Japanese tourism industry paying extra attention to virus safety to lure crowds back
From Hokkaido to Okinawa, hotels and other accomodation facilities are limiting contact and taking other pandemic-related measures to encourage visitors to stay.
Okinawa islanders conflicted over tourism amid virus pandemic
As more people in Tokyo and elsewhere were beginning to hole up at home during the coronavirus pandemic, others were venturing out to visit islands in Okinawa Prefecture. People on the resort island of Miyako as well as others in the Yaeyama archipelago, which had ...
Enjoy Ishigaki's island life without sea, sun or sand
The Okinawan island of Ishigaki is a haven for beach lovers, but there's plenty to experience for those with no love for the ocean, including fresh fruit, star gazing and limestone caves.
Scuba diving in Japan: Beneath the sea, a paradise of color and life
A carpet of sand stretches into the distance below me. As clear and still as the water, the light seems muted, creating a peaceful, subdued scene. Surrounding each rocky feature are small oases of life. At one, there are two nudibranchs (sea slugs) and, as ...
A journey by kayak through Iriomote's mangrove forests
Thanks to the maze of narrow waterways that crisscross Iriomote Island, kayaking is a popular choice for anyone wishing to venture deeper into the island's jungle.
Ishigaki package tour has couples scaling cliffs and diving into the sea before tying the knot
A unique package tour on Okinawa's Ishigaki Island for soon-to-be-married couples is creating a buzz. The Ishigaki Municipal Government and travel agency H.I.S. Co. have teamed up to offer a proposal for couples: travel across the island, scale a steep cliff and dive into the ...
Iriomote: Remote island is home to a unique state of mind
Approaching the house of 80-year-old Akiko Ishigaki, a three-legged dog rises to signal our arrival. From inside the house, Ishigaki gently scolds the dog, emerges from the doorway and invites us in. She's dressed in layers of woven purple cloth and her face maintains the ...
A human skeleton thought to be the oldest in Japan has been found in a collapsed cave in Okinawa, a local museum said Friday, adding that it appears to be around 27,000 years old. The nearly complete skeleton, dating from the Old Stone Age, appears ...
Ex-leader Lee Teng-hui cites Taiwan's ties to Ishigaki Island as model for bilateral relations
Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui is urging Taiwan and Japan to develop a new model for bilateral exchanges based on cooperation between Taiwan and the Okinawa island of Ishigaki. Describing Taiwan as Japan's "lifeline," Lee said Sunday that Taiwan and Japan are linked by fate ...
Isolation helps preserve Ishigaki's unique charm
In his 1926 story, "The Man Who Loved Islands," D.H. Lawrence wrote, "Isolate yourself on a little island in the sea of space, and the moment begins to heave and expand in great circles, the solid earth is gone, and your slippery, naked dark ...
Government convinces city to call off Senkakus aerial survey
Following a request by the central government, the city of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture has agreed to call off an aerial survey of the Senkaku Islands, which fall under its jurisdiction.
Japan Coast Guard to seek to double budget to expand Senkaku patrols
The Japan Coast Guard will request a budget of ¥50.4 billion for fiscal 2015, twice its current budget, to enable enhanced security of territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, coast guard sources said Tuesday. The Coast Guard plans to acquire ...
