Taketomi and the Yaeyama islands
Taketomi is a town located in Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
Getting around Taketomi and the Yaeyama islands the local way
Everything runs off the Ishigaki ferry terminal – three ferry companies fan out to Taketomi, Kohama, Iriomote and Hateruma; on Taketomi itself cars are barred and you walk, cycle or ride a buffalo cart instead.
- 01Ishigaki – Taketomi high-speed ferryferry
Ishigaki Port (Ritō-sanbashi terminal) to Taketomi Port
- Where
- Any of the three ticket counters at Ishigaki's Ritō-sanbashi terminal, right across from the bus terminal; tickets are interchangeable for return trips only with the same company
- When
- Every 30 minutes or so, roughly 07:30–17:30 daily
- Fare (2026)
- ¥970 one-way / ¥1,880 return (adult, Anei Kankō 2026 fuel-surcharge-inclusive fare)
- Takes
- 10-15 min
- Season
- year-round; typhoon season (roughly July–October) brings sudden cancellations, announced same-day
- Booking
- none for the standard fast ferry, walk up and buy at any counter
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · aneikankou.co.jp (2026-09) · confidence high
- 02Ishigaki – Kohama high-speed ferryferry
Ishigaki Port to Kohama Port, and a once-daily Kohama–Taketomi repositioning leg
- Where
- Same three ferry counters at Ishigaki's terminal; the Kohama–Taketomi leg is meant for islanders repositioning boats and needs a reservation
- When
- Roughly hourly Ishigaki–Kohama; one ferry per day each way on the Kohama–Taketomi leg
- Fare (2022)
- ¥1,220 one-way Ishigaki–Kohama (2026); ¥1,180/2,260 one-way/return Kohama–Taketomi (fare last confirmed 2022, not reverified this pass)
- Takes
- 25 min Ishigaki–Kohama
- Season
- year-round; subject to the same typhoon cancellations as other Yaeyama routes
- Booking
- reservation mandatory for the Kohama–Taketomi repositioning leg
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium
- 03Ishigaki – Hateruma ferryferry
Ishigaki Port (separate long-distance pier, southeast corner) to Hateruma Port
- Where
- Ferry counters at Ishigaki terminal; ask specifically for Hateruma since it leaves from the second, unnamed pier, not the main Ritō-sanbashi berth
- When
- 2-5 departures a day depending on operator and season
- Fare (2026)
- ¥4,990 one-way / ¥9,670 return, adult (An-ei Kankō, 2026 fuel-surcharge-inclusive fare)
- Takes
- 60-70 min; Wikivoyage gives 60 minutes, and this is the longest and most exposed of the Yaeyama crossings
- Season
- cancellations are frequent and can run for several consecutive days in typhoon season and on strong northerly winds in winter
- Booking
- none for a normal sailing; check the day's status before travelling, cancellation is announced same-day
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · aneikankou.co.jp (2026-09) · confidence high
- 04Hateruma crossing cancellation riskservice status
Ishigaki – Hateruma ferry route
- Where
- n/a, a condition rather than a service
- When
- on demand – depends on sea state, decided by the operators each morning
- Fare (2026)
- n/a
- Takes
- n/a
- Season
- worst July–October (typhoons) and December–February (strong north winds); no cited source gives a cancellation rate or names a vessel change on this route
- Booking
- n/a
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence low
- 05Taketomi bicycle rental at the portbicycle hire
Taketomi Port to the village and beaches
- Where
- Rental shops line the dock and meet every arriving boat; they transfer you to their shop free of charge
- When
- on demand, shops open through ferry operating hours
- Fare (2019)
- ¥300/hour, ¥1,500/day (electric bikes also available since motorcycles were withdrawn)
- Takes
- island is under 1 km across, most rides 5-15 min
- Season
- year-round
- Booking
- none, walk up
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
- 06Water buffalo cart tourother
A fixed loop through Taketomi village
- Where
- Ticket counters right at the ferry terminal push package deals combining the ferry and a buffalo cart; buy separately if you only want the boat
- When
- on demand, carts leave when a group forms
- Fare (2026)
- ¥1,200 adult / ¥600 child
- Takes
- 30-minute round trip including port transfer
- Season
- year-round
- Booking
- book at the terminal or the operator's counter in the village
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
- 07Taketomi's car-free village ruleservice status
Taketomi village
- Where
- n/a, a standing rule rather than a service
- When
- always in force
- Fare (2026)
- n/a
- Takes
- n/a
- Season
- year-round
- Booking
- n/a
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
- 08Taketomijima Kōtsū village shuttleshuttle bus
Taketomi Port to the village and the beaches, stops by request
- Where
- Shuttle waits by the port near the bicycle shops; wave it down or call ahead
- When
- at least once an hour
- Fare (2026)
- ¥300 adult, ¥150 child a ride on the operator's own 2026 page; Wikivoyage's older ¥200/310-by-distance fare and ¥1,030 day pass do not appear there and look out of date
- Takes
- 5-10 min port to village
- Season
- year-round
- Booking
