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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Ishigaki
石垣
Give Ishigaki 3 nights: one for the island by car, one for a Yaeyama ferry hop, one spare for weather. Skip it if you want cities, not beaches.
Ishigaki is the transport hub of the Yaeyama Islands and the only one with an airport, a hospital and banks that take foreign cards. The town itself is small and short on sights; the value is the coastline, the reefs and the ferries to Taketomi, Kohama and Hateruma. Most visitors need 3 nights, and a rental car for at least one full day.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 石垣
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Aug–Sep (typhoon season), mid-Jul–Aug (crowds and heat)
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥8,000–12,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥12,000–20,000 excl. bed · High ¥20,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Airport bus to the bus terminal | ¥520 |
| Ferry to Taketomi / Kohama / Hateruma | ¥690 / ¥1,220 / ¥3,550 one way |
| Noodle soup (Yaeyama soba or ramen) | ¥700–1,200 |
| Beer: draught in an izakaya / can at a konbini | ¥500–700 / ¥250–350 |
| Taxi flag fall, then about 2 kmTaxi flag fall, then about 1.2 mi | ¥390 |
| Ishigaki Stalactite Cave entry | ¥1,200 |
| Yaeyama Museum entry | ¥200 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ISG · New Ishigaki Airport
- 15 km east of town; Azuma Bus #4 or #10 to the bus terminal, about 45 min, ¥520; taxi about 30 min, ¥2,500 (check)9.3 mi east of town; Azuma Bus #4 or #10 to the bus terminal, about 45 min, ¥520; taxi about 30 min, ¥2,500 (check)
Typical fares
- Airport → bus terminal, Azuma Bus
- ¥520, about 45 min (check)
- Taxi airport → central Ishigaki
- about ¥2,500, 30 min (check)
- Ferry Ishigaki → Taketomi
- ¥690 one way, 15 min
- Michikusa Free Pass
- ¥2,000 for 5 days of island buses
Get around
Central Ishigaki is walkable. For the rest of the island use a rental car (about ¥2,000–4,000 per day, often booked through your hotel) or the Azuma Bus network from the terminal. The Michikusa Free Pass gives 5 days of unlimited island buses for ¥2,000; a one-day pass is ¥1,000. Bicycles rent for about ¥500 per day, but the north and west routes are hilly and long.
See and do
Known for
- Manta Scramble dive site
- Kabira Bay
- Ferry hub for the Yaeyama Islands
- Yonehara Beach snorkelling
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Taketomi | Fast ferry from Ritō-sanbashi, about 15 min | About 45 min |
| Kohama | Fast ferry from Ritō-sanbashi, about 25 min | About 1 h |
| Hateruma | Fast ferry from the long-distance pier, about 70 min | About 2 h |
| Iriomote | Fast ferry to Ōhara (35 min) or Uehara (40 min, summer only) | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Central Ishigaki (shigaichi)
- Around the bus terminal, ferry port and 730 Monument. Walk to dinner and to the 07:00 ferries; best for a short trip without a car.Around the bus terminal, ferry port and 730 Monument. Walk to dinner and to the 7:00 AM ferries; best for a short trip without a car.
- Kabira
- Northwest coast by the bay. Quiet, resort-style, needs a car; the Kabira Resort Line has no midday buses.
- Shiraho
- Southeast, near the airport. Coral reef offshore, few restaurants, car or taxi needed.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- Typhoons: Aug–Sep can close the airport and ferries for a day or more. Keep the last night before your flight in Naha or add a buffer day.
- Rip currents and jellyfish at unpatrolled beaches; read the signs at the beach entrance and do not snorkel alone.
- Outside Ishigaki there are almost no ATMs that take foreign cards. Carry cash for ferry tickets and island spending.
- The Kabira Resort Line has no midday departures and the last bus leaves town around 18:00; do not stay outside the city without a car.
- Manta sightings peak in autumn but are never guaranteed; ask operators what they have seen that week.
Very safe for tourists; the real risks are the sea (rip currents, jellyfish), typhoons in Aug–Sep and sunburn. Carry cash, and keep a buffer day before any flight out.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ishigaki yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Manta Scramble dive site
- Kabira Bay
- Ferry hub for the Yaeyama Islands
- Yonehara Beach snorkelling
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- OoriToori — Ishigaki city official guide: ooritoori-ishigaki.com/
- Yaeyama Islands tourist association: yaeyama.or.jp/
- Anei Kankō ferries: aneikankou.co.jp/
- Yaeyama Kankō Ferry: yaeyama.co.jp/
- Wikivoyage: Ishigaki, revision 5322111 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5322111
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ishigaki石垣
ここまでお願いします
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on Ishigaki. The US consulate-general is in Naha; other countries' embassies are in Tokyo (check).
Ferry desks at Ishigaki Port take cards; desks on the other islands generally do not.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ishigaki). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.