Ishigaki to Taketomi return for 6: ¥9,500.
The island-hopping pass only pays off if you visit many islands, such as 4 in 3 days.

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Two ferry companies. Same fares, but the tickets are not interchangeable

In short: two companies, Anei Kanko and Yaeyama Kanko Ferry, run high-speed boats from Ishigaki to Taketomi, Iriomote and Kohama. The fares are the same, but a ticket bought from one company cannot be used on the other's boats.

• How to get around Taketomi itself is covered in A day on Taketomi and the Phantom Island from Ishigaki with a big family.

Airport to the outer-island ferry terminal: for 6, the bus is cheapest

In short: from New Ishigaki Airport to the outer-island ferry terminal, the route bus is cheapest for 6 at about ¥2,800 one way. With a lot of luggage, 2 taxis (roughly ¥7,000) let you split the bags between them.

• Azuma Bus takes cash or contactless card payment (transport IC cards cannot be used, and no change is given). We could not find an official rule on where suitcases go.
• 10-seat vehicles: be careful if 9 or more of you plan to ride in one vehicle from the airport. 9 people and 3 large suitcases are likely to be a tight fit. A nationwide car-hire chain gives a 10-seat van as "recommended for 8 people and 3 bags (domestic cabin-size)". Split people and luggage between 2 vehicles, or tell the operator your party size and number of bags when booking and check.
• Hire cars: they cannot go on the high-speed boats. If most of your days are island-hopping by boat, a car is only needed on the days you go around Ishigaki itself. Whether you can drive on a foreign licence (a French licence needs a translation, for example) is covered in Hiring a car in Japan on a foreign licence.
• For getting around the main island of Okinawa from Naha Airport, see Naha Airport to the city with a big family.

A return for 6 is ¥9,500 to Taketomi. For Iriomote, Ohara or Uehara Port makes over ¥7,000 difference

In short: Taketomi is ¥9,500 return for 6. For Iriomote, the total changes by more than ¥7,000 depending on whether you go to Ohara Port or Uehara Port.

The amounts in this article are calculated for a family of 6: a couple, 2 children (elementary-school age) and 2 grandparents. On the boats, junior-high age and above pay the adult fare and elementary-school children pay the child fare.

• If your party is different: preschoolers travel free on an adult's lap, one per adult. If they use a seat, or there are more young children than adults, they pay the child fare. The fare tables have only adult and child categories, so the grandparents pay the adult fare too.
• Anei Kanko's return ticket is valid for the trip back for 14 days from the outbound date, at any time.
• To link Taketomi and Iriomote in one day, you can use Anei Kanko's 14:00 boat from Ohara Port to Taketomi (one a day). Ishigaki → Ohara → Taketomi → Ishigaki comes to ¥29,220 for 6.

The island-hopping pass only pays off for "4 islands in 3 days" or "3 islands including Uehara"

In short: Anei Kanko's island-hopping pass (3-day pass, adults ¥6,800, children ¥3,400) loses you a lot of money for Taketomi alone or 2 islands. It only pays off when you visit many islands, and there is no refund if boats are cancelled.

• How to tell: add up "the return fare minus the surcharge" for the islands you will visit; if it comes to more than ¥6,800 per adult, the pass pays off (Taketomi ¥1,160, Kohama ¥2,060, Ohara Port ¥3,040, Uehara Port ¥3,970, Kuroshima ¥2,230).
• The pass price is from an official Anei Kanko notice (dated October 2022). Check the current price at the counter.
• The pass only covers Anei Kanko boats. Yaeyama Kanko Ferry has suspended sales of its island-hopping ticket.
• The pass can only be bought at the Anei Kanko counter in the outer-island ferry terminal, and for each leg you exchange it for a boarding ticket at the counter. If the sailing you want is full, you cannot board.
• Once you use even one leg it cannot be refunded, and there is no refund for days it could not be used because boats were cancelled for weather.
• Booking return tickets on Anei Kanko's official site by the day before takes about 5% off, so the difference for 3 islands including Uehara Port (¥2,020) almost disappears. The pass covers about half of the two companies' combined sailings.

Boats to Uehara Port on Iriomote are often cancelled

In short: boats to Uehara Port cross open sea, so they are cancelled more often than those to Ohara Port. If you plan to stay or spend time on the Uehara side, check the day's operating status in the morning and know the transfer rules.

• Anei Kanko says that in winter the Uehara route is often cancelled for days at a time because of the seasonal winds (it does not say whether March counts). It also happens outside winter: on 8 October 2026, all sailings on the Uehara route were cancelled at both companies (Taketomi and Ohara Port ran as normal).
• When boats are cancelled, you are transferred to a boat to Ohara Port plus a bus from Ohara Port to Uehara Port. If you buy a ticket to Uehara Port at the counter at Ishigaki Port, you are given tickets for the boat and the bus.
• If you bought a ticket to Uehara Port in advance on Anei Kanko's official site, it is automatically cancelled (and refunded) when the boat is cancelled, and you are not transferred to Ohara Port. You buy again at the counter on the day.
• Bus seats are limited, and some sailings have no connecting bus (services were reduced from June 2026).
• Yaeyama Kanko Ferry stops operating at wind speeds of 15 m/s or more, waves of 3.0 m or more, or visibility of 500 m or less. Each sailing's status is shown under "operating status" on each company's official site.

On the day, reach the port 30 minutes early. Leave the suitcases before boarding

In short: get to the outer-island ferry terminal 30 minutes before the boat leaves, and it is safest to leave suitcases at your hotel or the terminal before boarding.

• Yaeyama Kanko Ferry has a limit on the number of tickets for each sailing and does not take bookings at the counter, so it recommends buying its official e-ticket in advance. Even with an e-ticket, boarding is in order of queueing.
• The cut-off for buying at the counter differs by company: up to 30 minutes before departure at Yaeyama Kanko Ferry (boarding from 15 minutes before), and up to 15 minutes before for Anei Kanko same-day tickets. Anei Kanko also asks you to arrive 30 minutes early because of road and car park congestion, and the counter is busy for the 8 o'clock sailings.
• Anei Kanko notes that the high-speed boats also carry everyday supplies, so there is little room for luggage. Keep hand luggage small and light.
• The outer-island ferry terminal has coin lockers, and the Anei Kanko counter also keeps bags for a fee (large ¥500, small ¥300).
• We could not find official information from either company on bringing a pushchair or where to put it. A folding one is the safe choice.
• At Taketomi Port, Anei Kanko tickets can only be bought with cash (the counter at Ishigaki Port takes cards and e-money).
• There is no shop or vending machine on board. You may be refused boarding in wet clothes or swimwear.
• Whether to stay near the terminal or out of town is compared in Where a family of 6 can share one room on Ishigaki.

FAQ: boats from Ishigaki Port to the islands

With the boats settled: where to stay on Ishigaki and a day on the islands

Places on Ishigaki where 6 can share one room, a day on Taketomi and the Phantom Island, and where to draw the line on seeing a doctor if a child gets a fever on the trip.

Stay Where a family of 6 can share one room on Ishigaki Town within walking distance of the ferry terminal, or a large room out of town that you drive from. Experience A day on Taketomi and the Phantom Island from Ishigaki with a big family Pick the day to cross to the islands by the tide times. Tips If your child gets a fever while travelling in Japan When to call an ambulance, when to go to hospital, and where to get advice.

📍 This article is part of Transport ・ See also where to stay