Ishigaki
From Wikitravel
Ishigaki (石垣) is second-largest but most populated of the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa, Japan.
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Understand
Ishigaki has 45,000 of Yaeyama's 50,000 people and is thus the political, economic and transport hub of the islands. Most of these live in central Ishigaki, known for lack of a better name in Japanese as shigaichi (市街地 "city streets"), chushin (中心 "center") or just machi (町 "town"). The main districts are Ōkawa (大川) and Mizakichō (美崎町) and the main roads are Sanbashi-dōri (桟橋通り), leading north from the port, Shiyakusho-dōri (市役所通り), running west-east along the coast, and Yui Road (ゆいロード), running parallel a few blocks north.
Other population centers on Ishigaki are Kabira (川平), by the bay of the same name on the northwest coast, and Shiraho (白保), at the southeast corner. Much of the island, particularly the central mountains and the scenic northeastern peninsula, is quite sparsely settled.
Get in
By plane
Ishigaki Airport (ISG) is the largest airport in the Yaeyama Islands. There are frequent connections to Naha and Miyako, some direct services to major Japanese cities like Tokyo, and daily flights to Yonaguni and Hateruma. There are buses to the port every 30 minutes or so. The fare is a flat ¥200 and the trip takes 15-20 minutes depending on the direction; there are both eastbound and westbound services, but both terminate at the port. You can also use the Free Passes for this (see Get around). A taxi to central Ishigaki will cost you around ¥800 but takes just 5 minutes or so.
By boat
Ishigaki Port (石垣港) is located at the center of the city near the bus terminal. There are two parts: the central Ritō-sanbashi (離島さんばし), for services to nearby islands, and a second unnamed pier at the southeast corner of the port for long-distance services to Yonaguni and slow boats to Hateruma. The port information office is next to Ritō-sanbashi pier 1.
Services to destinations outside the Yaeyama Islands are limited. There are 4 services per week from Naha and Miyako to Ishigaki. A weekly slow ferry travels from Keelung (Taiwan) to Ishigaki, continuing onward all the way to Osaka and Nagoya. Star Cruises (http://www.starcruises.com/Itineraries/Taiwan/index.html) also runs cruises along the same route weekly in the high season.
There are extensive services to the other islands in the Yaeyama group, including:
- Taketomi (¥580, 15 min), departures every 30 minutes
- Ōhara (¥1540, 45 min) and Uehara/Funaura (¥2000, 50 min) on Iriomote, departures roughly hourly
- Kohama (¥1030, 25 min), departures roughly hourly
- Kuro (¥1130, 25 min), 5 departures daily
- Hateruma (¥3000, 70 min), 3 departures daily
- Yonaguni (¥3400, 4-5 hours), 2 departures weekly
Prices and times above are one-ways on fast ferries and may vary slightly from company to company. Return fares are usually 10% cheaper. Slow boat service, if available, will be somewhat cheaper but connections are infrequent.
The major operators are Anei Kankō (http://www.aneikankou.co.jp/index1.htm), Hirata Group (http://www.hirata-group.co.jp/tourism/ferry/) and Yaeyama Kankō Ferry (http://www.yaeyama.co.jp/timetable.htm). There are free courtesy buses from the larger resorts to some ferries, enquire locally.
Get around
By bus
Azuma Bus (http://www.cosmos.ne.jp/~bus/) operates services throughout the island radiating from the bus terminal on Sanbashi-dōri, just across the street from the port. The most useful services connect to the airport (¥200) and Kabira (¥700).
The best deal for transport on the island is the Airport Line Kabira Resort Line 5-Day Free Pass (空港線・川平リゾート線５日間フリーパス); no, it's not quite free, but ¥1000 gets you unlimited trips on both lines for 5 days and is cheaper than a single round trip to Kabira. Throw in another ¥1000, and you can get the Michikusa Free Pass (みちくさフリーパス) which allows unlimited travel on all routes.
By taxi
Taxis are the only other form of transport and it's common to see them slowly cruising the streets waiting for passengers. Flag fall is ¥390 and the meter ticks at alarming speed after 2 kilometers.
On foot
Central Ishigaki can be comfortably covered on foot, but you'll need another means of transport for the rest of the island.
See
Ishigaki is a little low on must-see attractions and somewhat tamer in terms of scenery than Iriomote. Most visitors hit the beaches of the northern coast and stay there.
