Ishigakijima, Okinawa Location:   24.4N   124.2E E-mail link... Welcome to Ishigaki Island Detailed map of the region, showing the countries in the area A little bit about myself: my home is in the south of Ishigaki Island, near the harbour and the town administration. I used to work as ships's radio operator and in electronics and for some time also tried my hand at car and household electric repair work, but nowadays my life looks very different: in recent years my mainstay has been international tourism and language related work (tourism planning, translation, interpretation, teaching). (My hobbies are my work, music, and amateur radio.) Some of my staff can speak English, but your correspondence will go directly to me. Let me show you some pictures of my island...   (Photo credit: Ishigakijimaumibe) Ishigaki Island is the transportation hub for the Yaeyama Island Group (combined population of about 50,000), which is part of Okinawa Prefecture and includes both Japan's southermost inhabited island, Hateruma, and Japan's westernmost island, Yonaguni (Okinawa was an independent country, at that time called Ryukyu, until 1879, when Japan took over).   (Photo credit: Chamomile) (Photo credit: Ishigakijimaumibe) Yonaguni, the westernmost island in the Yaeyama Group, is located over 500km (300miles) away from the prefectural capital, Naha, on Okinawa Island, but less than 120km (75miles) from Taiwan. The island is well-known among insiders not only for its giant moths and small Mongolian horses (ponies) but also for its "underwater ruins", which attract many divers. The southernmost island, Hateruma, lies within 65 km (40 miles) of the tropic of cancer, halfway between the northernmost islands of the Philippines and Okinawa Island. And then there is Iriomote Island, much of it protected as nature reserve, with its own species of wild cat (lynx) and other marvels of nature.   ("New Year's Day Sunrise" by Ryouko Miyazato, 2008) (Photo credit: Chamomile) You can enjoy more photos of Ishigaki Island at Ishigaki-Japan.com, the website of a British photographer who moved to Ishigaki in late 2008. Page last updated: February 2010 atamagawata