Best Place You Never Heard Of

Have you ever wanted to go to a place that was untouched by the West?

Ishigaki is as close to being a native island as I have seen in a while. Of course there are automobiles, electricity and traffic lights, but go outside the small city here and you could swear you were on a tropical island a hundred years ago.

We visited a reconstructed Ishigaki village, and it felt very much like visiting colonial Williamsburg. Not that the houses here are laid in Flemish bond, or flying the Union Jack. It’s just that I kept feeling as though we’re were seeing what Okinawa must have looked like in the early twentieth century before its name became a headline.

The houses and the people here are simple, humble and kind. Almost all of the residents here were born here. This is their world. And it’s a good world for them—lots of sugar cane, and the sweetest pineapple in the world, plenty of fish in the ocean, and the largest manta rays bigger than a yacht.

There is a breed of small monkey here called the squirrel monkey. Only slightly larger than a North Carolina gray squirrel, these intelligent little critters will steal your passport or your purse if you don’t watch out. They even know how to unzip your bag and pockets. Cute but cunning!

Closer to Taipei than Tokyo, this town in Okinawa prefecture is legally and politically part of Japan, but culturally it is unique. It is largely unknown outside its own prefecture, but Japanese vacationers are now discovering its untouched coral reefs. Divers and snorklers have learned of its colorful tropical fish, and sunbathers have found its white sand beaches. If you can imagine Florida without any large cities, you have some idea of the charms of Ishigaki Island.

So if you ever can make it to this forgotten corner of the world, do yourself a big favor and plan to stay a few days. About half your time on land and half on water sounds about right.Read more