Beaches
Ishigaki's beaches are among the most spectacular in Japan.
- Kabira Bay (川平湾 Kabira-wan). At the northwest corner
of the island is this stunning emerald blue bay with a perfect yellow-white
beach, dotted by craggy islands — but no swimming allowed, so
the closest you can get is a glass-bottom boat tour (¥1000, 30
min). You can walk along the coast from bay to bay, but beware of
the fast-moving tides that may trap you if you dally too much in the
evening.
- The best free landside views are from Kabira Park (川平公園 Kabira-kōen), a promenade complete with viewing pavilion that stretches along the coast above the beach itself.
- Sukuji Beach (底地ビーチ), 2 km west of Kabira. One kilometer of white sand beach, equipped with changing rooms, showers, toilets and other essentials.
- Yonehara (米原). Offers nice sand and better coral reefs within easy snorkeling distance. Gear rental and a campground too.
Other
- Tōjinbaka (唐人墓), Tōjin no haka stop on the Kabira
Resort Line. This ornately decorated Chinese-style "Tang People's
Grave" commemorates the sorry fate of some 400 Hokkien Chinese coolies,
who mutinied and ran aground on Ishigaki on their way to California.
Pursued by the English navy, those captured were killed, so many headed
into the mountains where they starved or committed suicide, and only
a lucky few were taken under the wing of friendly locals and protected.
- Nearby is also a newer (2001) bilingual monument of angular concrete, dedicated to three Americans shot down over Ishigaki in April 1945, during the closing days of World War II. After being captured and tortured, two were beheaded and one was used for bayonet practice, and monument duly notes that such things are not fair play according to the Geneva Convention.
- Kannonzaki Lighthouse (観音崎灯台 Kannonzaki-tōdai). A little lighthouse on a little cape, not open to the public but there's a little park and viewing pavilion next to it. Not worth much of a detour but conveniently located across the road from Tōjinbaka.
- Kannon-dō Temple (観音堂). Rounding out the trio of low-key attractions around Tōjinbaka is this quiet Okinawan-style wooden temple, with a grand lantern-lined staircase but little to see when you get there. The toilets, however, are kept in excellent shape.
Do
The transparent waters around the island are full of coral reefs, making scuba diving the number one activity on Ishigaki. In particular, Manta Scramble (マンタスクランブル), just off the island's north coast, is a legendary spot for manta ray spotting. There are a large number of dive operators and rates are more or less standardized at around ¥12000 for two boat dives (not including gear rental).
- Umicōza (海講座), Kabira, tel. 0980-88-2434, [1] (http://www.umicoza.com/). Friendly dive shop that also caters to English-speaking divers, although a certification course here might be pushing it. Two dives ¥12000, full gear rental ¥5000. Free transfers from anywhere on the island, Visa/MC/Amex accepted.
Buy
Souvenir shops abound, particularly around the port. The closest thing to a dedicated shopping area are the two streets of the covered Ayabani Mall (あやばにモール) arcade just west of the post office.
- Ishigaki-shi Tokusanpin Hanbai Center (石垣市特産品販売センター), Ayabani Mall 2F, Okawa 208, [2] (http://www.nij.to/ishigakinotokusan/). This city-sponsored retail center sells only authentic Ishigaki-made products, ranging from handicrafts to food items.
- Tezukurikan Kōbō Uminchu (手作り館工房海人), Mizakichō 4 (Sanbashi-dōri just south of port), [3] (http://www.uminchu-okinawa.com). Home of the ubiquitous Uminchu T-shirts worn by approximately half the local population. A vast variety of designs from ¥2625.
- Yashiya (ヤシ屋), next to Tōjinbaka. This little factory-shop cooks up tasty cane sugar candy, sold on premises for ¥500 per cake. You can also view the making process, which basically consists of mashing up sugarcane and then boiling the juice until it turns into brown sugar candy.
Eat
There are plenty of eating options in central Ishigaki, although many of the fancier places are open only for dinner. The stretch of Sanbashi-dori between the piers and the bus terminal has a good selection of reasonably priced Okinawan places, most of which offer affordable set lunches.
Budget
- Banna (ばんな), Mizakicho 1-8 (on Sanbashi-dōri opposite bus terminal). Okinawan izakaya that also offers reasonable set meals, open 9 AM to midnight. Try their goya champuru set for ¥750.
