Yaeyama Islands GuideThe Yaeyama Islands are the westernmost part of Okinawa, Japan. The Yaeyama Islands are the most southwestern part of Japan, closer to Taiwan and even Batanes of the Philippines than Okinawa Island, much less the mainland. HotelsFind hotels in Ishigaki, Taketomi, Ishigaki, Taketomi and more. IshigakiIshigaki is second-largest but most populated of the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa, Japan. YonaguniYonaguni in the Yaeyama Islands is the westernmost point of Japan. Also known as Dunan in the local language, Yonaguni is a tiny speck of an island with a population of less than 2000, located 125 km from Taiwan and 127 km from Ishigaki. IriomoteIriomote is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa, Japan. While the second-largest of all Okinawa islands in size, Iriomote's population is barely over 2,000 and visitors, at over 150,000 a year, outnumber residents by almost 100:1. TaketomiTaketomi is one of the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa, Japan. Tiny even by Yaeyaman standards, Taketomi gets a disproportionate number of visitors because of its convenient location just off Ishigaki and, above all, its carefully preserved Ryūkyū village. HaterumaHateruma is the southernmost populated island in Japan, and part of Okinawa's Yaeyama Islands. KuroKuro Island is one of the smaller of the Yaeyama Islands of Japan. This island is famous for cattle and there are about 3000 cows in this island in spite of the fact that there are only 200 people.