Taketomi village

Japan designated the village an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 1987, and the houses keep to single storeys under red tile behind coral walls. Big banyan trees ringed with stone mark the entrances to the hamlets, and local tradition holds that they turn away evil spirits as the lanes bend around them. Nagomi-no-to stands in the middle and has been closed to climbing since 2016.

Soba Dokoro Takenoko has served Yaeyama soba since 1975, and Cafe Teedun Shidame-kan won a soba championship category with its mozuku soba. Garden Asahi on the road to Nishi pier also serves dinner, and Kanifu takes cards and phone payments only.

After the last boat the village goes quiet, and Chirorin Mura stays open as a bar until midnight. The post office in the village has a Japan Post Bank ATM.