The main entrance of the Rakutenya guest house

View from my window.

Note the very Okinawan-style roofs

The main corridor of the Rakutenya

The guest house had many (many many) leaves

growing in glass bottles, attached to the wall.

This was the one in my room.

This notice in the guest house amused me, 

I hope it amuses you too (if you can read it!)

Many of the roofs in Ishigaki (and Iriomote and

Taketomi) have these lions on them.

I haven't seen them anywhere else in Japan.

My bike...we became very close

(the seat was extremely uncomfortable!)

Yui road

The Rakutenya and the language school

are on this road

A rather interesting sign - it tells you the distance to 

various places 

(Hong Kong: 1100km

Taiwan: 270km

Philippines: 1220km

Wakkanai: 2820km
Tokyo: 1950km
Osaka: 1590km)

The peace bell

A bollard, in the shape of one of 

those lion-things, again

An old boat near the harbour...

... the home of these little fellas... 

...I think they were being taken care of by a 

homeless guy, but I did my bit too
  

One of the harbours

A REALLY good Okinawan restaurant

shrine

The religion in Ishigaki is neither Shinto or Buddhism, but

has it's similarities.  The torii (gata) is not part of the original 

structure - but it was decreed by the Japanese government when 

Okinawa became part of Japan that their shrines had to have torii.

Only a few chosen women may enter these shrines.  The shrines

are very local, and each community has their own gods and variation

on the religion.

A really peaceful place to sit and think

The sea at dusk

The way down from a small temple

A bird!

Toujin Tomb

In 1852, 400 labourers being shipped to California from Amoi in China

rebelled against the cruel treatment they received.  Their ship became 

wrecked off the coast of Ishigaki, and 380 people came assure.  Many of

them were killed by gunfire from American and British pursuers, by illness

or committed suicide.  The royal Government and the islanders protected and

provided shelter for them in Tomizakibara, and gave them food.  

In 1971 this Chinese grave was erected in memory of the 128 people who perished.

*information taken from "Yaeyama, Vacation Resort Okinawa" 

Cove

Taketomi Island

View over Taketomi

Katie takes a stroll on the beach in Taketomi

Katie watches our boat come in to take us back to Ishigaki

    

An amusing menu at Restaurant Garlic in Ishigaki
  

Packing to move on!

Tired Delly after packing everything up!