Okinawa · YaeyamaNo.666★★★Open in map →
Ishigaki Island
The Yaeyama Islands are reached from one building. Ishigaki's ferry terminal gathers every operator's counter under one roof, and the piers behind it send high-speed boats out to Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima and Iriomote.
- FromNew Ishigaki Airport
- ~30 minAirport bus, ~30 min
- Get off atIshigaki Port Ferry Terminal (airport direct bus, route 14)
- On foot
- Ishigaki Island
Where it is
9 more notes in Okinawa · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- The airport bus stopthe arrival point of the direct bus, at the terminal door
- The ticket countersone counter per boat operator, since fares and timetables differ by island
- The boarding piershigh-speed boats for Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima and Iriomote
- The harbour frontthe quay outside the hall, where the Yaeyama boats come and go
How to actually get there
- New Ishigaki Airport → Ishigaki Port Ferry Terminal (airport direct bus, about 30 minutes).
- Buy your island ticket at that operator's counter inside the hall.
- Board at the pier behind the terminal — Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima and Iriomote all leave from here.
- Airport direct bus from New Ishigaki Airport
- New Ishigaki Airport →(airport direct bus, about 30 minutes)→ Ishigaki Port Ferry Terminal. The bus stops at the terminal door, and services run through the day. Fares are not listed here — check the posted fare at the airport stop.
- Return to the airport
- The direct bus runs back from the terminal to New Ishigaki Airport in about the same time. Check your flight against the departures posted at the terminal, and allow for the run out to the airport, which sits well outside the town.
About the place
Ishigaki lies about 410 kilometres southwest of Naha, far closer to the tropics than to the rest of Okinawa. It is the administrative and transport centre of the Yaeyama Islands, and the port on the south edge of its town centre is where the group is stitched together. The ferry terminal is a low red-tiled hall facing the harbour. Inside, each boat operator keeps its own counter, so tickets for different islands are bought in different places. Outside, the airport bus pulls up at the door. That combination is what makes the building the practical hinge of a Yaeyama trip rather than a place you pass through.
How to enjoy it
Treat the terminal as a planning stop, not a stopover. Iriomote, the farthest of the four main runs, is about forty minutes away by boat, so an out-and-back day is realistic once you know the last return. Ask about that last sailing at the counter while you are buying the outbound ticket.
Background & history
Ishigaki has long been the centre of administration, schooling and transport for the Yaeyama Islands, at the southwestern end of the Japanese archipelago. Boats, not planes, link it to the islands around it, and those boats leave from one place. The terminal was built to hold every operator's counter in a single hall, with the boarding piers directly behind it. That concentration is what makes Ishigaki a gateway as much as a destination, and why a Yaeyama itinerary is usually written around its sailing times.
Before you go
- Cash
- Entering the terminal is free. Boat tickets are sold inside at each operator's counter — Anei Kanko and Yaeyama Kanko Ferry both keep offices in the building — and fares differ by island and by operator, so buy at the window rather than assuming a price.
- Before you go
- Sailings to the outer islands are cancelled in strong wind and swell, most often in winter and through the typhoon season from early summer to late autumn. Check the day's departures at the counter before building a plan that depends on a crossing.
- Another way
- A taxi from New Ishigaki Airport reaches the terminal in about 25 minutes, which is worth it with luggage or an early boat. Rental car counters are also at the airport if you intend to drive the island itself.
- After you get off
- The bus stops in front of the terminal building. The ticket counters are inside the hall, and the boarding piers are directly behind it.