Taketomi Island -Koboshi Bunko
Early reservations are recommended as they fill up quickly.
◆Tuk-tuks and electric trikes are also popular!
What Is the Koboshi Bunko?
A library created by writer Itoko Okabe for elementary and middle school students on Taketomi Island.
I’ve heard that back then, since there were no libraries or bookstores on the island and books themselves were a rare commodity, they were highly prized.
It is said that adults have been holding reading groups and other activities for children here to help them develop their reading and writing skills.
Directions to Koboshi Bunko
Koboshi Bunko is located about a 16-minute walk or a 5-minute drive from Taketomi Port.
Leave Taketomi Port and head toward the village.
Continue straight along the road, passing Taketomi Island Parler Ganju-ya and Shima-yado Ganju-ya on your left, then turn right at the next intersection.
When you see the Taketomi Folk Art Museum on your left, turn left at the next Y-intersection, then turn right at the second intersection, and you’ll find Koboshi Bunko on your right.
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How to Play at Koboshi Bunko
The Koboshi Library, located next to Nitta Kanko.
This is a library exclusively for children living on Taketomi Island; tourists are not allowed inside, but even from the outside, you can see that there are books inside.
I hear that Mr. Okabe, who is from Kyoto, loves Taketomi Island and built a library for the children there.
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Details on the Koboshi Library
This library was established by Ms. Itsuko Okabe, a writer for the Koboshi Bunko series, for the children of the island.
Although Itsuko Okabe herself was from Osaka, she had a special attachment to Okinawa because her fiancé had died during the Battle of Okinawa.
There were no bookstores, let alone libraries, on Taketomi Island, so there were almost no places where children could enjoy reading.
It was founded through the generosity of Ms. Itsuko Okabe, who learned of this.
Many children used it back then, and many still do today.
Itoko Okabe passed away in 2008, mourned by many.
As mentioned above, Koboshi Bunko is a library exclusively for children living on the island, so tourists are not permitted to enter freely.
Even if you do visit, just admire the exterior from the outside.
It features the traditional architecture of the Yaeyama Islands, and on the roof, a charming shisa—Okinawa’s guardian beast—sits to ward off evil spirits.
At the 36th Noma Reading Promotion Award, presented by the Reading Promotion Movement Association—a nonprofit organization that honors exemplary individuals and groups who have dedicated many years to promoting reading in their communities, workplaces, and other settings and have contributed to the reading promotion movement—the Koboshi Library, run by students at Taketomi Elementary and Junior High School, received the award in the group category.
Taketomi Island once had neither bookstores nor libraries, but I believe it is solely due to the existence of the Koroshi Bunko that it has come to receive such an honor.
Recommended Sightseeing Spots Near Koboshi Bunko
Kihoin Collection Museum
To get to the Kibōin Collection Hall from the Koboshi Library, exit the Koboshi Library and turn right.
Once you pass the intersection, you'll see the Kihō-in Collection Hall on your right.
The Kihō-in Collection Museum is a museum of historical and folk artifacts located adjacent to Kihō-in Temple, Japan’s southernmost temple, in the village of Taketomi Island.
The museum displays approximately 4,000 items, including arts and crafts and folk artifacts from Taketomi Island, and visitors can learn about the symbols used in the pre-literate era, the Wara-san (knotted ropes), and the origins of the patterns found in Minsa weaving.
Address: 108, Taketomi Aza, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa, Japan
Access: 15 min. walk from Taketomi Port
Fee: Adults 300 yen, children 150 yen
Business hours: 9:00-17:00
Taketomi Folk Art Museum
To get to the Taketomi Folk Art Museum from the Koboshi Library, leave the library, turn left, and then turn left at the first intersection.
Turn right at the end of the road, and you'll find the Taketomi Folk Art Museum on your right.
The Taketomi Folk Art Museum was established to ensure the proper preservation and continuation of traditional crafts—such as Minsa obi sashes and banana-fiber cloth—not only on Taketomi Island but throughout the Yaeyama Islands.
Inside the museum, panels explain the process of weaving traditional Okinawan textiles, such as Minsa and banana fiber cloth.
This fabric is characterized by the "Yashirami" pattern, which is inspired by the legs of a centipede and created by weaving short horizontal stripes from the minsa fabric in succession. It carries the meanings "Please visit me often" and, because the indigo dye is applied in multiple layers, "Layering love."
You can also watch a live weaving demonstration or try your hand at weaving yourself. A 10-centimeter-square coaster can be made in about 30 minutes to an hour, so feel free to give it a try!
Address: 435 Taketomi, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa, Japan
Directions: About a 15-minute walk from Taketomi Port
Price: 500 yen on average
tower of peace and quiet
To get to Nagomi Tower from Koboshi Bunko, leave Koboshi Bunko and turn left.
After passing the intersection and turning right at the next T-junction, you'll see Nagomi Tower on your right.
Nagomi Tower is located in the center of the village on Taketomi Island. It was once said to be the highest point on the island, and offers a panoramic view of the entire village.
The observation deck on Nmbfulu Hill is said to be the highest point on the island.
Since the Nagomi Tower was closed to the public in 2016, it is currently not possible to enter it.
Location: Taketomi, Taketomi Town, Yaeyama County, Okinawa Prefecture
Access: 15 min. walk from Taketomi Port
Parking: None
Meals (nearby): None
Toilet: None
Details on the Koboshi Library
| Location | 97 Taketomi, Taketomi Town, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture (View on Map) |
| Access | A 7-minute drive from Taketomi Port |
| parking lot | nashi (Pyrus pyrifolia, esp. var. culta) |
| toilet | nashi (Pyrus pyrifolia, esp. var. culta) |
| Business Hours | - |
Related columns are here↓.
How to get to Taketomi Island, how to play, and a list of recommendations!
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Ishigaki Island Tours
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