Taketomi Island

Fifteen minutes by ferry from Ishigaki, Taketomi Island preserves the traditional Ryukyu village architecture that has largely disappeared elsewhere in Okinawa. The streets are paved with crushed white coral sand and lined with low stone walls topped with red hibiscus, shisa guardian statues perched on every tiled rooftop. Water buffalo carts carry visitors through the village while the drivers sing Okinawan folk songs. The island's beaches are known for their star sand, tiny calcium carbonate particles shaped like five-pointed stars, which are actually the shells of foraminifera. Kaiji Beach and Kondoi Beach have shallow turquoise swimming water, and the island is small enough to cover comfortably by bicycle.