©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Okinawa & the Southwest Islands Why Go? Ōsumi Islands . .637 Japan’s Southwest Islands (南西諸島; Nansei-shotō) are the Amami Islands . 643 other Japan: a chain of semitropical, coral-fringed islands Okinawa-hontō . 649 that feels more like Hawaii or Southeast Asia. It’s a nature lover’s paradise: in the northern Kagoshima Miyako Islands . 660 Prefecture lush primeval forests hide among the craggy Yaeyama Islands . 663 peaks of Yakushima. The starfi sh-like Amami-Ōshima has fi ne beaches in its convoluted coastline, and tiny Yoron- tō is basically all beach, with an airport on top. Heading Best Places to Eat south, the fi rst stop is Okinawa-hontō (沖縄本島), the bus- tling main island of Okinawa prefecture. Kerama Islands are » Y ūnangi (p 654 ) tiny gems with white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters. » Paikaji (p 654 ) Miyako-jima boasts killer beaches, plenty of sugarcane fi elds » P ōcha Tatsuya (p 661 ) and a laid-back scene. Yaeyama Islands have Japan’s best coral reefs, subtropical jungles and mangrove swamps. But spectacular nature is only part of it: the islands also Best Places to boast a fascinating, peculiarly ‘un-Japanese’ culture. Indeed, Stay Okinawa was a separate country for most of its history and the Ryūkyū cultural heart still beats in the Southwest Islands. » Sankara Hotel & Spa (p 640 ) When to Go » Pricia Resort (p 648 ) Naha » Yakushima Youth Hostel °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm (p 640 ) 40/104 16/400 30/86 12/300 20/68 8/200 10/50 4/100 0/32 -10/14 0 J FDNOSAJJMAM 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. 635 KY§SH§ Kagoshima Shibushi 0 100 km 0 60 miles IŸ-jima ±SUMI ISLANDS Nishi-no-Omote OKINAWA & THEOKINAWA SOUTHWEST ISLANDS Kuchino-Erabu-jima Tanegashima Miyanoura KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE To Tokyo Kuchino-shima Yakushima Nakano-shima TOKARA-RETT± Taira-jima Suwanose-jima Akuseki-jima East China Sea Takara-jima Kodakara-jima To Osaka; KŸbe AMAMI Amami ISLANDS Kikai-jima Amami-±shima Yoro-shima Yokoate-jima Kakeroma-jima Uke-jima Tokunoshima Okinoerabu-jima OKINAWA ISLANDS Iheya-jima Izena-jima Yoron-tŸ Ie-jima OKINAWA PREFECTURE Aguni-jima Okinawa-hontŸ Nago Zamami-jima Kume-jima Okinawa City Tonaki-shima Naha Aka-jima Tokashiki-jima Kerama Islands Shimoji-jima YAEYAMA ISLANDS Hirara Kohama-jima P A C I F I C O C E A N Tarama-jima Miyako-jima Yonaguni-jima Irabu-jima Ishigaki-jima Iriomote-jima Ishigaki MIYAKO ISLANDS Hateruma-jima Taketomi-jima Kuro-shima Okinawa & the Southwest Islands Highlights 1 Soak up the sun on one of 4 Explore the mangrove 6 Chill out on peaceful the white-sand beaches of the swamps, jungles and coral Yoron-tō (p 647 ) and its Kerama Islands (p 657 ) reefs of Japan’s last frontier, blissful scenery of beaches 2 Hike into the mountainous Iriomote-jima (p 668 ) and sugarcane heart of Yakushima (p 637 ) to 5 Take a ferry to a simpler 7 Search the horizon for commune with ancient yaku- time on the ‘living museum’ Taiwan from Yonaguni-jima sugi trees island of Taketomi-jima (p 671 ), Japan’s westernmost 3 Dive with playful mantas (p 670 ) island, and learn about its off Ishigaki-jima (p 668 ) enormous moths.