Fodor's Expert Review Taketomi Island

It's a 15-minute ferry trip from Ishigaki City to the quaint terra-cotta-roofed cottages, sleepy lanes, and empty beaches of Taketomi Island. The cute little town is easily navigable by bicycle. Another fun option is the "old-fashioned" tour—meander between the narrow rock walls in a water buffalo-drawn cart while you're serenaded by a three-stringed sanshin and the soaring voice of the driver. Kondoi Beach, about 15 minutes by bicycle from the center of town, has good swimming with showers and changing facilities. Hoshizuna Beach is famous for its star sand, which is, depending on who you ask, either the tiny exoskeletons of marine protozoa or the children of stars.