Uehara, Iriomote

November 11, 2026 – Ohara to Uehara, Iriomote – 40 kms – Tandi Ga Tandi apartment

November 12, 2026 – day ride and boat trip to Funauki – 31 kms – Tandi Ga Tandi apartment

November 13, 2026 – day ride – 26 kms (total: 377 kms) – Tandi Ga Tandi apartment

I love Iriomote, but particularly the wild north. We have spent the last few days revisiting some favorite places and discovering some new ones. Each day we have cycled and snorkelled in lovely spots.

Where the road ends at Shirahama port, it is possible to take a ferry to the town of Funauki. With a dwindling population of only 40, its days may be numbered. There is still a school, but I wonder how many children attend. Iriomote, with a total population of about 2,400, has five elementary schools and several middle schools. High school requires leaving the island and going to boarding school in Ishigaki or beyond. Our kayak guide’s 14 year old daughter is heading to Naha on Okinawa next year. I hope she and many of the island’s other teenagers return.

Funauki itself is a small cluster of ramshackle buildings around a tidy port, but just a short walk through the jungle takes you to Ida beach, where the water is exceptionally clear and the coral and fish are amazing.  We also returned to the star sand beach, where the snorkeling wasn’t quite as outstanding, but still a delight.  We were also able to point a Japanese fisherman in the direction of some fish.

Like most of Japan, Iriomote has surprisingly good infrastructure for its small population.  There are currently five ferries per day to Ishigaki (more in the summer) and several buses go to all of the communities every day.  There are a number of impressive harbours, most with expansive breakwaters.  Like many countries in Europe, Japan seems to be able to provide infrastructure and amenities superior to those found in North America, despite having a smaller per capita GDP.  It makes me wonder what they are doing right, though Japan does have a crushing national debt.