December at a glance
| Item | December |
|---|---|
| Average temperature | 20.5°C (highs 23.0°C, lows 18.4°C) |
| Rain | 155.2 mm |
| Sunshine | 89.3 hours |
| Wind | 5.6 m/s, mostly north-northeast |
| Sea temperature | 24.7°C (south of Ishigaki) |
| Typhoon approaches | 0.0 (Okinawa region, 1991–2020 normal) |
| Visitors | 122,668 in December 2025 |
| Ferry timetable | Winter (October 1 to March 31): fewer departures; Hateruma 2 boats a day |
| Lifeguards | Sukuji Beach (city-run, Kabira): no lifeguards or jellyfish nets; its season is April 1 to September 30. Fusaki Beach (hotel-run) allows swimming on sunny days and posts a lifeguard on request in winter. Snorkeling tours run all year in 5 mm wetsuits |
Weather
Average 20.5°C (highs 23.0°C, lows 18.4°C), 155 mm of rain, 89.3 hours of sunshine (second only to January for cloud) and a north-northeast wind of 5.6 m/s. The air is the driest of the year at 71 percent humidity. No typhoons in the normals.
The sea
24.7°C, still warmer than the air. No lifeguards at the city beach; tours run in 5 mm wetsuits. From December the Southern Cross is back, low in the south before dawn, and the island's observatory lists December to June as its season.
Ferries and which islands to pick
The winter ferry timetable runs from October 1 to March 31 with fewer departures than summer. Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima and Iriomote's Ohara Port are reached through water sheltered by islands and reefs, and both ferry companies say these routes are rarely affected by swell. Uehara Port on Iriomote, Hatoma and Hateruma cross open sea: when the north wind blows, the Uehara and Hatoma boats are often cancelled, and Hateruma, which has only two boats a day in winter (8:00 and 14:30 out, 9:50 and 16:20 back), can be cut off for several days. Put the outer islands early in the trip, keep a spare day, and check both companies' operating-status pages each morning. Every departure is on the ferry timetable page.
Crowds and prices
122,668 visitors in December 2025. Prices are low for most of the month, then flights and hotels fill for the last days of December and the first of January. New Year sunrise on Ishigaki is at 7:27.
What is on in December
- Ishigaki Pottery Festival, two days in December (dates are announced late).
- Southern Cross season begins (pre-dawn), December to June.
- Miss Yaeyama applications open in mid December.
- Year-end and New Year holiday week.
Festivals on the lunar calendar move every year; the island tourism associations publish the dates a month or two ahead.
What to pack
Long sleeves plus a jacket, and a windproof layer for boats and stargazing.
Is December a good time to visit?
Quiet, cheap and good for stars and sightseeing; not a beach month. Avoid the year-end week unless you booked early.
For the whole year on one page, see Best time to visit; for the number of nights, How many nights do you need.
Other months
Sources
- Japan Meteorological Agency: climate normals for Ishigakijima, 1991–2020 (temperature, precipitation, sunshine, wind, cloud amount)
- Japan Meteorological Agency: sea-surface temperature for the sea area south of Ishigaki (monthly means of the daily normals)
- Japan Meteorological Agency: typhoon normals 1991–2020, approaches to the Okinawa region
- Ishigaki City: monthly visitor estimates, 2025 and January–July 2026
- Ishigaki City Tourism Association: Sukuji Beach (lifeguard and net dates); Fusaki Beach Resort FAQ; Okinawa Prefecture: box-jellyfish advisory
- Anei Kanko and Yaeyama Kanko Ferry: winter timetables (October 2026 to March 2027) and notices on the Uehara, Hatoma and Hateruma routes
- Ishigaki City official tourism site (annual events), Taketomi Town Tourism Association (event list), Yonaguni Tourism Association, Ishigaki Island Marathon, Ishigaki Triathlon and Ishigaki Hula Festival official sites, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Southern Cross)
Climate figures are 1991–2020 normals, so any given year differs. Visitor numbers are city estimates. Festival dates on the lunar calendar change every year; confirm with the organisers. Checked in October 2026.
