Downtown Ishigaki takes cards and phone payments almost everywhere. The outer islands do not. Several ferry counters, most family guesthouses and some restaurants are cash only, and the post-office ATMs on the smaller islands are closed on Sundays. This guide covers money first, then typical costs, getting around without a car, and the local rules that visitors most often break without knowing.
ATMs on the islands (October 2026)
| Island | ATM | Weekdays | Saturday | Sunday and holidays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taketomi | Taketomi Post Office | 8:45–17:30 | 9:00–17:00 | Closed |
| Kohama | Kohama Post Office | 8:45–17:30 | 9:00–17:00 | Closed |
| Kuroshima | Kuroshima Post Office | 8:45–17:30 | 9:00–17:00 | Closed |
| Hateruma | Hateruma Post Office | 8:45–17:30 | 9:00–17:00 | 9:00–17:00 |
| Iriomote (north) | Iriomote Post Office | 8:45–19:00 | 9:00–17:00 | 9:00–17:00 |
| Iriomote (Ohara) | Iriomote Ohara Post Office | 8:45–18:00 | 9:00–17:00 | 9:00–17:00 |
| Hatoma | No ATM found | |||
| Ishigaki (reference) | Yaeyama Post Office | 8:00–21:00 | 8:00–21:00 | 8:00–21:00 |
Each island usually has one post office, and Japan Post warns that ATMs can be suspended. The safe habit is to withdraw what you need on Ishigaki before you board. Japan Post ATMs accept most international cards; the ferry terminal also has a bank ATM.
Where cash is required
| Anei Kanko ticket counter | Accepted payment |
|---|---|
| Ishigaki Port | Cash, credit cards, e-money (Edy, WAON, iD, nanaco, transit IC), QR payments |
| Iriomote Ohara and Uehara ports | Cash, credit cards, e-money, PayPay, au PAY |
| Kohama Port | Cash, credit cards, e-money, PayPay |
| Kuroshima and Hateruma ports | Cash and PayPay |
| Taketomi and Hatoma ports | Cash only |
- Buy a round-trip ferry ticket at Ishigaki so you never need to pay at an island port. Card terminals on the islands fail when the signal is weak.
- Taketomi's ¥300 entry fee is paid at a ticket machine; bring coins.
- Many family guesthouses (minshuku) are cash only and some do not take cards even for the room. Prepaying through a booking site avoids carrying the room cost in cash. On Hateruma, where boats can be cancelled for days, carry enough for one extra night.
- Island buses on Iriomote take contactless credit cards, but carry coins in case the terminal is offline.
What things cost (published prices, adults)
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Ferry, Ishigaki–Taketomi | ¥970 one way, ¥1,880 round trip |
| Ferry, Ishigaki–Kohama | ¥1,720 / ¥3,340 |
| Ferry, Ishigaki–Kuroshima | ¥1,850 / ¥3,590 |
| Ferry, Ishigaki–Iriomote Ohara | ¥2,520 / ¥4,880 |
| Ferry, Ishigaki–Iriomote Uehara | ¥3,290 / ¥6,370 |
| Ferry, Ishigaki–Hateruma | ¥4,990 / ¥9,670 |
| Taketomi entry fee | ¥300 |
| Taketomi water-buffalo cart (about 25–30 min) | ¥3,300 (¥3,900 peak) |
| Taketomi rental bicycle, one day | ¥2,000–2,200 (electric ¥4,000–4,400) |
| Kabira Bay glass-bottom boat (about 30 min) | ¥2,300 (child ¥1,200) |
| Ishigaki Limestone Cave | ¥1,200 (child ¥600) |
| Urauchi River jungle cruise, Iriomote | ¥3,000 (child ¥1,500), usually needs 4 or more passengers |
| Nakama River mangrove cruise, Iriomote | ¥3,500 from October 2026, 50–60 min |
| Yubu Island cart round trip and entry | ¥2,000 (child ¥1,000); ¥700 if you walk across |
| Ishigaki Sunset Beach (May 1 to October 15) | ¥500 (child ¥300), parking ¥500 |
A Taketomi day trip therefore costs ¥2,180 in boats and fees before food; an Iriomote day with the mangrove cruise about ¥8,380; a day on Ishigaki with Kabira Bay and the cave ¥3,500. Food, rental cars and hotels come on top.
Getting around without a car
Base yourself downtown near the ferry terminal; the airport bus is ¥550 and every boat leaves from there. On the islands the picture varies. Taketomi, Kuroshima and Hatoma are easy on foot or by rental bicycle. Kohama and Hateruma are hilly, so the tourism association recommends a rental scooter or car, or on Kohama the sightseeing bus. Iriomote has the only timetabled public bus, four round trips a day between Ohara Port, the Yubu cart stop, Uehara and Shirahama (one-day pass ¥1,500), and it is not timed to the ferries; most river and kayak tours include pickups. On Ishigaki itself, Azuma Bus reaches Kabira (route 9, 6 a day, about 40 minutes) and the northern capes (routes 5 and 6, few departures), and the daily sightseeing bus (9:15–14:00, ¥6,500 with lunch, reserve by 17:00 the day before) covers the cave, Kabira and Tamatorizaki.
Island rules worth knowing
- Villages are homes. Taketomi's village is governed by a charter the residents wrote in 1986. Do not step into yards or peer over the low walls to take photos, do not walk the lanes in swimwear, and keep noise down.
- Sacred sites (utaki) and graves are off limits. Shrines can be just a grove and a stone with no fence. If you are not sure whether you may enter, stay outside. Some festivals ban photography.
- Take your trash with you. The islands have only small incinerators, and food waste attracts wildlife.
- Do not touch, stand on or collect. No coral, shells, star sand or creatures; some shells and jellyfish are venomous. Float with a life jacket instead of standing on reef. Beware rip currents through gaps in the reef.
- Do not feed wildlife, and drive at 40 km/h or less on Iriomote to protect the Iriomote cat and crested serpent eagle. Stay on marked paths in the national park.
- Drones and commercial filming anywhere in Taketomi Town (Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima, Iriomote, Hateruma) require a notification to the town office two weeks in advance, including monetized social-media filming; villages are no-drone areas. Ishigaki has a separate film office.
For boats and timing see Ishigaki Port Ferry Terminal, and for seasons Best time to visit.
Sources
- Japan Post: post office ATM hours (Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima, Hateruma, Iriomote, Iriomote Ohara, Yaeyama)
- Anei Kanko: FAQ (payment by port), timetable and fares
- Taketomi Island Nature Asset Foundation: entry fee
- Taketomi Town, Taketomi Town Tourism Association: island manners, filming notification
- Ministry of the Environment, Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center: national park manners
- Ishigaki City: marine safety
- Kabira Marine Service, Ishigaki Limestone Cave, Urauchigawa Kanko, Iriomote Island Kotsu, Yubu Island, Ishigaki Sunset Beach: published prices
- Azuma Bus: timetables, sightseeing bus
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.
