Where to Stay on Ishigaki: Town and Port, Fusaki, Maezato, Kabira, the North or Near the Airport

1. Lodging on Ishigaki: rented houses, a few big resorts and hotels in town

Open a booking site for Ishigaki and the first thing you notice is how many listings are whole houses. Rented villas and small pensions are the most common kind of lodging on the island by a long way. Most of them have only one to three rooms, so they fill the search results without adding many beds. The picture changes when you count rooms instead of listings: a dozen large resort hotels hold about a third of all the rooms on the island.

The third group is in town. Around the port and the main shopping streets you find business hotels, mid-size city hotels, family-run minshuku and guesthouses. This is where the island’s buses start, where the ferries to the outer islands leave from, and where most of the restaurants are. If you are not planning to drive, town is the default choice, and every other area is measured against it.

The question to answer first

Ishigaki is bigger than people expect. Kabira is about 40 minutes from the airport by taxi, and the lighthouse at the northern tip takes about 45. Buses to the outer coasts run only a few times a day. So the real decision is less about which hotel is nicest and more about how you will move around. Decide whether you will rent a car, then pick the area. A beach resort in Kabira and a business hotel by the port suit two very different trips.

The table below lists the areas in the order this guide covers them, with how you reach each one from the airport or from town.

The areas at a glance

For what to see on the island once you have a base, our Ishigaki island guide covers the sights, beaches and day trips. If you are still choosing between Ishigaki and the main island, start with the Okinawa travel guide.

2. Town and port: where most of the hotels are

Most of the island’s hotels are in town, in the streets between the port and the main shopping arcades. Staying here means you can walk to dinner, walk to the ferry terminal, and catch the airport bus from the terminal next door. The hotels are mostly business hotels and mid-size city hotels. None of them sit on a swimming beach. What you get instead is a short walk to almost everything you need.

Hotels within walking distance of the ferry

Hotel Miyahira stands right by the port, about 2 minutes on foot from Euglena Ishigaki Port Remote Island Terminal, which is where the boats to Taketomi, Iriomote and the other islands leave. It is the closest large hotel to the boats, and many people who plan to spend their days on the outer islands book it for that reason alone.

Vessel Hotel Ishigakijima is in the Hamasaki area on the harbour side, about 600 m or 6 minutes on foot from the ferry terminal. Art Hotel Ishigakijima is further up in the Okawa area, a tall white building that also works as a stop for the Route 10 bus between the airport and ANA InterContinental. From Art Hotel the walk to the port is longer, so allow for it if you have a morning boat.

Other hotels in town include Hotel Bell Harmony, Hotel Patina, The BREAKFAST HOTEL MARCHE, Hotel Grandview Ishigaki The First, APA Hotel Ishigakijima in the Yashima area, Sakishima Business Hotel, Comfort Hotel, Super Hotel, Hotel Emerald Isle, Hotel Peace Island Ishigaki Inn Yashima and Ishigakijima Hotel Cucule. Yashima and Hamasaki are on the harbour side; Okawa, Ishigaki and Tonoshiro are nearer the arcades.

Eating out and getting in from the airport

The main reason to stay in town is the evening. The covered shopping arcades and the streets around them are where most of the island’s restaurants and bars are, and you can walk back to the hotel afterwards. At a resort outside town you either eat at the hotel or take a taxi in and out.

Getting in from New Ishigaki Airport is simple. Azuma Bus Route 4 runs from the airport to the ferry terminal for ¥550 and takes about 32 minutes. There are 29 departures a day from the airport, the first at 7:15. Karry Kanko runs a separate direct bus on the same route, also ¥550 (¥280 for children), 20 times a day. Both stop at or beside the ferry terminal, and from there most town hotels are a short walk.

If you are arriving from Naha rather than the mainland, our Naha travel guide covers the city you are flying out of.

3. Small inns in town and the morning boats to the islands

Town also has most of the island’s cheaper lodging. Family-run minshuku, small pensions and guesthouses sit in the same streets as the business hotels, and they are the ones to look at if you want a simple room close to the port.

Minshuku, pensions and guesthouses by name

The ones listed by the local tourism association include Minshuku Matsuya, Minshuku Tulip-so, Minshuku Yaeyama-so, Minshuku Rakutenya, Pension New Hamanoso, Pension Mitakeso, Wattaya Aparagi-kan and Guesthouse Churayado. On booking sites you will find many more guesthouses and dormitories that are not on that list, because the association only covers its own members.

A minshuku is a small family inn, often with Japanese-style rooms and sometimes with meals. A pension is similar but usually Western-style. Guesthouses range from private rooms to dorm beds. In all three, the rooms are simple and the value is the location: most of them are a few minutes on foot from the ferry terminal and the bus terminal.

