This small island in the district of Okinawa has a very natural, unpretentious feel to it. No masses of touristy t-shirt shops, just beautiful beaches, lush forests, mangroves, rice fields and farmland. It is the southernmost island in Japan.

At Banna Park we enjoyed the viewpoint of Emerald Bay. Below you can see our ship at harbor and the city of Ishigaki where most of the island population of about 50,000 people live. “We are small, but we have everything here,” our guide told us.

Kabira Fuchi Park gave us a beautiful view of Kabira bay. The beach is renowned for its white sands and turquoise waters and it does look very inviting. But swimming is forbidden here. It’s too dangerous. You can take one of the glass bottom boats in the pictures below, although we did not. Treasured black pearls are cultivated in this bay and sold on the island.

We knew we were going to a famous local pottery making company, but we were totally surprised by what we found. The Yoneko-yaki pottery plant makes modern, playful and colorful versions of Shisa statues. Shisas are mythological creatures, often half lion and half dog, that ward off evil from homes, according to the traditional Ryukyuan culture of the Okinawan islands. This store has taken Shisa improvisation to a whole new level. They created a Shisa park in the green fields by their store and factory. There are huge, fantastical creatures sprinkled all over the area. Walking around the ponds and woods, you feel like you’re in some giant anime cartoon.