Ferries to Hatoma

The ferry port of Hatoma lies on the island of the same name in the Japanese Yaeyama archipelago. From here you can reach Ishigaki and Iriomote Uehara. Together the routes add up to as many as 6 departures a day. Crossings take between 15 and 45 minutes. The port is served by Yaeyama Kanko Ferry.

Getting there and the terminal

The counterpart on Ishigaki is the island terminal in Ishigaki harbour, address Misakicho 1, Ishigaki City. The operators' counters stand side by side there, and there are shops and places to eat. Besides Yaeyama Kanko Ferry, Anei Kanko also serves the island. Its boats call at Hatoma partly direct and partly via Uehara harbour on Iriomote; the operator puts the short Uehara-Hatoma leg at about ten minutes, rising to a quarter of an hour in winter.

Check-in

Anei Kanko advises being at the counter around 30 minutes before the sailing you want. The ticket must be bought no later than 15 minutes before the boat leaves, even if you reserved in advance. Online booking is only possible until 6pm on the day before; after that only the telephone and the counter will help. On this route, expect sailings to be cancelled at short notice in wind and swell, or conversely for cancelled departures to run after all; the operator publishes the operating status on the day of travel.