Island Hopping

The Japanese academic year is a bit different from our own. Schools and Universities finish up the end of the third week of March, and start back the second week of April. It's only two weeks, so you can imagine the envy when I tell them about our 2 or three months off.

I used the Holiday last year to travel further afield, down the length of Japan stopping off with friends along the way. This year Erin and I went a bit further, to the souhern most islands of Okinawa, within spitting distance of Taiwan: Ishigaki, Takejima, an Iriomote

We noticed he vibe as soon as we arrivd. It was sill Japan, but different. A relaxed Japan. The islands had been independent before, with its own Ryuukyuu kingdom, and you could definitely sense that.

I was most impressed with the best use of a beer bottle I have ever seen. Peanuts. I' brilliant!

We flew into Ishigaki island, but stayed there just for the first night to get our bearings. Then it was on to Takejima, a beatiful island of only 300 souls, where we stayed for one night, getting to see the place once all the tourists had left on the last boat. As it was so small, we rented bikes rather than using the local bus sevice... Very effctive at crossing between islands at low tide I hear...

Then Iriomote, the wilderness of Japan, for two nights. Great hostel, and snorkelling that was even better than some dives I've done. Beautiful, with an incredible breath of colours and life, just a few metres from the sand. The colours don't really show up in he photos, so you're just going to have to trust me.

The next day, we took a kayak 8km up river, and hiked to the falls.

It was a beautiful, incredibly relaxing week.

Click here for more photos.