Day 112
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Ishigaki, Japan
Ishigaki’s subtropical climate means it’s beach weather all year around.
It’s a popular vacation destination for Japanese people. Ishigaki has a beautiful coastline with magnificent beaches and excellent hiking trails in the center of the island.
Crystal clear water and nice beaches make a good spot for snorkeling and diving in the surrounding coral reefs.
We arrived early in the morning and the weather was not particularly favorable for excursion. It was super cloudy, gray, it rained on and off through out the day which made it feel very humid.
We visited few places, but if you not spending a day on the beach snorkeling or swimming it’s not much to see here. Very sleepy town.
The island has beautiful nature, including coral reefs, dark forests, and sugarcane fields. The economic drive is tourism, it used to be sugar cane and rice growing.
After excursion we have returned to the ship because it was Easter Sunday and we had celebrations on the ship.
There wasn’t much to do on the island since it’s spring and not really a beach weather.
Fun fact about Ishigaki:
The name Ishigaki, or 石垣 in Japanese, literally means "stone wall". This likely comes from the city's former stone walls.