Why island-hoppers sleep in town

Ishigaki is the base for the whole Yaeyama group, and the boats leave from Euglena Ishigaki Port Remote Island Terminal in the middle of town. The first boat to Taketomi leaves at 7:30. Both ferry companies, Yaeyama Kanko Ferry and Anei Kanko, run their first sailing at that time, and between them there are 18 sailings a day. The crossing takes 10 to 15 minutes and costs ¥970 one way or ¥1,880 return (¥510 and ¥990 for children).

If your hotel is in town, you can walk to the terminal and be on Taketomi before most day-trippers arrive. From Kabira or the north, the same morning boat would mean a long drive or a taxi booked in advance, and the early buses from those areas do not always line up with the boat times. For anyone planning two or three days of island trips, a town base saves a lot of travel.

Boats can stop in bad weather. For how storms affect flights and ferries, read our Okinawa typhoon guide before you lock in a tight island-hopping plan.

4. The west coast: Fusaki and Shinkawa resorts close to town

The west coast just outside town, in the Shinkawa area, is where you find beach resorts that are still close to the centre. The hotels here face the sea on the Fusaki side of the island, and the drive into town is short. It suits people who want a pool and a beach but also want to go into town for dinner once or twice.

Fusaki Beach Resort Hotel & Villas

Fusaki Beach Resort Hotel & Villas is the big one here, with 398 rooms spread over about 86,000 square metres of grounds. Fusaki Beach is directly in front. The hotel runs a free airport shuttle that does not need a reservation; the ride takes about 35 minutes and there are 8 runs a day.

What has changed is the link to town. Fusaki used to run its own shuttle into town, to Art Hotel Ishigakijima, and that service is now suspended. Older reviews and blog posts still mention it, so do not plan your evenings around it.

Grandvrio and the other west coast hotels

Grandvrio Resort Ishigakijima also runs a free airport shuttle, but here you must book it on the hotel’s website in advance. The ride takes about 45 minutes. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 11:00. The hotel has two buildings, the Oceans Wing and the Villa Garden, about 5 minutes apart on foot, so check which one your room is in when you book.

Along the same stretch are Hotel Royal Marine Palace Ishigakijima, Ishigakijima Beach Hotel Sunshine, Sakura Resort Hotel Ishigaki and The Beach Terrace Hotel AO Ishigaki. For longer stays there is Ocean View Yui, a condo-style place, and Emerald Isle, which rents by the week. Guesthouse Chura Cucule is the budget option in the area.

Getting into town and to the airport

There is no direct route bus from the airport to the west coast. Without a hotel shuttle, you take the airport bus to Ishigaki Bus Terminal and change to Route 9. From town, Route 9 reaches Fusaki in 22 minutes for ¥360. Royal Marine Palace is ¥250 and Beach Hotel Sunshine ¥300, because they are closer to town. A taxi from Fusaki into town takes about 15 minutes and starts from about ¥1,800.

5. Maezato: ANA InterContinental and seven x seven east of town

Maezato is a quiet stretch of coast just east of town, on the way to the airport. It is closer to the airport than any other resort area, and still only a short ride from the port. The area is dominated by one large resort, with a few smaller places around it.

ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort

ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort faces Maezato Beach. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 11:00. The hotel has no large communal bath, which is worth knowing if you are used to Japanese resorts that have one.

The hotel shuttle here is paid, and it is for staying guests only. You don’t need to book it, but it takes cash only. The fare to or from the airport is ¥700 (¥500 for children aged 6 to 12), and to or from the ferry terminal ¥500 (¥300 for children). Children aged 5 and under ride free. A taxi from the airport takes about 20 minutes and costs about ¥2,900, which for a group of three or four can come close to the shuttle total.

The Route 10 bus also passes the hotel. It runs 5 times a day from the airport, at 8:45, 11:45, 13:45, 14:15 and 15:45, and continues to Art Hotel Ishigakijima in town. With only 5 runs, it helps most for a morning or early afternoon arrival.

seven x seven Ishigaki

seven x seven Ishigaki is a smaller hotel in Maezato. Check-in runs from 15:00 to 23:00, which helps if you are on a late flight, and check-out is at 11:00. There are 106 free parking spaces. The hotel only offers pick-up to guests in suites. Everyone else can take a taxi, about 18 minutes from the airport, or a bus: Route 4 to the San-A stop or Route 10 to Maezato-higashi, then about 7 minutes on foot.

In the same eastern stretch, covering Maezato and Hirae, you also find wi-man Oasis Kyowa and Green Smile, which rents by the week. Maezato suits people who want a resort beach and a short ride from the airport: about 20 minutes by taxi to the ANA InterContinental. For comparison with resorts on the main island, see our Okinawa accommodation guide.

