Yonaguni's unique attraction for archaeologists and divers alike are the mysterious underwater ruins (海底遺跡 kaitei iseki) which lie off the southern coast of the island. A single platform 100 by 50 meters wide and up to 25 meters tall, seeming carved out of solid rock at perfectly right angles and dated by some to be 8000 years old, the technology required to build them here doesn't seem to match any known timeline of human history. Some maintain that they are the product of the lost Continent of Mu or even alien artifacts, while the most boring explanation would be that they are merely the product of strange geological processes ? although the (apparent) hallways and staircases, as well as what appear to be regular rows of holes dug for moving rock and even what some take to be a form of writing on the walls, would appear to defy this.
Seeing the ruins, however, takes some time, effort and skill: the area is notorious for its currents and not suitable for beginning divers, although several diving shops run one-day crash courses that culminate in a guided tour of the ruins. For those with the requisite skills (PADI AOWD or more), a day's diving starts at �12,000. Note that the ruins, some 20 minutes by boat from Kubura, are usually only accessible when they are on the leeward side of a north wind and the currents are not too strong, so you'll also need some luck just to get here.
Wind conditions permitting, can also arrange glass-bottomed boats to make the trip for �5000/head if there are five or more passengers (or you can charter the whole boat yourself). Don't expect to see very much, as the ruins are at a depth of 5 to 20 meters, when the weather is bad.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Yonaguni
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Yonaguni - updated Apr 2024
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Yonaguni Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
