Introducing Yonaguni-jima
About 125km west of Ishigaki and 110km east of Taiwan is the islet of Yonaguni-jima, Japan’s westernmost piece of inhabited real estate. Although Yonaguni is about as far-flung as you can imagine in Japan, the island is incredibly popular with domestic travellers. Renowned for its strong sake, small horses and marlin fishing, the island is also home to the jumbo-sized ‘Yonaguni atlas moth’, the largest moth in the world.
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However, it’s what lies beneath the waters around Yonaguni that continues to lure travellers to the island in droves. Following the discovery of deep water ocean ruins by divers in 1985, Yonaguni was firmly put on the map as one of Okinawa’s best diving destinations. Of course, seasoned scuba vets have always known about Yonaguni, especially since the waters around the island are a favourite haunt of hammerhead sharks.
Yonaguni used to be known as Dunan, meaning ‘hard to reach’ – it’s still not an easy place to get to, though you’ll certainly be rewarded for your time and effort.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Tokyo-Okinawa trip
by ggking7 08 September 2011
Thanks Kaminoge. That's great news we can fly direct from Tokyo to the smaller islands. I looked into the Okinawa Island Pass and it…
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Re: Not much time so need help
by bamse 16 December 2010
See access details [here|http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6028.html]. Tokyo -> Yudanaka takes about 3 hours and the earliest connection…
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Not much time so need help
by Lainy2 16 December 2010
Myself & friends are going Scuba diving for 10 days at various places but have only short time in Tokyo ( one day plus 2nd day flying…
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