Aragusuku Island Street in Aragusu Island
Aragusuku Island (Uechi) Street in Aragusu Island
     This is a manned island located at the southeast of Iriomote, being almost flat and made of elevated corals.  The island consists of two islands of Uechi and Shimoji.  Originally this was a single island and it was separated into two islands by a great tsunami occurred in the Edo period (around 17th century).  Aragusuku Island is usually called "Panari" in Iriomote, "Panari" means "away", that is, the island is away from Iriomote.  Although once many people used to live there, recently underpopulation is advancing, at this moment there are only two people who have certificates of residences at the island.  In the island, there is a mermaid shrine in which a dugong that was a model of a mermaid legend is deified, and the street shows a simple appearance to make us feel the original Yaeyama. 
     How to access to Aragusuku Island, you can utilize a tour boat from Ohara by Marine Kaiyu, and a sea kayak tour by Haimi Papillon.