Taketomi, Okinawa


Taketomi is a town located in Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
The town includes all of the islands in the Yaeyama Islands excluding Ishigaki, Yonaguni, and the Senkaku Islands. This includes the islands of Iriomote, Yubu, Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima, Hateruma, and Hatoma. Although Ishigaki is not part of the town of Taketomi, the town hall is located there.
As of October 2016, the town has an estimated population of 4,050 and the population density of. The total area is.
WWW town.taketomi.lg.jp

Geography

The town includes the inhabited islands of Iriomote, Taketomi, Kohama, Kuro, Hateruma, Hatoma, Aragusuku Kayama and Yubu and the surrounding desert islands such as Sotobanari or Nakanokami.
Since all traffic between the different islands in the town go through Ishigaki Island, the town office is located on Ishigaki Island. There is a project to move it to Ōhara on Iriomote Island, but with the completion of the new town office on Ishigaki Island in 2022, the project in Ōhara will probably be downsized. There are only two other municipalities in Japan whose office is located outside of the municipality: Toshima and Mishima in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Administrative divisions

The town counts thirteen wards, themselves divided into thirty-six villages.

Aza name (Japanese) (Islands)

  • village names

Aragusuku () (Aragusuku Island)

  • Kamiji
  • Shimoji

Iriomote () (Iriomote Island, Uchibanari Island, Sotobanari Island)

  • Funauki
  • Hoshitate
  • Shirahama
  • Sonai

Uehara () (Iriomote Island, Hatopanari Island)

  • Funaura
  • Nakano
  • Sumiyoshi
  • Uehara
  • Urauchi

Kuroshima () (Kuro Island)

  • Akarisuji
  • Hori
  • Iko
  • Miyazato
  • Nakamoto

Kohama () (Kohama Island)

  • Kohama
  • Kubozaki

Komi () (Iriomote Island, Yubu Island)

  • Komi
  • Mihara

Sakiyama () (Iriomote Island, Nakanokami Island)

  • Amitori
  • Kanokawa
  • Sakiyama

Taketomi () (Taketomi Island)

  • Ainota
  • In'nota
  • Nāji

Haimi () (Iriomote Island)

  • Ōhara
  • Toyohara

Haiminaka () (Iriomote Island)

  • Ōtomi

Hateruma () (Hateruma Island)

  • Fuka
  • Kita
  • Mae
  • Minami
  • Naishi

Nature

Taketomi Town, and especially Iriomote Island, is host to the Iriomote cat and the crested serpent eagle, the Chinese box turtle and the Ryūkyū emerald dove, as well as the Sakishima grass lizard. The whole area of Tatetomi Town, including the surrounding sea, is part of the Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park.
The Yaeyama Islands being located at a low latitude, 84 of the 88 constellations are visible, including the Southern Cross when the conditions are good.
The land part of the Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, including Taketomi Town, was designated by DarkSky International as the first dark-sky preserve in Japan on 30 March 2018.

Transportation

Hateruma Airport is located on Hateruma Island in Taketomi.

Education

Combined elementary and junior high schools include:
Junior high schools include:
  • Funaura Junior High School –, Iriomote Island
  • Ōhara Junior High School –, Iriomote Island
Elementary schools include:
  • Komi Elementary School –, Iriomote Island
  • Ohara Elementary School – Haemi
  • Shirama Elementary School – Shirahama, Iriomote Island
  • Uehara Elementary School – Uehara
For public senior high school students may attend schools of the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education.

Cultural and natural assets

Taketomi Town hosts sixty-three designated or registered tangible cultural properties and monuments, at the national, prefectural or municipal level.
  • Name

Cultural Properties">Cultural Property (Japan)">Cultural Properties

  • Artefacts from Shimotabaru Shell Mound
  • Former Yonaguni Family Residence
  • Iko Pier
  • Kamiyama Family Residence
  • Minamikawada Yonatoshi's clothing and tea utensils
  • Nagomi Tower
  • Nakasujinu Nubema's water jar
  • Official clothing of Inafuku Chikudun
  • Ōmori Family Residence
  • Shinmori Family Residence
  • West Pier

Folk Cultural Properties">Cultural Property (Japan)">Folk Cultural Properties

  • Tools for life on Taketomi Island
  • Uhira-kā spring

Historic Sites">Monuments of Japan"> Historic Sites

  • An'nukā Spring
  • Banjo guards office site
  • Birthplace of Akahachi
  • Inumuru
  • Isanchayā Old Tomb
  • Kandoura stone
  • Keraikedagusuku Residence site
  • Kuinupana Site
  • Kuramoto Site
  • Miina-kā spring
  • Nagaki fishing wall
  • Nagata Utaki Sacred Site
  • Nakama No. 1 Shell Mound
  • Nakama No. 2 Shell Mound
  • Nishitō On Sacred Site
  • Ōtakesonaidōgiza's residence site
  • Pinishii Shell Mound
  • Pisada Road
  • Utisukuyama Site
  • Sakishima Beacons
  • Shichisadameishi stone
  • Shimotabaru Castle Site
  • Shimotabaru Shell Mound
  • Shimusukē spring
  • Shinzato village remains
  • Yāmayasukyi shed in the Kohama Residence

Places of scenic beauty">Monuments of Japan">Places of scenic beauty

  • Scenery of Takana
  • Ufudaki

Natural Monuments">Monuments of Japan">Natural Monuments

  • Asabishibana Stone
  • Bantigue mangrove plant community
  • Banyan tree plant community of Kōkibaru
  • Hatoma-nakamori forest
  • Hoshitate Natural Protected Area
  • Looking-glass mangrove community in Komi Heritiera littoralis
  • Nakama River Natural Protected Area
  • Nakanokami Island sea birds breeding grounds
  • Nipa palm communities of Funaura Nypa fruticans
  • Old bay tree
  • Old mulberry tree
  • Ryūkyū moonflower plant community of Shiisabaru Wā Sacred Site
  • Ryūkyū moonflower plant community of Ubaruta
  • Satake palm community in Ubundoru Satakentia liukiuensis
  • Sea almond tree of Kamadoma
  • Yaeyama hamago of Funauki Vitex trifolia var. bicolor