Getting there and getting away: Yoron is the southernmost island of Kagoshima prefecture, and approx 23km north of Okinawa.
The fe
rry stops there en route from Naha to Kagoshima City, arriving at Motobu port at 0900 and leaving at 0920. It arrives around noon at Yoron. The ferry is large, but a bit shabby, and appears to have had no cosmetic upgrade since the late 1970s. There are only a few seats on the deck; everyone tends to hang out in the communal tatami rooms. Tickets are not cheap - 2 people and two bikes cost about 16,000Y round trip. It is too bad there is no smaller, fast ferry from Okuma to service Yoron. The return ferry arrives to port at 1400, leaving around 1420. Watching the dockworkers manage the ferry and on/offloading cargo is an adventure in itself.
rry stops there en route from Naha to Kagoshima City, arriving at Motobu port at 0900 and leaving at 0920. It arrives around noon at Yoron. The ferry is large, but a bit shabby, and appears to have had no cosmetic upgrade since the late 1970s. There are only a few seats on the deck; everyone tends to hang out in the communal tatami rooms. Tickets are not cheap - 2 people and two bikes cost about 16,000Y round trip. It is too bad there is no smaller, fast ferry from Okuma to service Yoron. The return ferry arrives to port at 1400, leaving around 1420. Watching the dockworkers manage the ferry and on/offloading cargo is an adventure in itself. What to do: Yoron is quite flat compared to other islands nearby, and surrounded by a reef. A road circumnavigates the island in 22km. 
On the western part of the island is the ferry port, the airport, and the main town. The remainder is rural, with lots of taro and sugarcane. There are lovely white sand beaches all around the island. The local map points out snorkel/dive sites. There is a beach suitable for surfing just west of the windmill, on the south side of the island. On the east coast the reef is the more distant from the shore, and in extreme low tide a sand island emerges that is covered in star sand (and thus is a major tourist attraction). The southern part of the island is the hilliest. You can walk up to the Southern Cross Center, which offers great views of the western side of the island. We had just two days and spent most of it bicycling around the island. Sadly, some parts of the island fell victim to real estate / commercial schemes destined for failure (stores, discos, hotels, beachside cottages, etc), now in a state of disrepair. 
On the western part of the island is the ferry port, the airport, and the main town. The remainder is rural, with lots of taro and sugarcane. There are lovely white sand beaches all around the island. The local map points out snorkel/dive sites. There is a beach suitable for surfing just west of the windmill, on the south side of the island. On the east coast the reef is the more distant from the shore, and in extreme low tide a sand island emerges that is covered in star sand (and thus is a major tourist attraction). The southern part of the island is the hilliest. You can walk up to the Southern Cross Center, which offers great views of the western side of the island. We had just two days and spent most of it bicycling around the island. Sadly, some parts of the island fell victim to real estate / commercial schemes destined for failure (stores, discos, hotels, beachside cottages, etc), now in a state of disrepair. 
What to eat: We sourced our breakfast from the Y store, which has fresh-baked pastries (150-300Y each) and canned coffee. These were some of the nicest pastries we've had in Japan, and ranged from a custard filled bread to a citrus-infused snail roll to a savory pastry stuffed with potato and mayonnaise with fish roe. We had lunch twice at Umi cafe, which is in "Greek village" - a couple of whitewashed buildings and gardens along a path from the main town to the beach. The cafe has terrace looking out over the fishing port. The interior decor is quite pretty, white and blue with beachy knickknacks and wire
artwork. The proprietress serves greek salad (1000Y), pasta of the day (900Y), bread with butter (200Y), which together make a delicious meal. It had been so long since we've had kalamata olives and feta cheese...and the dressing was worth sopping up with the bread. Cafe hours are 1100-1700. There are maps available there of the town; maps of the island are available from the Kadena travel office (along with the ferry schedule and a rudimentary list of hotels). We ate dinner at the izakaya with a menu board out front, around the corner from our minshuku, which served inexpensive if unspectacular food and drink. The proprietress kindly translated the menu for us. On our way out of town, we refilled our water at the vending machine outside the A-coop grocery store, since the local tap water was potable but not palatable.
artwork. The proprietress serves greek salad (1000Y), pasta of the day (900Y), bread with butter (200Y), which together make a delicious meal. It had been so long since we've had kalamata olives and feta cheese...and the dressing was worth sopping up with the bread. Cafe hours are 1100-1700. There are maps available there of the town; maps of the island are available from the Kadena travel office (along with the ferry schedule and a rudimentary list of hotels). We ate dinner at the izakaya with a menu board out front, around the corner from our minshuku, which served inexpensive if unspectacular food and drink. The proprietress kindly translated the menu for us. On our way out of town, we refilled our water at the vending machine outside the A-coop grocery store, since the local tap water was potable but not palatable. Where to stay: Yoron does not abound with accommodation options, 
especially during shoulder season. All the minshukus we surveyed we pretty rustic; we chose ours because it was run by a young family and had a convenient location just north of the hospital and convenience store (from the fishing port, walk towards the Y convenience store and turn left, walk uphill until you see the entrance with the give-away slippers in front of the reception desk (3000Y pp per night no meals). We stopped into the Pricia resort (8000Y pp per night) for a look. The grounds show a bit of wear and tear, but it is by far the nicest place to stay on the island. The primary Pricia beach is attractive, although some of the cottages have views over an industrial area/port. Another local option is the Coral hotel in town, which used to be quite nice but now is a bit run down (10,700 for a double with breakfast), although offers a lovely beach and beachside rotemburo that may open in summertime. There are a couple other hotels/minshukus in town, one on the main street that parallels the beach, another on the main crossstreet up the hill heading out of town.
especially during shoulder season. All the minshukus we surveyed we pretty rustic; we chose ours because it was run by a young family and had a convenient location just north of the hospital and convenience store (from the fishing port, walk towards the Y convenience store and turn left, walk uphill until you see the entrance with the give-away slippers in front of the reception desk (3000Y pp per night no meals). We stopped into the Pricia resort (8000Y pp per night) for a look. The grounds show a bit of wear and tear, but it is by far the nicest place to stay on the island. The primary Pricia beach is attractive, although some of the cottages have views over an industrial area/port. Another local option is the Coral hotel in town, which used to be quite nice but now is a bit run down (10,700 for a double with breakfast), although offers a lovely beach and beachside rotemburo that may open in summertime. There are a couple other hotels/minshukus in town, one on the main street that parallels the beach, another on the main crossstreet up the hill heading out of town. 
