Okinawa's favorite bogeyman, the habu snake, is absent from Yonaguni. The main danger here is the ferocious currents, particularly on the north coast, so check conditions before swimming. Also, you'll have to watch out for anbonia, which, although a very attractive-looking coneshell, is very poisonous. Anbonia are about 10cm long, have a spiral shell, and will actually stab you with a harpoon-like appendage that they shoot out, and the sting can be deadly.
talk
Yonaguni is notorious for its local language, brewed in isolation for centuries, which even those from mainland Okinawa find utterly incomprehensible. Pronunciation can be a bit easier than that of neighboring Miyako islands, though, as the central vowels and word-final consonants are absent here. Language buffs can pick up Nae Ikema's Yonaguni-go Jiten ä¸é£å½èªè¾å ¸ at the airport shop.
The only words the casual visitor is likely to run into though are waËriË ã¯ã¼ãªã¼ and fugarassa ãã¬ã©ããµ, Yonaguni for "welcome" and "thank you", respectively, as standard Japanese is spoken by practically everybody the locals are bilingual, and Chinese is understood by some as Taiwanese TV and radio can be picked up on the island.
See also: Yonaguni phrasebook
cope
There are no banks on Yonaguni, but you can withdraw money from the ATMs at the post offices in Sonai and Kubura.
Broadband Internet and net cafés have yet to reach Yonaguni, but most diving and lodging enterprises on the island have dialup accounts and will let you borrow them for a moment if asked nicely.