Yonaguni (与那国) in theYaeyama Islands is the westernmost point ofJapan.
Also known asDunan (どぅなん) in the local language, Yonaguni is a small island (28 km2)125 km (78 mi) fromTaiwan and127 km (79 mi) fromIshigaki. The main population centers areSonai (祖内) on the north coast, the smaller port town ofKubura (久部良) on the west coast, and tinyHikawa (比川) in the south. The total population is about 1700.
Although it lacks the resorts of the larger Yaeyama islands and its few visitors are mostly divers coming to witness the island'smysterious sunken "ruins" andhammerhead sharks, the island has beautiful (yet uncrowded) beaches, cultural attractions, and various mysteries of history.
The local tourist association has aJapanese-only guide site with integrated Google Translate.
Yonaguni is famous for its local language, brewed in isolation for centuries, which even those from mainlandOkinawa find utterly incomprehensible. Pronunciation can be a bit easier than that of the neighboring Miyako islands, though, as the central vowels and word-final consonants are absent here. Language buffs can pick up Nae Ikema's Japanese-Yonaguni dictionaryYonaguni-go Jiten (与那国語辞典) at the airport shop.
The only words the casual visitor is likely to run into though arewaːriː (ワーリー) andfugarassa (フガラッサ), Yonaguni for "welcome" and "thank you", respectively, as standard Japanese is spoken by practically everybody (the locals are bilingual), and Chinese is understood by some as Taiwanese TV and radio can be picked up on the island.
The Wild, Wild West After the end of World War II, Yonaguni's tiny fishing port of Kubura became a hub of black marketeers shipping goods (mostly stolen) from Japan to Taiwan in exchange for food and other scarce commodities. At the boom's peak the island's population had swelled to 20,000, including 38 bars and 200 hostesses. Alas, with the post-war normalization of economic conditions the black market vanished and Yonaguni returned to its quiet ways. |
Yonaguni is among the remotest inhabited spots of Japan and getting there is inconvenient and expensive. Flights and ferries may be cancelled at short notice if the weather is bad, particularly around the fall typhoon season, so allow some buffer in your plans.
(Oddly, despite the island's close proximity to Taiwan, as of 2024 there areno flights or even cruises between the two. There are plans to start fast-boat service betweenHualien and Yonaguni, though.)
There are 9 buses per day between Sonai and Kubura, 3 of which continue on to make a full circuit of the island of the west half of the island, but there is no public transport on the eastern side. Somewhat incredibly,all buses are free.
2 taxis are also available, and a circuit of the island by car takes about an hour. There are at least 4 or 5 different rent-a-car places, includingSSK right in front of the airport (from¥5000 for a full day), and motorbikes and bicycles are also readily available.
More or less all diving shops and lodgings offer free transfers to and from the airport or ferry pier if you book ahead.
The following rock formations are best viewed by boat.
The island's unique fauna are also of interest.
Scuba diving is without a doubt the main draw for most visitors to Yonaguni. However, the island's location in the middle of the open sea without protective reefs means that waves can be high and currents can be strong, so most diving here isdrift diving and many of the more interesting dive sites are only accessible to experienced divers.
Snorkeling is possible in from some beaches, and can be quite good, though there may not be any spot ideal for beginners. The sheltered channel on the east side of the bridge at Sonai harbor is a relatively safe place to swim around and see some tropical fish, best accessed from a tiny beach near Urano Cemetery. There can be a significant current here during the changing tides, but there's nowhere for you to get pulled out to - you'll either end up at the boat ramp or back at the beach. The outer lagoon on the other side of the concrete reinforcements is even better, but you should be very careful of currents and high surf. Never swim in the ocean without first learningwhat to do if you get caught in a rip current.