6. Kabira: Club Med, the Seaside Hotel and a thin bus service

Kabira is on the north-west side of the island, around Kabira Bay, which is on most people’s list of places to see on Ishigaki. Staying here puts you next to the bay and a quieter stretch of coast, but it is a long way from town and the bus service is thin. It works best with a car, or for travellers who plan to stay put at their hotel.

Club Med and Ishigaki Seaside Hotel

Club Med Kabira Beach is the best-known resort in the area, set among red-tiled buildings with the sea behind.

Ishigaki Seaside Hotel faces Sukuji Beach. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 11:00. The hotel has no shuttle, but it has 80 free parking spaces, which tells you how most guests arrive. Also in Kabira are Yadoya LOTUS, Minshuku Ohamaso and Kabira Park Chaya, a small inn by the park near the bay.

Buses and taxis in Kabira

The Route 9 Kabira resort line runs 6 times a day from Ishigaki Bus Terminal, at 6:15, 8:50, 9:45, 12:55, 16:15 and 18:15. Kabira Koen-mae (the park by the bay) is 43 minutes away and costs ¥770. The bus reaches Club Med in 53 minutes and Ishigaki Seaside Hotel in 59 minutes, and both of those stops cost ¥900.

The return trip is where people get caught. The last bus back leaves Kabira Koen-mae at 19:19 and reaches the bus terminal at 20:05, but it does not stop at the ferry terminal. The last bus that does stop at the ferry terminal leaves Kabira at 17:19. If you are going to town for dinner, you will need a taxi back.

From the airport, Route 11 runs directly to Kabira via Yonehara, but only twice a day, at 12:15 and 15:00. It takes 42 minutes to Kabira Koen-mae and costs ¥860, or ¥960 to Club Med and the Seaside Hotel. At other times you go into town first and change. A taxi from the airport to Kabira Park takes about 40 minutes and costs about ¥5,600; to Club Med, about 45 minutes and ¥6,300.

Taxis do not wait in Kabira. Ishigaki Seaside Hotel’s own advice is to book one by the day before. Short rides within Kabira cannot be booked at all, and if you call one on the spot it costs about ¥1,000 extra and can take 30 minutes or more to arrive.

7. Yonehara, Fukai and Nagura: villas that need a car

East of Kabira along the north coast lie Yonehara and Fukai. Nagura sits on the other side, between Kabira and the town. This is an area of villas, condo hotels and rented houses spread out along the shore. It is quieter than Kabira, with fewer shops and restaurants, and it is best seen as a place to stay with a car.

Villas and condo hotels on the north-west coast

In the Fukai area, close to Yonehara, you find Angel Grand Villa Ishigaki and Coral Terrace Ishigakijima. In Nagura, Nagura Village is a condominium hotel, which suits groups staying several nights when the nearest restaurant is a drive away. Beyond these, much of what you see on booking sites here are whole-house rentals run by individual owners.

Yonehara Beach is the best-known spot on this stretch, and the campsite behind it is also a bus stop. Most visitors here come for the sea in front of their door and do not plan to go into town every day.

Why a car makes sense here

The bus runs only a few times a day, at most 5, and the last bus back towards town leaves the Yonehara campsite stop at 16:21. After that, the only way into town is a taxi. From the airport, Route 11 reaches Yonehara for ¥570, but only on its two runs a day, at 12:15 and 15:00.

With a rental car, this area becomes easy: Kabira and the north are a short drive, and town is within reach for a day of shopping or an island trip. Without one, you will spend a lot of time planning around the bus timetable. If you are set on staying here, book the car at the same time as the room.

8. The north: quiet stays in Nosoko and Hirakubo

The northern arm of the island, around Nosoko and Hirakubo, is the quietest part of Ishigaki. The lodgings here are pensions, villas and small condo-style places. It is where you go for empty roads and a slower few days, and it is also the furthest part of the island from the airport, the port and the restaurants in town.

Where to stay in Nosoko and Hirakubo

Beach Village Nosoko is a condo-style place on the Nosoko side. Seven Colors Ishigakijima and Minami no Hitotsuboshi, a pension, are the other lodgings in the tourism association’s list for the north. Beyond these, the north has many small villas and rented houses that appear only on booking sites.

At the tip of the island is Hirakubo-zaki lighthouse, on a headland with open sea on three sides. It is one of the island’s best-known viewpoints, and staying in the north means you can go there early or late when there are fewer people.

How far it really is

The Route 6 bus to Hirakubo runs 3 times a day, at 11:20, 15:45 and 18:20, with an extra 7:05 run on Saturdays and school holidays. The trip takes about 80 minutes each way. A taxi from the airport to Hirakubo-zaki takes about 45 minutes and costs about ¥7,100.

