Culture & History #2 of 8 in this area

Taketomi Town, Taketomi Island Important Preservation District for Groups of Important Traditional Buildings (National Selected Important Traditional Buildings)

Located on Taketomi Island, a 10-minute high-speed boat ride from Ishigaki Island, this village was selected as a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 1987. It is an area where the original landscape of Okinawa is still alive with red tile-roofed houses surrounded by coral stone walls and white sand roads.

About Taketomi Island Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings

Taketomi Island is a small island with a circumference of about 9.2 km, located about 6 km southwest of Ishigaki Island, and was selected as a national "Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings" in 1987. In the three villages on the island (Higashi, Nishi, and Nakasuji), the traditional Okinawan townscape of coral stone walls, red-tiled roof houses, and white sand roads is still carefully preserved.

Places to visit

Buffalo cart sightseeing: Swaying on the buffalo, listening to the sound of sanshin (Okinawan traditional three-stringed instrument) and "Asatoya Yunta" while touring around the village, is synonymous with Taketomi Island sightseeing.
Nagomi no Toa: A photo spot on a hill overlooking the village with red-tiled roofs.
West Pier: A pier designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan and famous for sunset.
Kondoi Beach: The only white sand beach on the island where swimming is allowed.
Kaiji Beach (Star Sand Beach): A romantic beach where you can look for star-shaped grains of sand, "star sand.
Taketomi Island Yugafukan: A visitor center where you can learn about the history, nature and culture of Taketomi Island (5 minutes walk from the ferry terminal).

Manners for walking in the village

As this is where the residents live, please refrain from entering private property without permission or photographing houses. Generally, visitors can rent bicycles, walk, or take a buffalo cart to visit the village.

Access

It takes about 10-15 minutes by high-speed boat from "Euglena Ishigaki Port Remote Island Terminal" in Ishigaki Island. The fare is about 700 yen for adults and 360 yen for children one-way (varies by season and operator). The number of flights is every 30 minutes to every hour between 7:30 and 17:30.

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Info

4.6 (3,500 reviews) Google

Address: Taketomi, Taketomi Town, Okinawa 907-1101, Japan
Opening Hours: Free to visit (buffalo carts, bicycle rentals, etc. are subject to store operating hours)
Admission: Free to visit (buffalo cart sightseeing costs about 2,000 yen for adults and about 500 yen per hour for renting a bicycle)

Opening hours and admission fees are subject to change. Please check the official website for the latest information.

Score

Total Score 73 / 100

* These scores are AI-assessed estimates based on publicly available information. They reflect subjective judgment and may differ from actual conditions.