1 Ma-sando, Ishigaki City, Ishigaki-jima
Ma-sando means 'delicious' in the Yaeyama dialect, and at the harbourside restaurant of the same name the concept becomes tangible. Background Okinawan ballads set the tone, while the chef and his fireball-spitting wok offer plenty of thrills for diners who sit too near the service counter. Try the toku-toku (1,500 yen, or $105), which includes mimi-ga (julienned pig's ear in vinaigrette), sunui (tangy seaweed), goya champuru (bitter-melon stir-fry) and homemade rafute (stewed pork Okinawan style). Look for the giant red lantern hanging outside on Shiyakusho Street. Ishigaki-jima is the main Yaeyama island; Ishigaki City is Japan's southernmost town.
2 Torinji Temple, Ishigaki port
Escape the afternoon heat in the small but leafy grounds of Torinji Temple, several blocks' walk west of Ishigaki port. Shafts of sunlight blend with wafting incense, lizards scurry between gravestones and the temple's ancient banyan tree roots seem bent on strangling the concrete deities. Enclosed by a stone wall (which is what ishi-gaki means), the temple was built in 1614. Its shady courtyard is a good place to watch worshippers come and go, enjoy birdsongs or even read for a while.
3 Taniwha, Ishigaki City
Tall tales and quirky characters are never lacking at Taniwha, a backstreet cafe-bar popular with yachties, Japanese artists and mainland escapees. Under management of avid sailor Kuri-san, a steerage-like atmosphere prevails: floorboards creak and groan, nautical charts and postcards of far-off places plaster the walls, and there's a long wooden counter along which tall glasses of awa-mori rice spirit are slid into customers' hands. Drinks cost about 500 yen and food is available.