Iriomote Culture Discovery. Indigenous culture on Iriomote Island

Our tour with Karola was a wonderful and singular experience. She was knowledgable, kind and very helpful. She picked us up at the ferry at Uehara, and we spent 3 1/2 hours touring two sister villages on Iriomote. Karola showed us several sites related to the history and religious and cultural practices on Iriomote as well as the flora and fauna of this beautiful island. About midway through she served us tea and some local sweets while we sat on a deck overlooking the sea and continued to discuss the Iriomote community. It was very interesting and informative and her respect and regard for the island and its inhabitants, along with her warm and welcoming manner, made the tour an experience we will remember and cherish.

Who is interested to dive deep in to Ruykuy culture and history find with Karola the best foreign guide you could imagine. She is affiliated with the local community and can open you a window to a quite hidden culture and society, so rich, deep and complex it totally blows my mind. Some times less is more: just a little stroll, a nice chat, few old places and cup of tea. Every sentence from her just scratches the surface of her knowledge. On top of that she was so helpful, kind and natural, please give this guide some time and listen carefully.

Iriomote is best known for its pristine nature, but Karola Mech offers something truly unique—an intimate and deeply informed introduction to the island’s culture and traditions. As an artist, designer, and analog photographer, Karola has a keen eye for detail, but she is also a natural anthropologist. Having lived on Iriomote for years, she has immersed herself in the indigenous Ryukyu culture and shares her knowledge with enthusiasm and respect. I have a strong interest in Japan’s regional diversity and have previously explored Ainu culture in Hokkaido. This tour was particularly fascinating because the Ryukyu and Ainu cultures, both distinct from mainstream Japanese society, have persisted against the odds with their own languages, music, cuisine, and spiritual practices. While most tours in these regions focus exclusively on nature, Karola’s approach is rare—she brings Iriomote’s cultural heritage to life through storytelling, personal research, and documentation. She is a gifted guide with a passion for preserving and sharing local traditions, making this tour an invaluable experience for anyone curious about Japan’s rich cultural tapestry. Highly recommended for those seeking more than just sightseeing—a true cultural discovery.

Karolina was very kind and informative and we learned a lot about the traditions and rituals of the local people. Karolina provides a very honest and unbiased view of local life and it was very refreshing to hear about the cultures not through the eyes of tourists or locals, but from a foreigner living in Japan. If you are visiting Iriomotejima for the nature, I would also highly recommend taking this tour taking this tour to understand the history, culture, and how the local people live now in the modern world.

I work as a writer and photographer in the field of architecture and design. I am specifically interested in Indigenous Technology in these fields, so when I saw this tour available in Iriomote - I was very interested to participate and learn a bit more about local indigenous culture. I had the best time. Karo was SO knowledgable, fun, easy to talk to and we had such a great day together. She brought me to see a traditional house and explain the rituals and history behind how the community builds homes together as well as sharing her experience working alongside the local indigenous community for the past few years where she has completely immersed herself. I highly recommend this to anyone who even has the slightest interest in getting to know the unique and rich local indigenous culture of Iriomote Island.

Me and my brother were really happy to experience the iriomote culture dive with Karola. She has been studying the culture for quite a while and can tell lots interesting stories of the islands history, tales and it's people. She is a very bright woman and it was so fun to experience iriomote with her! I would definitely recommend the tour if you want to learn about iriomote!