinoerabu-jima OKINAWA ISLANDS Iheya-jima T he S Izena-jima Yoron-tŸ Ie-jima OKINAWA PREFECTURE Aguni-jima Okinawa-hontŸ O Nago u Zamami-jima T Kume-jima Okinawa City hwe Tonaki-jima Naha Aka-jima st Tokashiki-jima I S Kerama Islands l A Shimoji-jima nd YAEYAMA ISLANDS Kohama-jima Hirara P A C I F I C O C E A N S Tarama-jima Miyako-jima Yonaguni-jim a Hi Irabu-jima ghl Ishigaki-jima Iriomote-jima Ishigaki MIYAKO ISLANDS I gh Hateruma-jima Taketomi-jima ts Kuro-shima Okinawa & the Southwest Islands Highlights 1 Soaking up the sun on one 4 exploring the mangrove 6 Chilling out on peaceful of the white-sand beaches of swamps, jungles and coral Yoron-tō (p735), with its the Kerama Islands (p744) reefs of Japan’s last frontier, blissful scenery of beaches 2 hiking into the Iriomote-jima (p756) and sugarcane mountainous heart of 5 Taking a ferry to a simpler 7 Searching the horizon for Yakushima (p724) to time on the ‘living museum’ Taiwan from Yonaguni-jima commune with ancient island of Taketomi-jima (p759), Japan’s westernmost yakusugi trees (p758) island, and diving its 3 diving with playful mantas mysterious underwater ruins offIshigaki-jima (p750).