At the southernmost point of Japan lies the coral island Hateruma. Hateruma Island is a peaceful, relatively Small Island with around 600 people. With an area of 12.7 km, it is excellent to explore on a bike.
Main Attractions
Nishihara Beach (ニシ浜) is a top attraction to Hateruma Island. It is by far my favorite of all the beaches of the Yaeyama Islands. Unfortunately, I don’t have a waterproof camera, so I don’t have a photo, but if you swim out 300 meters or so, you will be rewarded with an absolutely fantastic snorkeling reef. I had never seen so many schools of fish in my life! The coral was also a marvelous vibrant blue, and I saw a large sea turtle.
Nishihara Beach is famous for its soft sand, which is nice to walk and relax on. Unlike many other beaches, this sand is sand, not rocks.
In the middle of the Island, at the highest point, the town and probably your accommodation are found. The town is also an attraction as it is still very authentically Yaeyama, complete with the coral stone walls (incidentally, “ishigaki” translates to “stonewall”), shisha gargoyles, and hip roofs.
Besides the architecture, the town itself is just charming and clean. You get the feeling the inhabitants love their island.
You can shop in the various souvenir shops on the island and likely see depictions of the Southern Cross star constellation. This is because, due to the island’s location being very southern, you can see this constellation at night. As an Australian, I didn’t give it much attention, but my Japanese friend was pretty excited about it.
Hateruma has quite a few cafes and restaurants scattered around the town. Our accommodations gave us a hand-drawn map that pointed them out to us, so if you are day-tripping, perhaps you can drop into the hotel and ask for a copy. For dinner, we were unable to get a seat without a reservation on the first night, so try to make a booking in advance.
Sokona Tameike Observation Deck
This tower is called Kodomori (Sokona Tameike Observation Deck: 底名溜池展望台) and was built in the 17th century to watch the seas. It’s pretty out of the way, and the views are nothing spectacular, so you can take it or leave it, to be honest.
On the southern side of the island, there are steep cliffs into the seas. You can climb right up to the cliff face, but be careful, as a fall from here would probably be deadly.
Hoshizora Tower
Toward the southeast of the island is the Hosizora tower (星空観測タワー). This tower is an observatory for looking at the night sky. There is guidance, but it is all in Japanese.
From the observatory, follow this path to the southernmost point of (inhabited) Japan! It is a popular photo spot, so it gets busy when the buses arrive. The monument also has an interesting stone path with rocks representing all the prefectures of Japan. You can climb out on the rocks and look at the sea.
I hope you will enjoy Hateruma Island in the Okinawa prefecture. I highly recommend this island if not only for its beautiful beach but also for a relaxing overnight stay.
Where to Stay
With its relatively small size, the island is best explored on a bicycle or moped. Rental services are aplenty, and a shuttle bus from the terminal is ready to take you to the store. If you are staying overnight, check with your accommodations if they have rental bikes, too, as it’s probably cheaper. The island is rather hillier than usual, with the highest point being 60 meters above sea level, but it should not pose too much of a problem for anyone of average fitness.
I recommend an overnight stay on Hateruma Island. There are many things to do, and the island has a “don’t rush” feel. The easiest way to find accommodations is to search Google Maps for “minshuku” (民宿) or “guesthouse”(ゲストハウス). I stayed at Katsuren-so (勝連荘), which was 2500 yen per night, and I highly recommend it. The owner was very accommodating, and the rooms were nice and clean.
How to Acccess
Hateruma Island is usually reached by boat from Ishigaki Island, and it can also be accessed by plane from the Japanese mainland. The boat trip typically lasts about 1 hour and can be bumpy during windy conditions. If you’re like me and get seasick easily, sitting at the back of the boat, while noisy, provides a much more bearable journey.
Useful Information at Hateruma Island
Katsuren-so (Guesthouse)
Phone: +81 980-85-8154
Address: Japan, 〒907-1751 沖縄県八重山郡竹富町波照間３０２９
Hosizora Tower
10 am to 9 pm
Closed on Mondays.
Adults 400 yen. Children 200 yen.