So unless you have a car, the north is hard to leave once you arrive. It suits a second base at the end of a trip, after a few nights in town, more than a first base for someone who wants to explore the whole island and the outer islands.

9. Shiraho: whole-house rentals near the airport

Shiraho is a village on the east coast, just south of New Ishigaki Airport, known for the reef offshore. It does not show up in the tourism association’s list of member lodgings for the airport area, which can make it look as if there is nowhere to stay there. That list only covers members. There are places to stay in Shiraho, mostly whole houses that you rent for your group.

Whole-house rentals in Shiraho

Shiraho Nostalgie Garden takes one group a day and is about 5 minutes by car from the airport. GUESTHOUSE 236 is another whole-house rental in Shiraho, about 10 minutes from the airport. Both suit families or small groups who want space and a kitchen, more than a hotel room.

The Route 4 airport bus passes through Shiraho on its way between the airport and town. From the Shiraho Elementary School stop to the airport is ¥240, so even without a car you can reach the terminal cheaply.

Who should stay near the airport

Shiraho works well for a first night after a late arrival or a last night before an early flight. It is also a reasonable base for people who want the east coast reef and do not mind a drive to Kabira or town. For island-hopping, town is still better, because the ferries leave from the port.

10. Getting from the airport to your hotel

New Ishigaki Airport is on the east side of the island, well away from town. How you get to your hotel depends mostly on the area. Town has frequent buses; the resorts rely on hotel shuttles or taxis; Kabira and the north have only a few direct options each day.

Buses, taxis and hotel shuttles

Azuma Bus Route 4 is the main airport bus. It runs 29 times a day from the airport, first departure 7:15. The last one that goes all the way to the ferry terminal leaves the airport at 19:00. Later buses, until 21:45, stop at the bus terminal, which is only about 100 m from the ferry terminal anyway. Karry Kanko’s direct bus leaves the airport between 9:35 and 19:05, and the ferry terminal between 8:40 and 18:10, 20 times a day each way.

Azuma Bus also sells a return ticket between the airport and the port for ¥1,000 (¥500 for children). If you are staying in town and flying out from Ishigaki, it saves ¥100 over two single fares.

Paying on the bus

The buses take cash or a contactless credit card. Transport IC cards such as Suica are not accepted, so don’t count on the card you use in Tokyo or Osaka. You cannot reserve a seat either; if a bus is full, you wait for the next one.

If Ishigaki is one stop on a longer trip around the southern islands, our Miyako island guide covers the neighbouring island group, and the Japan travel guide covers the rest of the country.

11. Getting around without a car, area by area

You can have a good trip on Ishigaki without a car, but it limits where you should stay. Town works fine on foot and by bus. The west coast and Maezato are manageable with shuttles, the bus and the odd taxi. Kabira is possible if you plan around the timetable. Yonehara, Fukai, Nagura, the north and Shiraho are much easier with your own wheels.

Bus passes

Azuma Bus sells two passes. The 1-day free pass costs ¥1,000 and is valid for 24 hours from the time you buy it, so a pass bought at lunchtime still works the next morning. The Michikusa free pass costs ¥2,000 and covers 3 days. You can buy both on the bus or at the counter in Ishigaki Bus Terminal. Neither covers the scheduled sightseeing buses.

A round trip from town to Club Med or the Seaside Hotel is ¥1,800 on single tickets, so the 1-day pass pays for itself on a single Kabira trip.

How much each area needs a car

If you do decide to drive, our guide to renting a car on Ishigaki covers pick-up, licences and what to expect on the roads.

12. The lodging tax on Ishigaki

Okinawa Prefecture is introducing a lodging tax from 1 February 2027. It will be 2% of the room charge, not counting meals, per person per night, with a cap of ¥2,000 per person per night.

Ishigaki’s own lodging tax

Ishigaki City starts its own lodging tax on the same day. The prefecture takes a smaller share in places that have their own tax, so on Ishigaki the city charges 1.2% (capped at ¥1,200) and the prefecture 0.8% (capped at ¥800). The total you pay stays at 2%, with the same ¥2,000 cap. It is not 4%, and you do not pay both taxes in full.

How you pay it

You normally pay the tax at the hotel when you check in or check out. If you pay for the room online through a booking site, the tax may be included in that payment instead. Look at the booking confirmation to see which applies, so you are not surprised at the front desk. Some groups, such as school trips, are exempt.

The tax is set by the date of the stay. A night from 1 February 2027 onwards is taxed even if you booked it before the lodging tax started.

For more on how the tax works across the prefecture, see our guide to the Okinawa lodging tax. If you are also comparing Ishigaki with Miyako, the Miyako accommodation guide covers the same questions there.

Ishigaki accommodation FAQ

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