About
DiscoverYaima.

Why DiscoverYaima began.

DiscoverYaima began as a website my husband created to share videos about the Yaeyama Islands. After I moved to Ishigaki, it grew into a place where we could bring together travel information, writing, photography and film.

We worked together on film projects that took us across the Yaeyama Islands. During those journeys, we also photographed and filmed the places we visited, and shared that work through DiscoverYaima.

A background in Tourism Destination Management also shaped the website. At the time, very little information about Ishigaki and the Yaeyama Islands was available in English. We could see that more international travellers would eventually find their way here and wanted to give them useful information for their visit.

The kind of travel we want to support.

DiscoverYaima supports thoughtful travel to the islands. DiscoverYaima is for travellers who are curious about the culture, respect the people who live here and understand that these are living communities, not only holiday destinations.

The Yaeyama Islands are very different from mainland Japan. Each island has its own history, traditions and way of life. We hope the website helps visitors notice those differences, learn from them and perhaps take some of that island perspective home.

DiscoverYaima does not speak for the people of Yaeyama. Many families and communities have roots and knowledge here that go back much further than our own experience. We continue to listen to the people who know these islands best.

What island life has taught us.

Living on Ishigaki has also meant learning about Japanese culture in everyday ways that are not always easy to put into words.

Often it is visible in small acts. People share fruit or vegetables when they have more than they need. Over the years, we have received a great deal of kindness, practical help and generosity from people around us. Helping one another does not always have to be something big.

Typhoons show another side of island life. Sometimes everyone has to stay indoors for several days. People prepare by making sure there is enough food and water and by thinking ahead about possible power cuts. Supplies are not always available immediately and deliveries can be delayed, but life continues. We have come to admire that strength and preparedness.

At the same time, life here can feel wonderfully relaxed. It is possible to step away from the noise and constant activity of larger cities. Ishigaki has gained many more facilities in recent years, but there is still room to live simply and return to basics.

That way of life will not suit everyone. For us, having less noise, less pressure to consume and more space around us feels like a form of luxury.

Photography & film

Living with the weather.

The weather changes quickly here, and with it the whole atmosphere of a place. Living close to the sea and mountains, we feel those changes immediately. They affect the light, the water, our plans and the rhythm of the day, often more directly than they would in a city.

The sea is something we return to, including on days when the weather is grey. We pass it every day, but it never looks quite the same. It can be bright blue, green, restless in the wind or completely still.

Low clouds sometimes settle between the mountains. The water and sky become almost the same grey-blue, while the green of the island appears deeper. It gives Ishigaki a filmic atmosphere that is very different from a clear tropical day.

The mountains are part of what makes Ishigaki feel different from the other islands. Here, nature and weather remain close to daily life, and often decide what can be photographed that day.

Looking towards the future.

More people will visit Yaeyama in the years ahead. We want DiscoverYaima to help travellers understand the islands before they arrive.

Travel can support these islands when visitors arrive with attention, patience and respect. The goal is to help people enjoy Ishigaki and Yaeyama without losing sight of the culture, nature and everyday life that make them worth visiting.

ISL& began with island life.

ISL& started with an interest in what living on an island means: the distance, the sea, the things people make and the ways communities work together. That idea runs through ISL& Natural Guides: Ishigaki, alongside maps, photography, local food, nature and personal stories.

DiscoverYaima brings the same interest to an online travel guide. It is practical where it needs to be, personal where the story is ours, and open about the fact that there is always more to learn.

Get in touch.

For questions about DiscoverYaima, editorial work or collaboration, visit our contact page. For a book order, use the contact details in the ISL& shop.