Blog
Blog
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Black-winged kite
The black-winged kite is widely distributed mainly in the African continent, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is a rare stray bird in Japan due to its outlying distribution area, but on Ishigaki Island it has become established and breeds and can be observed all year round.I first saw it in Senegal. It was a bird that was very wary and would fly away if I approached it even a little. When I saw it on Ishigaki Island a few years ago, I only saw it in the distance.Recently, however, there are more and more individuals that are less cautious,…
- Birds
- Ishigaki Island
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Ryukyu serpent eagle
The crested serpent eagle is the symbol of Ishigaki Island. It is widespread from India and China to South-East Asia, but Japanese subspecie, Ryukyu serpent eagle, is an endangered species in Japan. Deaths due to traffic accidents are particularly serious. According to Mr Kobayashi of SeaBeans, who has been guiding on Ishigaki Island for many years, four have already been killed this year. When you drive on the roads of Ishigaki Island, you will see signs warning of crested serpent eagle accidents here and there. They often appear on the side of the road when the weather is bad. The bird in…
- Birds
- Ishigaki Island
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Pāntu shokudō
The local restaurant, Pāntu shokudō, is located just over 10 minutes' walk from the mangrove forests of Shimajiri. The Pāntu yakisoba (fried noodles), inspired by the black mud figure of the gods and many locals, are highly recommended. It tastes similar to squid smelt spaghetti, but the noodles are Miyako soba. The slightly thicker flat noodles are a perfect match. The mangroves of Shimajiri do not have many wild birds, but there is a well-maintained boardwalk where you can observe shorebirds and plovers that drop in during the spring and autumn migrations. At low tide, they can be seen pecking at…
- Miyako Island
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Miyako soba noodle
Food is one of the pleasures of travelling, but one thing that has never been more popular is Okinawan soba. Although soba are commonly known as fresh or dried Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour, Okinawa soba is a unique evolution of Chinese noodles. Unlike ramen, many people do not like the unique noodles or the lightly flavoured soup. Like ramen, there are regional variations of Okinawa soba. Among them, Miyako soba from Miyako Island is like thin udon noodles and seems easy to eat. While Okinawan soba noodles are thicker and frizzier, Miyako soba noodles are flat and made without…
- Miyako Island
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Okinawa Ice Cream
When visiting supermarkets on Miyako Island, the variety of frozen foods is astonishing. In particular, the abundance of ice-creams is enviable: the red potato and chinsuko (traditional small biscuit made of mostly lard and flour in Okinawa) ice-creams from Okinawa Meiji Dairies Corporation, known under the okimei brand name, would be bought up if they were available on the mainland. Blue Seal, on the other hand, established the Okinawa ice cream brand with the slogan ‘Born in America, Raised in Okinawa. At the Painagama branch on Miyako Island, the colourful ice-cream sculptures are a popular photo spot. There is also a…
- Miyako Island
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Nudokubiabu
From Miyako Island, cross the 3.5 km Irabu Ohashi Bridge to Irabu Island. In the middle of an expansive sugar cane field lies the entrance to a cave called Nudokubiabu. The cave, which is 22 m deep and 25 m long, has a large vertical hole inside, where a very fantastic sight can be seen, with banyan trees extending their roots from the ground. It has recently become a popular power spot, but the downside is that it is difficult to find. There is only a small signboard and no parking space, so you have to park your car on the side…
- Miyako Island
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Miyako-jima Mamoru-kun
Miyako Island is known for its blue sea, known as Miyako blue. However, my personal favourite is Miyako-jima Mamoru-kun, a police officer-shaped doll. These police officer-shaped dolls were installed on roads for traffic safety in 1996 and have been seen on Miyako Island and the surrounding islands ever since. The character is now popular with tourists, and various goods such as sweets and stationery based on the character are on sale. When I first visited Miyako Island, I found them extremely creepy. However once I got used to them, I found them strangely cute and mysterious. In Japan, such strange but…
- Miyako Island
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Pāntu
On Miyako Island, the largest and most populous of the Miyako Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, the number of foreign tourists has increased with the arrival of cruise ships and property prices have soared on the island due to the rush for resort hotels, known as the ‘Miyako Island Bubble’. The island is also vulnerable to external influences, such as the Corona Disaster, where the mayor called for people to stop coming to the island, even though it is not an overtourism phenomenon like Kyoto. The Shimajiri area in the north of Miyako Island is home to mangrove forests. In this village,…
- Miyako Island
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Snow in Kyoto
Kyoto is extremely hot in summer and extremely cold in winter. Our guesthouse is a renovated old private house built in 1940, but it is not what is known as a Kyomachiya (traditional Kyoto townhouse); the Building Standard Law came into force in 1950, and no matter how old the house is, it cannot be classified as a Kyomachiya if it has been renovated at least once since then. However machiya houses are relatively cool in summer, they can be incredibly cold in winter as they have no insulation and are constructed to allow outside air to pass through to…
- Travel tips
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Setsubun iwashi
Food culture changes as places change. In western Japan, including Kyoto, sardines are eaten on Setsubun. Setsubun means the division of the seasons. Setsubun in winter, in particular, is a time when people throw roasted soybeans while shouting ''Devils out! Fortune in!'’ (Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi), and eat as many beans as their age to ward off evil spirits.In Gifu, where I am from, there is no custom of eating sardines as far as I know.In western Japan, on the other hand, the heads of sardines are displayed at the entrance or grilled with salt. It seems that…
- Culture
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Traveller Review Awards 2025
Thanks to your support, we have won the Booking.com Traveller Review Awards for the sixth year in a row. During the three-odd years of the Corona disaster, there were days when there were no guests at all and we were worried about what would happen, but we are glad that we have continued to do so. We will continue to make every effort to make your stay as comfortable as possible, so please do not hesitate to let us know if there is anything we have not done right.
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Kaki-no-tane
Kaki-no-tane is one of Japan's most popular snacks. These soy sauce-flavoured arare with a spicy chilli flavour are called kaki-no-tane because of their resemblance to the seeds of the persimmon tree. Above all, the combination with peanuts is popularly known as kaki-pi. Kaki-pi go well with beer and are popular as a snack. They are sometimes offered free of charge as a coffee snack in coffee shops. They are sold in supermarkets and convenience stores throughout Japan and are also reasonably priced.So it is one of the most recommended souvenirs. One of the major concerns of the Japanese public is that the…
- Travel tips