- stops are by demand and only departures from the port can be boarded without booking; call +81 980-85-2154 at least 30 minutes ahead to be picked up. Ten seats a vehicle
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · takekou.info (2026-09) · takekou.info (2026-09) · confidence high
- 09Azuma Bus airport lines (Ishigaki)bus
New Ishigaki Airport to Ishigaki bus terminal, lines #4 and #10
- Where
- Bus stop directly outside the airport terminal building; onward ferries to Taketomi and the other islands leave from the terminal across from the port
- When
- every 20 minutes or so
- Fare (2026)
- ¥520; covered by the ¥2,000 5-day Michikusa Free Pass or the ¥1,000 one-day pass if exploring Ishigaki too
- Takes
- about 45 minutes
- Season
- year-round
- Booking
- none, pay on board
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
- 10Iriomote Kōtsū cross-island busbus
Shirahama to Funaura, continuing to Ōhara on the east coast
- Where
- Bus stops at the Shirahama, Uehara/Funaura and Ōhara ferry terminals; tell the driver your destination when boarding, pay when you get off
- When
- 5 services a day each way Shirahama–Funaura, 3 of which continue to Ōhara
- Fare (2026)
- ¥390 Shirahama–Funaura, ¥670 Funaura–Ōhara; ¥1,000 three-day bus pass
- Takes
- 30 min Shirahama–Funaura, another 50 min on to Ōhara
- Season
- year-round
- Booking
- none, pay the driver
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
- 11Ishigaki – Iriomote (Ōhara and Uehara) ferryferry
Ishigaki Port to Ōhara Port (east) or Uehara Port (northwest); Uehara sailings summer only
- Where
- Same three-operator ticket counters at Ishigaki terminal
- When
- roughly hourly to Ōhara; Uehara sailings are subject to cancellation on a strong north wind, common in winter
- Fare (2026)
- ¥1,540 one-way to Ōhara, ¥2,000 to Uehara (2026)
- Takes
- 35 min to Ōhara, 40 min to Uehara
- Season
- Uehara route suspends on strong north winds, especially autumn-winter; passengers are then bused free from Ōhara to anywhere between Ōhara and Shirahama
- Booking
- none for the standard fast ferry
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
- 12Yubu Island water buffalo crossingother
Iriomote's east coast to Yubu Island, across a shallow tidal channel
- Where
- Yubu crossing point on Iriomote's east coast, signposted from the coastal road near Funaura
- When
- buffalo carts depart every 30 minutes; walking across at low tide is free and possible any time the tide allows
- Fare (2026)
- walking ¥500 (island admission), buffalo cart ¥1,300 adult / ¥650 child
- Takes
- a few minutes
- Season
- year-round, 09:15-16:15; tide-dependent for walking
- Booking
- none, walk up
Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
Not yet confirmed: The brief's framing of Hateruma as 'notoriously rough and cancels often' matches what Wikivoyage and local reporting describe, but a Google News search for 波照間航路 欠航 turned up Okinawa Times and Ryukyu Shimpo headlines about a larger vessel introduced to cut the cancellation rate that could not be resolved to direct publisher URLs in this session (Google News redirect links do not decode to the article without extra tooling); someone checking should search 波照間航路 欠航 or 悪天候の欠航減へ directly on okinawatimes.co.jp or ryukyushimpo.jp.; An earlier draft of this entry stated in two options that a larger, more stable vessel – in one place given a displacement of 284 tonnes – had been put on the Ishigaki–Hateruma route to cut cancellations. Neither the Hateruma Wikivoyage article nor An-ei Kankō's timetable page says anything about a vessel change or a cancellation rate, and the tonnage figure had no source at all. Both statements have been removed; the unresolved Okinawa Times / Ryukyu Shimpo lead above is all there is.; Taketomijima Kōtsū's own site gives a flat ¥300 adult / ¥150 child route-bus fare and no day pass, while Wikivoyage still gives ¥200/310 by distance plus a ¥1,030 day pass. An earlier draft carried the Wikivoyage figures under a 2026 fare year. The operator's figures are used above; nobody has confirmed whether the day pass still exists, so ask at the port counter.; Could not confirm current 2026 fares for the Ishigaki–Hatoma or Ishigaki–Kuroshima routes; Kuroshima's Wikivoyage article returned empty content this pass.; The exact current typhoon-season cancellation rate (days per month) for Ishigaki–Hateruma is not published as a number anywhere found; only that it is materially worse than the other Yaeyama routes.; Taketomi's one taxi (phone +81 80-2751-3229 per Wikivoyage) was not independently reverified this pass; treat as unconfirmed for current operation.; Yaeyama Kankō Ferry's own site (ybs.co.jp) and several other operator/government domains listed in the recon pass were blocked or unreachable (SSL/DNS failures) and could not be checked directly; fares above rely on An-ei Kankō's live 2026 fare table plus Wikivoyage for the others, which should be treated as consistent across the three-operator pool but not independently confirmed per operator..
The field note on Taketomi and the Yaeyama islands reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: 663highland (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.