- Beach, Okawa 209 (inside Ayabani Mall). This friendly stucco-walled beach café trapped in a mall offers the Okinawan speciality taco rice in both "standard" (Mexican-ish) and "original" (Asian chicken) versions for ¥800 with tea/coffee or ¥1000 with a draught Orion beer. Open 11:30 AM to 10 PM daily.
- Māsan-dō (まーさん道), Shiyakusho-dōri. Specializes in Yaeyama soba, ¥500 for a basic bowl, ¥800 for the sōki version with a big hunk o' pork on top. Add your namecard to the vast collection on the walls. Open daily from 11 AM to 9:30 PM.
- Mugiwarabōshi (麦わらぼうし), Mizakicho 3-2F (above bus terminal). Even locals come here for Yaeyama soba (¥400+). Generously sized set lunches from ¥700. Open daily except Monday from 10 AM to 9 PM.
- Uechi Jersey Bokujō Soft Cream Hanbaiten (上地ジャージー牧場ソフトクリーム販売店). Okawa 281-2 (on Yui Road), tel. 090-9571-6750. This is the place to sample milk-flavored ice cream, made only from the milk of local Ishigaki cows. ¥300 per cone, open 11 AM to 7 PM daily.
Splurge
Ishigaki's beef (石垣牛 Ishigaki-gyū) is meltingly smooth and well worth the splurge for meat lovers, although you'll generally be looking at around ¥5000 for something approximating a decent-sized steak. Sampling strips served as yakiniku or even raw sashimi is somewhat more affordable, but if the price seems too good do double-check that it's real Ishigaki beef, not a cheaper import.
- Kinjō (金城), Hotel Peaceland 1F, Mizakichō 11-1 (south end of Center-Dori). The lunch-only ¥2500 steak teishoku set with 150g of Ishigaki beef to grill by yourself is one of the better deals around, especially when washed down with some Ishigakijima beer. Open daily 11:30 AM to 3 PM for lunch, 5 PM to midnight for dinner.
Drink
Ishigaki has a surprisingly vibrant nightlife, mostly centered around izakayas offering the ubiquitous local firewater awamori. Also be sure to sample the local Ishigakijima Beer (石垣島地ビール) microbrew, now available in "marine" (lager) and "kuro" (dark) versions.
Mizakichō Center-Dōri (美崎町センター通り) and nearby streets have a range of karaoke lounges and nightclubs of varying degrees of respectability. Outside the city, however, there is little to no nightlife of any kind and you'll be hard pressed to find even a restaurant open after 6.
Sleep
Ishigaki has a wide range of accommodation, ranging from expensive resorts for ¥10000+ to backpacker-oriented minshukus that can go as low as ¥3000 for your own room or under ¥2000 for dormitory-type accommodation.
Budget
- Rakutenya (楽天屋), Okawa 291, tel. 0980 83-8713, [4] (http://www3.big.or.jp/~erm8p3gi/). Two rambling old wooden houses run by an affable if eccentric English-speaking couple, ¥3000 per night gets you a private room with free laundry and Internet. The catches are that aircon costs ¥100/hour and only the newer wing (別館 bekkan) has mosquito nets.
Splurge
- Club Med Kabira, [5] (http://www.clubmed.co.jp). One of Japan's two Club Meds, this swanky resort offers beautiful views of Kabira Bay. Last stop on the Kabira Resort line.
Contact
There's an internet cafe in Ayabani Mall, in the arcade that's farther from the port.
Cope
Somewhat surprisingly there is no tourism information office anywhere on the island, although the City Hall Tourism Division (市役所観光課) can help out during working hours if you make the trek there. Try to pick up copies of the free Ishigaki Town Guide or Yaeyama Navi pamphlets, both useful packs of information with lots of maps to show you around. Note that both are in Japanese only and any listings inside are essentially commercial, so not everything is listed. City Hall and many restaurants, shops and lodgings usually have one or both available.
The only foreigner-friendly ATMs on the island are in the Ishigaki and Kabira post offices, open daily from 9 AM to 7 PM only.
Get out
- Iriomote — an hour away by boat, offers mangrove jungles and the elusive Iriomote wildcat
- Taketomi — just 10 minutes by boat, known for its well-preserved Ryukyu village
- Yonaguni — 30 minutes by plane or 4 hours by boat, the westernmost point of Japan offers mysterious ruins and diving with hammerhead sharks
External links
- Ishigaki City (http://www.city.ishigaki.okinawa.jp/en/)