Ishigaki Cruises, Japan

It is also possible to take an excursion to Iriomote Island, with its soft coral beaches and almost 90% of its surface covered in tropical rain forest and mangrove swamps. Inhabited by about 20,000 people, this natural wonder is home to unique specimens of local fauna, such as the coconut crab, which can weigh up to nine pounds, measure three feet across and is able to break a coconut (hence the name), and the Irimote cat, a subspecies of the leopard cat.

You can also visit the small island of Taketomi - it has an area of 3.4 square miles and a perimeter of 5.71 miles - inhabited by just over 300 people. Houses with red-tiled roofs, white sandy streets and an explosion of flowers and plants in the gardens protected by volcanic stone walls: while walking around the island you can see ox-drawn carts and the inhabitants immersed in their daily activities, adhering to traditions that have been handed down over millennia.