Ishigaki Sakishima Islands

Ishigaki Port is central, near the bus terminal. Its new dock was completed in February 2019, and the port authority runs a shuttle to the city-near ferry terminal for 200yen or 2USD.

Ishigaki City's cruise terminal is conveniently about 1.5 kilometers, approximately 1 mile, from downtown.

Ishigaki is the main Yaeyama island and the area's transport hub. Ishigaki City, Yaeyama's sole city and Japan's southernmost, has the region's principal airport and boat terminal.

Ishigaki has several lovely beaches and exceptional snorkelling and diving around its coral reefs. Its rivers, though less wild than nearby Iriomote's, offer jungle-like scenery for canoe exploration, while the hilly interior has varied hiking opportunities.

Ishigaki Island is 1,950km from Tokyo, 450km from Naha and 270km from Taiwan. Its population is 47,804 and its area 222.57 sq. kilometers. As part of the Yaeyama Island Chain and its main transport centre, Ishigaki makes ferry travel to other islands straightforward. Nearby choices include Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima, Aragusuku, Iriomote, Hatoma, Hateruma and Yonaguni.

Azuma Bus runs island services from the Sanbashi-dori terminal, directly across from the port. Its most useful routes go to the airport for ¥200 and Kabira for ¥700.

In a taxi, the driver remotely opens and closes the vehicle's left rear door; do not do it yourself. Do not tip drivers either, because service is already included in the price.

If Japanese is not spoken, or the destination is unfamiliar, give the driver its exact address on paper or, better still, point it out on a map. Japan's address system can confuse even local taxi drivers.

The island's famous black pearls make an especially distinctive souvenir.

In the city centre, Ishigaki Public Market offers a local-life experience plus fresh seafood, tropical fruit and local crafts.

Japan uses the yen, in ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 notes and ¥500, ¥100, ¥50, ¥10, ¥5 and ¥1 coins.

Japan's ATMs are increasingly useful, and most allow withdrawals from overseas accounts; post offices have ATMs too. Major credit cards are accepted by most stores and restaurants in large urban areas, but anyone visiting rural areas should carry enough cash. Japan remains a cash society, and some shops, hotels and restaurants refuse credit cards regardless of location.

Tipping is considered rude, so do not tip.

Customer free-WiFi cafes are springing up across the country. Costs differ: some coffee shops provide free Wi-Fi, while others charge hourly for cable-enabled PCs.

Japanese shops and department stores generally open every day, national holidays included except New Year's, from 10:00 or 10:30am until 7:30 or 8:00pm. Some specialist shops close Sundays and national holidays. Department stores may also take an irregular weekly closing day, but because each store's day differs, others will always be open.

Japan's public holidays.