I have already written my experience in Yonehara beach of last year on this blog,
If you have read those posts, you would have fully understand why I got so fascinated with the beach.
So of course I went back there this year (2019), and it was as wonderful as last year!
- First of all, look at the beauties of the beach!
- You can access the beach either by bus or car
- 1-3 hours after the full tide. it may be a good time for snorkeling
- After lunch. This was 2 hours before the lowest tide. I found a fabulous coral point.
- Lunch: There are a few diners around the beach
- The shower facility is available for free
- Something you need to keep in mind before going to Yonehara beach
First of all, look at the beauties of the beach!
Yonehara beach is the most famous beach for free snorkeling in Ishigaki Island.
Here are the pictures of the beach 2 hours after the highest tides. There were not so many people which kept the beach really calm and cozy.
And this is the view under the sea. It depends on the level of the tide, but you can find coral reefs like this at points where the tide is lower than your height.
You can access the beach either by bus or car
Last year, my friend and I managed to get there by bus, so it’s possible.
However, Ishigaki is not a city, so there are only a few bus schedule options to go there and back, so I suggest you to get your international driver’s license so you could rent a car instead.
As to parking lots, there are free ones and charged ones. So if you do not want to pay the fee, go through the road to the free parking space.
It was before 10 a.m. when I parked my car here, so there were still plenty of slots. But if it is full, it’s only 500 JPY (less than $5) or so for the charged spaces. Do not worry so much.
The path to the beach from the parking lot.
1-3 hours after the full tide. it may be a good time for snorkeling
I experienced snorkeling here last year, and the tide was almost the lowest. It was very good because it was my first time to do snorkeling on my own. I mean, I had already participated in several boat tours, but Yonehara beach was the first place for me to do snorkeling without an instructor.
However, it’s hard during the lowest tide because you can’t walk on the reefs or creatures, and the water is too shallow to swim! In that case, it would be easier for you to start snorkeling when the water level is not so low.
Make sure to wear a life jacket because there are some areas where the currents are so strong. Even if you are a very good swimmer, it cannot be a guarantee for you to be safe. Besides, it’s also useful to keep your body parallel to the bottom when it’s too shallow (you must not step on the coral reefs and you don’t want to touch any dangerous creatures like sea snail with your foot).
You can rent one at a shop near the parking lot.
1 hour after the highest tide. Not very clear
Can you see any fish around the bottom? This is 20 meters away from the beach. The water was not very clear at that time.
Some white fish.
There are some rather big stony corals which tops are bleached, but sides alive.
The tiny blue fish are everywhere. They are sparkling like jewels.
This is the most popular beach, but few people go there.
Compared to the beaches of Yaeyama islands, there were more people in Yonehara beach, but still very few. If you are used to the beaches in other major beaches in the world, you would be surprised with the calmness here.
3 hours after the full tide. The water was clearer than earlier!
After a break on the beach, I restarted swimming into the sea and found the water much clearer than 2 hours earlier.
At some points, there were several kinds of stony corals.
different types of corals.
After lunch. This was 2 hours before the lowest tide. I found a fabulous coral point.
It was after 3 p.m. when I started snorkeling again after lunch break. Although it was 2 hours before the lowest tide time which was announced officially, it looked almost like the lowest tide.
↓This is the same point 5 hours earlier. You can compare the difference.
During low tide, you can find bigger fish where the water level is less than 1m like this.
It’s better for kids to try looking underwater by using a bucket with transparent bottom.
I explored the sea until I finally reached a magnificent area.
I was already a bit tired, so I was not so keen on exploring the new zones. So, I did not care when the camera battery died.
However, I came across an area of so many totally different types of coral reefs around 100 meters off the beach. It was so fascinating, so I tried to memorize the location and went back to the beach to charge my camera briefly.
I tried going back to that spot,
but I couldn’t find the exact same place
unfortunately.
However, Here are the pictures of the zone where completely different corals can be seen.
This big coral is dead and now rock-like looking but many other small corals are attached.
This was like a junction for many kinds of fish.
It was unbelievably full of corals.
Lunch: There are a few diners around the beach
In the morning, I talked to a staff of the hotel I was staying at and he recommended me the “Tonkatsu Riki” just nearby the beach.
Tonkatsu is Japanese style fried pork, so if you like that, I think the diner is for you.
Unfortunately, it was closed on that day!
So we went to another diner which is 10 minutes away on foot.
Just go along this road.
Here is the diner.
You can order Okinawan soba (noodle) small/big, miso soup with a bowl of rice, fried noodle, or tofu chanpurū (stir fried dish). Order at the counter and get your dish there when it’s ready.
Pineapple was offered for free on that day (perhaps it depends on the day).
My friend had the small for Okinawan soba and the big one was for me ( I got hungry after snorkeling!)
I have not tried other foods here, but their soba is highly recommended. You can just say “soba”. I guess most Japanese people can understand the English words ‘big’ and ‘small’.
Okinawan soba is totally different from the soba you generally have in Tokyo. I really like the texture and the taste of the soup. Note that the meat is pork and the soup is made from pork bones, so if you cannot eat pork, that’s not for you. In that case, tofu champuru is a good option for you.
The pineapple was also very sweet and delicious.
The shower facility is available for free
There are 2 bathrooms (toilet in British English) on the same level as the parking lot, but there’s none at the beach. It’s rather clean for a public one.
As for shower rooms, I found one facility on the same level too.
Go through this path and just walk for 30 meters more.
Here it is! It was so useful to change from swim suits to nomal clothes.
The water pressure was rather strong and it was a bit fall like… but no hot water is available.
If you want to take hot shower, you can go to the marine shop near the parking lot. I guess it costs 300 JPY or so.
Something you need to keep in mind before going to Yonehara beach
Again, please remember to wear a life jacket when you swim there to protect yourself and the coral reefs! (Do NOT step on them if they are alive)
And you had better think about avoiding the strong UV there. I experienced the beaches in South France and South Eastern countries (like Ko Samui in Thailand), but the UV in Okinawa region is by far the strongest.
Do not expose your body on the beach for a very long time, otherwise you will get burnt.
Thank you for reading 🙂
