Iriomote Island is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa and is part of Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park. Because it’s so remote, getting there is not easy at all. There’s no airport on the island, so we had to fly to Ishigaki Island first, then take a bus to the ferry terminal, a ferry to Iriomote, and finally a minibus to our hotel. It was a long journey, but it was totally worth the effort!
While staying on the island, I was really hoping to see the famous Iriomote mountain cat, also known as the Iriomote yamaneko. I’m a big anime fan, and this rare cat appears in Azumanga Daioh. In the anime, a group of girls goes to Okinawa on a school trip, and one of them, Sakaki, meets an orphaned mountain cat kitten and adopts it. It’s super cute! If you’re interested, you should check out Episode 21 of the anime or Volume 4 of the manga. Sadly, I didn’t get to see one in real life.
We also went snorkeling near a beautiful mangrove forest, which actually reminded me of something you’d see in Africa. Iriomote is almost completely covered in mangroves and jungle, so the scenery felt really wild and untouched. Our instructor said we might see a Hawksbill sea turtle. Because of the large sea turtles that live around the coral reefs, Iriomote is sometimes called the “Japanese Galapagos.” Unfortunately, we didn’t spot any turtles either.
But honestly, that didn’t ruin the experience at all. We saw tons of colourful fish and amazing coral reefs, and it was the most incredible underwater view I’ve ever seen. I really think Iriomote has some of the best coral reefs and white beaches in the world.
Iriomote is also famous for its pineapples and Star Sand Beach (Hoshizuna-no-hama), so we rented bicycles and rode around the island. The pineapple fields were huge—and full of insects! Trust me, don’t go in too close if you don’t like bugs.
Even though I didn’t see the mountain cat or sea turtles, my weekend on Iriomote Island felt like a real paradise and is definitely a trip I’ll never forget.
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