Yonaguni's unique attraction is the mysterious24.435833123.0113891"underwater ruins"(海底遺跡kaitei iseki).Dryly but diplomatically referred to by the government as the "Underwater Landscape Resources" - which lie off the southern coast of the island . A single platform100 by 50 meters (330 by 160 ft) wide and up to25 m (82 ft) tall, seeming carved out of solid rock at perfectly right angles and dated by some to be 8000 years old, the technology required to build them here doesn't seem to match any known timeline of human history. Some maintain that they are the product of the lostContinent of Mu or evenalien artifacts, though the majority of scientists think they were created by natural geological processes. But the (apparent) hallways and staircases, as well as what appear to be regular rows of holes dug for moving rock and even what some take to be a form of writing on the walls, keep visitors intrigued.
Seeing the ruins, however, takes some time, effort and skill: the area is notorious for itscurrents and not suitable for beginning divers, although several diving shops run one-day crash courses that culminate in a guided tour of the ruins. For those with the requisite skills (PADI AOWD or more), a day's diving starts at¥12000. The ruins, some 20 minutes by boat from Kubura, are usually only accessible when they are on the leeward side of a north windand the currents are not too strong, so you'll also need some luck just to get here.
Wind conditions permitting,SOUWES diving service (ソーウェス) can also arrange glass-bottomed boats to make the trip for¥5000/head if there are five or more passengers (or you can charter the whole boat yourself). Don't expect to see very much when the weather is bad, as the ruins are at a depth of5 to 20 meters (16 to 66 ft).
The names of individual features are mostly made up by their original discoverers and researchers. They might not be scientifically correct, but no better names are available for reliable orientation.
These objects are not part of the monument, but are relatively close to it:
In addition to the ruins, Yonaguni is also famous among Japanese divers for itshammerhead sharks, which congregate around the island and can be spotted on most dives in the cooler winter season (December–February). Yonaguni is also pretty much the only spot in Japan where it is possible to spot the giantwhale shark, the largest of them all, although sightings are quite rare.
Much of the southern coastline is dotted with caverns, caves and underwater rock formations, which make for spectacular but, again, slightly challenging diving.Daiyati and theTemple of Light are particularly well-known spots that bear more than slight resemblance to Swiss cheese.
Other events of note on Yonaguni include:
The most popular Yonagunian souvenir by far ishanazake (花酒) liquor, seeDrink for details.
Most visitors opt to eat breakfast and dinner at their lodgings and lunch at their diving service, but there are a few small restaurants in Sonai and Kubura, as well as a small "supermarket" in Sonai.
Yonaguni is best known forhanazake (花酒), literally "flower sake", a drink nowhere near as dainty as you might expect from the name: it's the local 60° awamori and tradition demands drinking it straight, without even an ice cube to ease the pain. The best known brand isDonan (どなん) and the other labels brewed on the island areYonaguni (与那国) andMaifuna (舞富名, ateji) meaning 'clever person' in the local dialect). You can visit the breweries of all three in Sonai, sample a little, and learn about brewing methods. It's fairly steeply priced though, as a600 ml (21 imp fl oz; 20 US fl oz) bottle of the stuff will set you back over¥2000; and you need to add a few hundred yen if you want the traditional protective straw coat for your bottle. Cheaper and marginally less lethal 43° and 30° versions are also available.
Okinawa's favorite bogeyman, thehabu snake, is absent from Yonaguni. The main danger here is the ferociouscurrents, particularly on the north coast, so check conditions before swimming. Other than that, the usual warnings apply not to touch any seas creatures (including beautiful cone shells), some of which have stings that can occasionally be fatal.
There are no banks on Yonaguni, but you can withdraw money from the ATMs at the post offices in Sonai and Kubura. There are no convenience stores either. The supermarket in Sonai stays open until 20:00, and for dinner there is at least one izakaya in Sonai that stays open until 21:00 or 22:00.
There are no public WiFi hotspots on Yonaguni yet, but your accommodation should have fast WiFi for guests.
You're at the end of Japan now— unless you can score a seat to Taiwan on a private boat, the only way out is back where you came from.
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