Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Major city · 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.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
JPY
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
avoid Aug–Sep (typhoon season), mid-Jul–Aug (crowds and heat)
Airport
ISG
Nights
3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Rules in force · 5
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • Japan ↗IC cards (ICOCA/Suica) are topped up with cash at station machines.
  • Japan ↗Smoking while walking is banned in most city centres; use designated areas.
  • Japan ↗Shinkansen bags 160–250 cm (L+W+H) need a seat reserved with the oversized-baggage area.

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.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Ishigaki, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Street or quick mealNoodle soup (Yaeyama soba or ramen)¥700–1,200 (≈ US$5–9)
  • Beerdraught in an izakaya / can at a konbini¥500–700 (≈ US$4–5)¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi flag fall, then about 2 km¥390 (≈ US$3)
  • Museum or sight ticketIshigaki Stalactite Cave entry¥1,200 (≈ US$9)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person¥3,000 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedDouble room, business hotel or minshuku, a night, per room¥15,000 (≈ US$110)
  • High-end bedDouble room, business hotel or minshuku, a night, per room¥35,000 (≈ US$250)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ¥8,000 (≈ US$55) · Mid ¥14,000 (≈ US$95) · High ¥26,000 (≈ US$180)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Manta Scramble dive siteKabira BayFerry hub for the Yaeyama IslandsYonehara Beach snorkelling
Airports
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))

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Ishigaki: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

21°C

16°C

12 rd

Feb

21°C

16°C

11 rd

Mar

23°C

18°C

12 rd

Apr

26°C

21°C

11 rd

May

28°C

23°C

12 rd

Jun

30°C

25°C

11 rd

Jul

32°C

27°C

10 rd

Aug

32°C

27°C

12 rd

Sep

31°C

26°C

12 rd

Oct

29°C

24°C

10 rd

Nov

26°C

21°C

10 rd

Dec

23°C

18°C

11 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting 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 & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Taketomi

go

Door to door: About 45 min

Fast ferry from Ritō-sanbashi, about 15 min

¥690 one way; village, beaches and buffalo carts. Go on the first ferry.

Kohama

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Fast ferry from Ritō-sanbashi, about 25 min

¥1,220 one way, roughly hourly. Small, quiet, good for a half day.

Hateruma

caution

Door to door: About 2 h

Fast ferry from the long-distance pier, about 70 min

¥3,550 one way, 2–5 departures daily; the southernmost inhabited point in Japan. Check the return times before you go.

Iriomote

overnight

Door to door: About 1.5 h

Fast ferry to Ōhara (35 min) or Uehara (40 min, summer only)

¥1,800–2,000 one way. Jungle, waterfalls and kayaking; too much for a rushed day.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

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.

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.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥8,000–12,000 (≈ US$55–85) excl. bed
Mid
¥12,000–20,000 (≈ US$85–140) excl. bed
High
¥20,000 (≈ US$140)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Double room, business hotel or minshuku1 × 3 nights × ¥15,000¥45,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 3 days × ¥14,000¥84,000
Rental car, one day1 × ¥3,500 · check; hotel desks often quote ¥2,000–4,000¥3,500
Michikusa Free Pass, 5 days of island buses2 × ¥2,000¥4,000
Two boat dives with gear2 × ¥16,000 · check; operators quote about ¥12,000–13,000 for two dives plus ¥4,000–5,250 rental¥32,000
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ¥2,500¥5,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge¥17,350
Trip total≈ ¥31,810 per person per day, bed included¥190,850≈ US$1,300

2026 estimate in yen; flights and ferry day trips excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Airport bus to the bus terminal¥520 (≈ US$4)
Ferry to Taketomi / Kohama / Hateruma¥690 (≈ US$5) / ¥1,220 (≈ US$9) / ¥3,550 (≈ US$25) one way
Noodle soup (Yaeyama soba or ramen)¥700–1,200 (≈ US$5–9)
Beer: draught in an izakaya / can at a konbini¥500–700 (≈ US$4–5) / ¥250–350 (≈ US$2–3)
Taxi flag fall, then about 2 km¥390 (≈ US$3)
Ishigaki Stalactite Cave entry¥1,200 (≈ US$9)
Yaeyama Museum entry¥200 (≈ US$2)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

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.
  • 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.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire and ambulance
119

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Ishigaki石垣

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ここまでお願いしますTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire and ambulance119

Embassy

No embassies on Ishigaki. The US consulate-general is in Naha; other countries' embassies are in Tokyo (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Airport → bus terminal, Azuma Bus: ¥520 (≈ US$4), about 45 min (check)
  • Taxi airport → central Ishigaki: about ¥2,500 (≈ US$17), 30 min (check)
  • Ferry Ishigaki → Taketomi: ¥690 (≈ US$5) one way, 15 min
  • Michikusa Free Pass: ¥2,000 (≈ US$14) for 5 days of island buses

Say or show

  • すみません — Excuse me / Sorry (sumimasen)
  • ありがとうございます — Thank you (arigatō gozaimasu)
  • これをください — This one, please (kore o kudasai)
  • いくらですか? — How much is it? (ikura desu ka)
  • カードで払えますか? — Can I pay by card? (kādo de haraemasu ka)
  • トイレはどこですか? — Where is the toilet? (toire wa doko desu ka)

Ferry desks at Ishigaki Port take cards; desks on the other islands generally do not.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Ishigaki. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · avoid Aug–Sep (typhoon season), mid-Jul–Aug (crowds and heat) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for ISG: last Azuma bus, taxi fallback, late-arrival rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: ferry port and 730 Monument, central shigaichi, Kabira, Yonehara and the north coast.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Ishigaki Stalactite Cave, Yaeyama Museum, Banna Park) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Typhoon and ferry-cancellation fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Sources