Ishigaki Island Ferries: Fares, Times and Typhoon Cancellations

Last checked against official sources on 2026-10-23

Boats to Taketomi, Kohama, Iriomote and Hateruma all leave from the Ishigaki Port Remote Island Terminal. Since 1 April 2026 the fares of Anei Kanko, a scheduled operator on these routes, include a stage 4 fuel surcharge, so an adult one-way ticket to Taketomi is ¥970. The current timetable runs from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Check the operating status before you travel.

What has changed recently

Fuel surcharge, stage 4, from 1 April 2026. Anei Kanko announced that its fuel surcharge would move from stage 2 to stage 4 from 1 April 2026. The fares in this guide already include it. The operator says the surcharge may change again if fuel prices change. The surcharge built into each one-way ticket is:

• New timetable. The high-speed boat timetable for 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 is in force. The operator plans to announce the timetable from 1 April 2027 in March 2027.
• No Uehara–Shirahama connecting bus. The operator’s timetable says the connecting bus between Uehara and Shirahama on Iriomote ended on 31 May, and no connecting bus has run since 1 June. Plan other transport on Iriomote.
• Safety order. On 9 October 2026 the Okinawa General Bureau of the Cabinet Office issued a transport safety order to Anei Kanko, which says it is considering improvements. Its notice does not describe any change to sailings.
• Baggage. In a notice dated 1 March 2026 the operator asks passengers to bring as little, and as compact, baggage as possible, and to inflate swim rings only after arriving on the island.

Where the boats leave from

All high-speed boats to the Yaeyama islands use the Ishigaki Port Remote Island Terminal in the Misaki-cho area of Ishigaki city. The operator’s documents call it the Euglena Ishigaki Port Remote Island Terminal.

• From the airport: route buses run to the terminal and bus terminal (operated by Higashi Unyu and Carry Kanko), taking about 30 to 50 minutes according to the operator. A taxi takes about 25 to 30 minutes; the airport’s guide lists about 25 minutes and a guide fare of ¥3,500 (estimates only).
• By car: a paid coin car park is next to the terminal; spaces close by often fill early in busy periods.
• Inside the terminal: boat company counters, travel agencies, the Taketomi Town tourist association office (information on Taketomi), shops, coin lockers and ATMs. The Anei Kanko counter also keeps luggage for a fee: ¥500 for large items and ¥300 for small ones.
• Slow boats leave from somewhere else. The cargo-passenger boat Paikaji leaves from a spot about 5 minutes on foot from the terminal. Ferry Hateruma 2 leaves from about 5 minutes on foot from the cargo office, which is itself about 5 minutes on foot from the terminal. Tickets for these boats are sold only at the cargo office.

High-speed boat fares and crossing times

These are Anei Kanko’s high-speed boat fares, surcharge included. Junior high school students and older pay the adult fare; elementary school children pay the child fare. A child under school age travels free on an adult’s lap (one per adult), but pays the child fare if you want a seat.

Crossing times can be longer than shown. On the Hateruma route the large high-speed boat Paijima 2 may take about 90–100 minutes. Allow at least 30 minutes when changing from one boat to another.

Timetable, 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027

Departure times below are from the operator’s timetable for the period 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. The operator may change times within the period, so check its operating status page.

• Marked sailings. On the Ohara timetable, sailings carrying the operator’s special mark run only when the Uehara route is cancelled. These are the two marked with * above.
• Taketomi plus Iriomote. The 14:00 boat from Ohara calls at Taketomi (35–40 minutes from Ohara), which helps if you want to see both islands in a day.
• Hatoma. Boats to Hatoma go via Uehara, so they are cancelled when the Uehara route is. The Uehara–Hatoma hop takes 10–15 minutes (09:30 from Uehara, 16:55 from Hatoma).
• Busy departure. The 08:00 boat to Hateruma gets crowded; the operator recommends booking it in advance.

High-speed boats versus the slow cargo-passenger boats

Besides the high-speed boats, Anei Kanko runs cargo-passenger boats (Paikaji, and Ferry Hateruma 2 to Hateruma). They carry passengers as well as freight and the fares are lower, but each island is served on set days shown in a monthly calendar, so check it before you plan. Fares from April 2026 (surcharge stage 4 included):

• Hateruma by slow boat. Ferry Hateruma 2 leaves Ishigaki at 09:00 and arrives at 11:00, and sails three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). From October to March it leaves Hateruma at 13:30 and reaches Ishigaki at 15:30.
• Bicycles and motorbikes. Ordinary bicycles can go on high-speed boats for an extra charge, but may be refused when it is busy or depending on the vessel. Motorbikes and electric bicycles cannot go on high-speed boats; they must use the cargo-passenger boats. Bicycles on the slow boats cost ¥490 to Taketomi and ¥630 to Hateruma.
• Tickets. Slow boat tickets are sold only at the cargo office.

