Probably my favorite place in all of Japan is a tiny island off the coast of a tiny island. The most populous island in the Yaeyama chain in the southernmost islands of Okinawa is Ishigaki. About 10-15 minutes off the Ishigaki coast is a small island called Taketomi. It has less than 400 residents on the island and is so small you can ride around the island on a bike in about an hour...although you'd be missing plenty of awesomeness if you go that quickly.
One of the defining characteristics of Taketomi is the small town of the same name located on the island. All the buildings are still built with red tiled roofs with shisa standing guard (lion statues to protect the house) and the streets look the same as they probably have for hundreds of years. Instead of being paved, they are made of sand and the sides of the "streets" have stone walls built lining them.
Another amazing thing about Taketomi is that it is one of the few places in the world that has star sand. Star sand is exactly what it sounds like. Each grain of sand has spikes coming out of it that makes each grain look like a star. However, due to Taketomi's proximity to the more populated Ishigaki, many tourists have come to the star sand beach and it really doesn't have as much star sand as it used to. In the more distant Iriomote island, the star sand beach seems to never end...although, you might not want to walk around barefoot or lay down directly on the sand. Ouch!
If you are ever lucky enough to make a trip to Taketomi, be sure to stay overnight at a ryokan (Japanese style B&B). There aren't any real hotels on the island, and because of that, most people tend to just go for the day. But if you get to stay overnight, not only will you get to enjoy all the setting sun on the island, but you will have the opportunity to meet a people that may be on the verge of extinction. When I was there, I remember coming across an old man. I let him pass, and as he did, he smiled, greeted me and...well, he said a couple of things to me. I just have no idea what it was. Seeing my confused face, his daughter who was nearby, explains to me that he was 103 years old and doesn't speak Japanese. I have traveled all over the country and am well aware of many different dialects, but I have not come across a dialect that I was unable to catch a single word. It was then that I realized that this was a world that, while the signs and tourists were all Japanese, was a world that doesn't necessarily consider themselves Japanese.
The amazing scenery, unique culture and chance to witness a world that may unfortunately be few and far between in today's globalized world.
At first, it was a little daunting because looking at the weather forecast, it was supposed to top out over 100 degrees for both days, which I thought would keep away a lot of people, which to some extent, probably did. However, we did not have to sit outside in the crazy heat, since we were lucky enough to be able to set our table up inside Pacific Mercantile, which is the Japanese shop at Sakura Square. That way, we were able to be seen by all the people that came inside for air conditioned magic.
