Ferries to Ishigaki

Ishigaki ferry port on Ishigaki-jima is the transport hub of Japan's Yaeyama Islands. From here you can reach 6 destinations, among them Taketomi, Iriomote Ohara and Kohama. Together the connections add up to as many as 62 departures a day. Crossings take between 15 and 45 minutes. The port is served by Yaeyama Kanko Ferry.

Getting there and the terminal

The island ferries leave from a building of their own, the Yugurena Ishigaki Ritou Terminal at Misaki-cho 1 in the middle of Ishigaki city. Taketomi, Iriomote, Kuroshima, Kohama and Hatoma are served from there. The ships lie at four floating jetties connected to the building by covered walkways; inside the terminal you will find the operators' desks, lockers, shops and places to eat. A direct bus run by Karry Kanko goes from Ishigaki airport to the terminal, about every 30 minutes during the day, from the airport between 8:20 and 18:50 and in the other direction from the terminal between 8:30 and 18:00. You pay on the bus, in cash or contactless by card.

Each operator uses fixed jetties, and the allocation is posted at the terminal. Check at the desk before departure which jetty your ship leaves from: Iriomote has two separate ports, Uehara and Ohara, and the timetables of the small islands change with the season.