与那国　Yonaguni

Ever been received at the airport by someone in a wetsuit??

That was the sight that greeted me the minute I stepped into the arrival area at the Yonaguni airport. It took all my self-control not to burst out in laughter.

Anyway, after a 1h 20min flight, I landed in Yonaguni, the western-most island of Japan. Yonaguni is a tiny island, which is only 120km away from Taiwan (that's closer to Taiwan than it is to Naha).

After picking up all the divers, Suzuki-san (wetsuit guy) dropped me and my roommate Biki-san off at our cozy 民宿 minshuku (family-run Japanese inn) called Omoro. The lady boss of Omoro, Manami-san, is a really sweet motherly figure.

Dining and common area for relaxation

I shared a room with Biki-san who was also diving with the same dive operator. Really nice, gentle Japanese lady. Doctor from Chiba prefecture.

Barely had 1 hour to rest since both Biki-san and I had signed up for 2 dives today.

Checkout dive was at the Arch. Good dive. Dramatic rock structures and nice swim-throughs. Water visibility was superb.

Saw this really interesting fish called オビテンスモドキ Obitensumodoki (juvenile). Very flitty little fish...reminds me of the juvenile sweetlips that made my dive buddy KP throw up at Sipadan..haha!! But don't know the English name...help!!

My 100th dive was done at the 遺跡 Iseki (Underwater ruins). Dated by some to be 8,000 years old, it is still disputed by archaelogists as to whether it is the lost continent of Mu (?) or merely some strange geological result. However, there are door-like openings, staircases carved out of solid rock at perfect right angles, and even hieroglyphic writing on some "walls" that support the lost civilization theory. Anyway, I found it a very interesting dive, especially with the dive guide drawing pictures and gesticulating wildly to try to explain to me what each place was.

Was completely tired out by the 2 dives. Yonaguni is in the open sea, so the waves are choppy and there are strong currents.

After a nice warm shower, Biki-san, I and the 2 other guys staying at the minshuku tucked into the fabulous dinner that Manami-san prepared for us: mochi rice, tofu miso soup, sashimi, goya champoru (again! but this one tasted better, or maybe I was just really hungry!), and some pickly appetizers. We had a good time chatting with the other 2 guys (a diver from Shizuoka, and a non-diver from Yamagata) and Manami-san.

Then, Biki-san and I went to our dive shop to log our dives. The dive shop opened a bottle of awamori (Okinawa's indigenous liquor) to celebrate my 100th dive. (The alcoholic concentration of Awamori ranges from 25-90%!) I think awamori tastes like shochu. There was a toast in honour of my 100th dive and everyone went back to their respective minshukus slightly drunk but happy.