Tickets, booking and the Taketomi entry fee

• Booking. You can buy at the counter on the day unless the boat is full, but the operator recommends booking once your date and time are fixed. Bookings by web or phone close at 18:00 the day before.
• Web booking. Web bookings are prepaid by card. You then skip the counter and go straight to the boarding point at least 10 minutes before departure, showing the QR code. Booking this way gives about 5% off the fare, but not off the fuel surcharge.
• At the counter. Arrive about 30 minutes before departure and finish buying your ticket at least 15 minutes before it leaves. Counters and the phone line are open 6:00 to 19:00 every day, except during typhoons.
• Paying at the islands. Taketomi and Hatoma ports accept cash only. Kuroshima and Hateruma accept cash or PayPay. Ishigaki accepts cash, cards and several other methods, so carry cash for the return leg.
• Return tickets. A return ticket is valid for 14 days from the day you go out and has no fixed time.
• One company only. An Anei Kanko ticket works only on Anei Kanko boats. The joint high-speed ticket with Yaeyama Kanko Ferry, the other scheduled operator from Ishigaki, ended on 30 September 2020.
• Taketomi entry fee. Taketomi charges an island entry fee of ¥300 per person, as explained by the Taketomi Regional Foundation. You pay by buying an entry ticket (the “Utsugumi ticket”). Machines are in the Ishigaki terminal near the exit between boarding gates 4 and 5, and at Kariyushi-kan at Taketomi port; tickets are also sold at places on the island.

Rough seas, typhoons and seasonal changes

• Uehara is cancelled more often than Ohara. The Uehara route (including Hatoma) crosses open sea and Uehara port is on the north side of Iriomote, so north winds and waves hit it. In winter, when the north wind is strong, cancellations often continue for days. The Ohara route is cancelled less often.
• Hateruma crosses open ocean. If the sea stays high, every sailing can be cancelled for several days in a row.
• When Uehara is cancelled. The operator runs a connecting bus from Ohara port to Uehara port. Ask at the Ishigaki counter: you buy an Uehara ticket and receive a boat ticket and a bus ticket, and you cannot board the bus without the bus ticket. Seats on boats and buses are limited, and some Ohara sailings have no connecting bus.
• If you booked online for Uehara and the route is cancelled that day, your booking is cancelled and refunded automatically. It is not moved to Ohara, so buy a new ticket at the counter.
• Prepaid sailing cancelled. The operator cancels it and refunds through your card company, and the QR code stops working. If you take another boat the same day, show your booking page to staff to buy at the discounted price you booked at. For a later day, book again by 18:00.
• Hateruma to Iriomote. There is no direct boat between Hateruma and Ohara; go via Ishigaki.
• Typhoon season. Typhoons approach Ishigaki from late June to October. Boats are cancelled as a typhoon nears, and waves can keep them cancelled after it passes, which can affect your return flight, so leave a buffer day.
• Seasonal changes. The high-speed timetable is issued for a set period and the current one ends on 31 March 2027. The 13:30 return of the Hateruma slow boat applies from October to March.

What we could not confirm

• Fares and timetable of Yaeyama Kanko Ferry, the other scheduled operator from Ishigaki: check its own website.
• Whether a Taketomi Town visitor tax, separate from the ¥300 island entry fee, is in effect: check the Taketomi Town website.
• The fee for carrying a bicycle on high-speed boats.
• The price and conditions of Anei Kanko’s Island Hopping Pass.
• Crossing times of the slow cargo-passenger boats, other than Ferry Hateruma 2 to Hateruma, and their sailing days outside October 2026.
• Any effect of the 9 October 2026 safety order on sailings: the operator’s notice does not describe one.
• The timetable from 1 April 2027, which the operator plans to announce in March 2027.

Sources

1. Anei Kanko: daily operating status page (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
2. Anei Kanko: notice of fuel surcharge stage 4 from 1 April 2026 (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
3. Anei Kanko: high-speed boat fares by route (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
4. Anei Kanko: notice of the timetable from 1 October 2026 (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
5. Anei Kanko: high-speed boat timetable, 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 (Japanese PDF) — checked 2026-10-23
6. Ishigaki Airport Terminal Co.: buses and taxis from the airport (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
7. Anei Kanko: frequently asked questions (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
8. Anei Kanko: cargo-passenger boat fare table from April 2026 (Japanese PDF) — checked 2026-10-23
9. Anei Kanko: October 2026 calendar for the cargo-passenger boats (Japanese PDF) — checked 2026-10-23
10. Anei Kanko: user guide for boarding (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
11. Anei Kanko: home page with today's operating status and booking rules (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
12. Ishigaki City Tourism Exchange Association: list of shipping companies (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
13. Anei Kanko: notice on hand baggage on board (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
14. Anei Kanko: notice of a transport safety order, 9 October 2026 (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
15. Taketomi Regional Foundation: island entry fee (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
16. Ishigaki City Tourism Exchange Association: what to do in a typhoon (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23