The short answer: the Yaeyama Islands are one of the easier parts of Okinawa to do without a car, as long as you stay in Ishigaki town and treat the islands as the main event. Every ferry leaves from one terminal downtown, the airport bus runs every 30 minutes for ¥550, and on Taketomi, Kuroshima and Hatoma you get around by bicycle or on foot anyway. What needs planning is Ishigaki Island itself, where the buses to Kabira Bay and the north run a few times a day, and Iriomote, where one bus route makes four round trips. This guide gives the times and fares so you can decide.
Rule one: stay near the ferry terminal
All boats to Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima, Iriomote, Hatoma and Hateruma leave from Euglena Ishigaki Port Ferry Terminal in the centre of town, and the ferry companies' counters and the tour desks are inside it. If your hotel is within walking distance you can take the first boat out, come back on the last boat and walk to dinner. Where to stay on Ishigaki compares the areas; for a car-free trip the answer is the downtown area around the terminal.
Airport to town: three ways
| Option | Fare | Times and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Azuma Bus route 4 (airport line) | ¥550 | From the bus terminal 6:30–19:30 at :00 and :30, then 20:00 and 21:00; from the airport 7:15–21:45. About 35 minutes. Stops at the ferry terminal on most runs |
| Karry Kanko direct bus (airport to ferry terminal) | ¥550 (child ¥280) | From the airport 9:35–19:05 at :05 and :35; from the terminal 8:40–18:10 at :10 and :40. Pay before boarding; cash or contactless credit card; online tickets available |
| Azuma Bus route 10 (via Art Hotel and ANA InterContinental) | ¥550 | 5 a day: from the bus terminal 7:45, 10:45, 12:45, 13:15, 14:45; from the airport 8:45, 11:45, 13:45, 14:15, 15:45 |
| Taxi | About ¥3,500 | About 25 minutes to the ferry terminal (airport estimate); about ¥2,900 to ANA InterContinental |
Azuma Bus route 14, which ran from the port straight to the airport, was suspended from October 1, 2026, so use route 4 or the Karry Kanko bus. A round-trip airport ticket costs ¥1,000, and the ¥1,000 one-day pass covers the airport bus too (see below). Buses are not reservable and will not take you if they are full, so on departure day take one bus earlier than you need. The bus stop is to the left of the domestic terminal's central exit; taxis are to the right.
The islands: how you get around once you land
| Island | Boat from Ishigaki | Getting around (Taketomi Town Tourism Association) |
|---|---|---|
| Taketomi | 10–15 min | No rental cars. Bicycles, the village shuttle bus (reservation needed except when boarding at the port) and a sightseeing bus. On foot the village is about 15 minutes from the port and Kondoi Beach about 40 |
| Kuroshima | 25–30 min | Flat: bicycles and scooters are easy. Rental cars exist |
| Kohama | 25–30 min | Hilly. The tourism association recommends a rental car, scooter or the island sightseeing bus; rental cars are few, so reserve |
| Iriomote | Ohara 35–40 min, Uehara 40–60 min | One bus route with 4 round trips a day, rental cars and scooters. No taxis to hail; book ahead |
| Hatoma | 40–45 min | Small enough to walk; bicycles available. No shop |
| Hateruma | About 90 min | Large and hilly: the tourism association recommends a rental car or scooter unless you are fit; cars and bicycles are few, so reserve. Electric bicycles are the car-free option |
Taketomi, Kuroshima and Hatoma are the islands you can do with no planning at all. Kohama and Hateruma are hilly and the official advice is to have wheels: book the island sightseeing bus on Kohama or an electric bicycle on Hateruma before you book the boat, because both are limited. Iriomote is the one to plan from the bus timetable.
Iriomote: plan from the bus
Iriomote Kotsu runs one bus route, Toyohara to Ohara Port, the Yubu Island buffalo-cart stop, Uehara and Shirahama, four times a day in each direction. The timetable from October 1, 2026 (winter): buses leave Ohara Port for Shirahama at 7:38, 10:00, 13:35 and 15:46.
| Stop | Arrivals from Ohara Port | Fare from Ohara Port |
|---|---|---|
| Yubu buffalo-cart stop | 8:18 · 10:26 · 13:55 · 16:07 | ¥450 |
| Uehara | 9:05 · 11:07 · 14:35 · 16:48 | ¥1,070 |
| Shirahama | 9:33 · 11:37 · 15:03 · 17:18 | ¥1,390 |
In the other direction, buses leave the Yubu stop at 8:24, 11:03, 14:04 and 16:39 and reach Ohara Port at 8:47, 11:23, 14:24 and 17:10. So the 10:00 bus from Ohara gets you to the buffalo carts at 10:26, and the 14:04 bus brings you back for an afternoon boat. Three warnings printed on the timetable: the buses are not timed to the ferries, they do not enter Uehara Port (walk to the Uehara stop), and some stops are skipped in one direction. A one-day bus pass is ¥1,500 (child ¥750), sold on board. Mangrove and river tours usually include pick-up at the port or your hotel, which frees you from the four buses altogether. See the Iriomote page for the ports and the last boats.
