Konnichiwa, which is hello in Japanese. I actually learned that 53 years ago when I spent three weeks in Japan attending a World Boy Scout Jamboree. On that occasion we were on Honshu, the most populous island and home to Tokyo, while today we were on a tiny speck of land 186 miles east of Taiwan. Still, I was excited to be back in Japan and couldn’t wait to say konnichiwa to someone.
Ishigaki is at the extreme southern end of the islands that make up Japan, and is 245 miles south of Okinawa, itself pretty far south of the country’s main islands. In fact, it is much closer to Taiwan and China, and both have asserted ownership claims in the past. The population is only 47,000, and at first glance there doesn’t seem to be much here of significance. However, its beaches and blue waters draw a lot of Japanese tourists, and the island is the fifth most popular cruise port in Japan. More seriously, Ishigaki is becoming increasingly important as a naval base as tensions increase in the South China Sea and multiple countries assert ownership of even the tiniest spits of land.
Today was much slower and more relaxed day than yesterday, when we were on the go all day long in Taiwan, which was just fine with me. We visit Okinawa tomorrow, and an easier day in between was just what the doctor ordered. We only had three stops, and we weren’t rushed at any of them. Perfect.
The first place we went today was Banna Park, where our bus took us up a narrow, winding road to the top of one of the island’s mountains. There an observation deck provided 360 degree views of the island. The views were indeed nice, and we could even see our ship off in the distance. As I said, we weren’t rushed, so Michele and I took advantage of the extra time to set off exploring a nearby trail through the woods, and therein lies perhaps the only genuinely interesting story of the day.
Steep enough in sections to have well maintained steps, the trail was nice, though without any particularly noteworthy features. There were several signs along the way, which we took to be tree identifications, though there was no way to know for sure, as they were in Japanese. Only when we were back on the ship and doing research for our Facebook and blog posts did we discover that some of them were probably warning signs alerting us that a large and extremely venomous snake known as a habu (yellow spotted pit viper, if you’re interested) was known to frequent the area. It might have been nice if our tour guide had said something, but this was one of those rare days when we had a tour guide who was pretty worthless. No big deal on a low key day like today, except for the snake thing. Jeepers.
Fortunately we didn’t have any close encounters with habus, at least any that we’re aware of, and we made it safely back to the bus without incident. Blissfully unaware of the bullet we may have dodged, we settled into our seats for the ride to our next destination, Ishigaki Island Stalactite Cave.
The cave is a typical limestone cavern, and while I won’t go so far as to say that if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all, I will say that there were no features that were unique enough to distinguish it from others we have visited. All limestone caves are magnificent, and I enjoyed walking through this one and seeing the various formations that countless thousands of years have sculpted.
There are no guides for the cave, so ticket in hand we simply set off from the entrance and followed the path until we popped back outside. The trail is well lit, well marked, and anyplace we might otherwise have strayed off the path was solidly blocked, so we were comfortable strolling along on our own and stopping to take an occasional photo. The only thing I found unusual about the cave was that it was warm and humid. The caves I’m familiar with in the US are all much cooler, including the one in our own hometown of Hershey, PA.
Once back outside we made the short walk to the combination gift shop/cafe, where we had time to grab lunch on our own. The cafe had a menu all of two selections long, buckwheat noodles and beef curry rice. Michele opted for the noodles, while, I, not very hungry, “settled” for an ice cream bar from the gift shop. I also bought a box of small, individually wrapped waffle cookies that I can throw into my day pack to take along on future excursions.
That reminds me, it’s worth mentioning that no countries we’ve visited allow you to bring fruits, vegetables or any open food ashore. That includes things like sandwiches and even cups of coffee. However, pretty much anything goes if it’s sealed, like a candy bar or bottle of Gatorade. Especially when it’s hot outside I like to take a bottle of water and a bottle of Powerade with me (the ship stocks Powerade, and it’s one of the many things covered in our all-included cruise fare), and for snacks I like Kind bars and energy gels. I stay away from anything with chocolate in it, as it tends to melt in hot climates.
Our last stop on this very relaxed day was at a small shopping center, where there was a supermarket, pharmacy, dollar store, and bookstore. We were actually delighted, as we had an opportunity to reload on a number of items that either weren’t available on the ship or were more expensive in the ship’s shops. I picked up some batteries and a box of bandaids, and Michele bought a couple similar items, but our big score was at an ATM in the supermarket, where we withdrew some Japanese yen. We have several upcoming port calls in Japan, so having some yen in our pockets reduces our need to limit purchases to places that accept credit cards.
That was it for our day ashore on this quiet little island. As I said above, it was exactly what we were hoping for, and we couldn’t have been more pleased. Tomorrow we’re in Okinawa, an island whose name is incredibly meaningful to many Americans. Other than a stop at Shuri Castle I don’t know how much we’ll get into World War Two history as we travel around, but as a history buff I’m pretty familiar with the battle already. As with so many ports I’m happy to let the day come to me and see what it brings. It’s all part of our big adventure.
360 degree view from the observation deck at the top of Banna Park. That’s our ship in the background.
Another view from the top. Fortunately the rain held off.
Michele on the observation deck.
Me one level lower, where there were pretty flowers.
Vending machine at Banna Park. What the heck is that stuff?
So let’s walk down this trail, we said, completely unaware that the area is infested with habus, more formally known as yellow spotted pit vipers. Happily we didn’t see any.
Entrance to the Ishigaki Stalactite Cave.
Yep, it’s a limestone cave all right.
Not a bad cave, either.
Lots of nice formations.
And some low bridges.
They had colored lights in some places to enhance the scene.
Michele liked it too.
Lunch in the gift shop/cafe. Michele demonstrated her proficiency with chopsticks.
I bought these in the gift shop. I think (hope) they’re waffle cookies.
Japanese toilet. Gotta study up on how to use it.
Shopping center with a supermarket, dollar store, pharmacy and bookstore. We were pleased as punch to have an opportunity to pick up some basics to take back to the ship.
Have you heard about Coke Plus? I actually have, so I knew better than to buy any. It’s Coke with added fiber, of all things, and is known to have a laxative effect. Sorry, it’s not available in the US.
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