Island Vibes

Ishigaki, Japan. What an immediate change of pace. A third the size of Seoul, yet only 0.5% of the population. Life is slow, and most places don’t even open until around 10 a.m. You’re tropical, you’re beautiful—I adore you.

I made a significant error in not checking whether I had an international driving permit. I thought I did, since I drove in Antigua last year… but turns out, I don’t. And apparently, it’s not something you can just get online?! Another thing I’ve realized on this trip: I am very reliant on being able to order things—ahem, Amazon—and have them show up instantly. That’s not how it works here, not at all.

My hotel has a free “mini-bar” in the lobby from 3–10 p.m. Which, in reality, is full-sized bottles of liquor and a few mixers. Would’ve been much cooler if I wasn’t the only one there. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The first night, I woke up around 12:30 a.m. to an earthquake—5.3, I found out later. It was strong enough to make me wonder if I needed to do something… but not strong enough to actually get out of bed. I just laid there, wide-eyed for a minute, waiting to see if it got worse (it didn’t, phew). In the morning, it was like nothing happened—no one else even mentioned it.

I came here for the scuba diving—described as some of the best in Japan. I was only able to book one day of diving, so the rest of the time, I explored. There’s “Cat Island,” a man-made island just across a bridge from my hotel, with beautiful views of the sunset. And, yes, lots of cats. I also walked to a lovely beach about five miles from my hotel, traipsing through a fancy resort to get there because Google Maps didn’t tell me there was another way. It was a lovely walk—but my left hip is apparently not thrilled with anything over nine miles.

Diving was such a great time—huge shout out to Prime Scuba Ishigaki for being amazing from start to finish. The whole staff was so kind and welcoming. Big thanks especially to Soji and Taz: Soji was my main contact, super easy to communicate with, fun on the boat, and just an all-around kind human. Taz, my instructor for all three dives, was patient, funny, and made the whole day feel relaxed and personal. Honestly, the entire day couldn’t have been better—well, maybe if we’d seen manta rays and it hadn’t poured for an hour. But hey, it’s part of the adventure, and still absolutely worth it.

I was able to explore the island a little more, and soak in the unspoiled beauty of this part of the world. So much of it is undeveloped, untouched, just pure nature. It was also striking to realize what wasn’t there—no trash, no graffiti, no drugs, no crime, no visible homelessness. Such a different world than the one I live in.

Ishigaki is beautiful. I highly recommend you don’t go, so that when I come back, it’s still as un-touristy as possible.

Next stop: Nara, Japan.