Ishigaki Island by bus: Kabira, the north, or the sightseeing bus
Kabira Bay: 6 buses a day, about 40 minutes
Azuma Bus route 9 (Kabira Resort line) leaves the bus terminal at 6:15, 8:50, 9:45, 12:55, 16:15 and 18:15 (timetable from February 2026) and takes about 40 minutes to Kabira Park. The workable pattern is out on the 8:50 or 9:45 and back on the 13:59 bus from Kabira Park (or the 12:53 on the Yoshihara line). Route 11 (Yonehara campsite line) runs from the airport at 12:15 and 15:00 straight to Kabira Park, Club Med and the Seaside Hotel without going through town: if your flight lands in time, you can go from the plane to a northern hotel with your luggage.
Tamatorizaki and Hirakubo: decide by the return bus
Routes 5 and 6 (Hirano and Ibaruma lines) serve the north, but not often. The useful daytime bus leaves the terminal at 11:20 and reaches Tamatorizaki Observatory at 12:16 and Hirakubo at 12:40. Returns from Tamatorizaki are at 14:09 and 18:19, from Hirakubo at 13:45 and 17:55, so you get either about two hours or about six at Tamatorizaki, and about one or five at Hirakubo. Some early and late runs do not operate on Sundays and holidays.
The sightseeing bus: the north in one day without a car
Azuma Bus's round-island sightseeing bus leaves the terminal at 9:15 every day and returns at 14:00, stopping at the Ishigaki limestone cave, Kabira Park and Tamatorizaki Observatory, with the Yonehara palm grove seen from the window. ¥6,500 for adults and ¥4,800 for children including lunch; book by 17:00 the day before. It may be cancelled when a typhoon approaches.
| Destination | Bus | Taxi from the airport (airport estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Ferry terminal | Route 4 or Karry Kanko, ¥550 | 25 min, ¥3,500 |
| ANA InterContinental | Route 10 (5 a day) | 20 min, ¥2,900 |
| Kabira Park | Route 9 from town; route 11 from the airport (2 a day) | 40 min, ¥5,600 |
| Tamatorizaki Observatory | Routes 2, 3, 5, 6 or the sightseeing bus | 25 min, ¥3,600 |
| Hirakubozaki Lighthouse | Routes 5 and 6 only | 45 min, ¥7,100 |
Passes and paying
- One-day pass: ¥1,000 (child ¥500), valid for 24 hours from purchase on every Azuma route including the airport line, not the sightseeing bus. Sold at the bus terminal and on every bus. An airport round trip alone costs ¥1,100 in singles, so the pass pays off on day one.
- Three-day pass: ¥2,000 (child ¥1,000). Airport round-trip ticket: ¥1,000.
- Payment on Azuma buses is cash or a contactless credit card only: no Suica or other transit IC cards, no Edy or WAON, no QR payments. No change is given, so use the changer on board. Karry Kanko also refuses IC cards and QR payments.
- Children 6 to 11 pay half; one child under 6 per adult rides free.
- Buses stop in typhoons; Azuma posts suspensions and resumptions on its site.
How easy is it, destination by destination
| Where | Car-free way | How it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Taketomi, Kuroshima, Hatoma | Boat plus bicycle or walking | Easy |
| Kohama | Boat plus the island sightseeing bus or a scooter | Book the island transport first |
| Kabira Bay | Route 9 (6 a day) | Easy |
| Iriomote and Yubu Island | Boat plus the 4-a-day bus, or a tour with pick-up | Plan from the timetable |
| Tamatorizaki | Routes 5 and 6, or the sightseeing bus | Few return buses |
| Hirakubozaki | Routes 5 and 6 only | Few return buses |
| Hateruma | Boat (about 90 min) plus an electric bicycle | Cancellations in winter; book the bicycle |
Three sample car-free days
- Taketomi: any morning boat (10–15 minutes, ¥970 one way), a bicycle at the port, the village and Kondoi Beach, back on an afternoon boat. Boats run every half hour or so.
- Kabira: the 9:45 bus from the terminal, Kabira Bay and the glass-bottom boats, lunch, the 13:59 bus back. Add the cave on the sightseeing bus another day.
- Iriomote: the first boat to Ohara, the 10:00 bus to the buffalo carts at Yubu (10:26), Yubu Island, the 14:04 bus back to Ohara (14:24), a mid-afternoon boat to Ishigaki. Or a mangrove tour with port pick-up.
The things that go wrong: a full bus on departure day (take the earlier one), no taxis on the islands (Iriomote has none to hail; book), no bicycles left on Kohama or Hateruma in high season (reserve), and the Hateruma boat cancelled by the north wind in winter (put Hateruma early in the trip). With those covered, a week here without a car is entirely normal.
For the boats themselves see the ferry timetable and the ferry terminal guide; for flights and the airport, How to get to Ishigaki.
Sources
- Taketomi Town Tourism Association: access to each island, FAQ (getting around, taxis, rental availability, winter cancellations)
- Azuma Bus: route timetables (airport line, Kabira Resort line, Yonehara line, Hirano and Ibaruma lines), fares (revised April 1, 2025), passes, payment rules, route 14 suspension notice, round-island sightseeing bus
- Iriomote Kotsu: route bus timetable and fares from October 1, 2026
- Karry Kanko: airport to ferry terminal direct bus
- Ishigaki Airport: bus and taxi information with fare estimates
Figures are transcribed from official sites via our Japanese articles and were checked between August and October 2026. Schedules and fares change; confirm with the operators before you travel.
