There are 2 ferry routes operating between Ishigaki Island and Iriomote Island offering you combined total of 29 sailings per day. Yaeyama Kanko Ferry operates 2 routes, Ishigaki to Ohara runs 12 times per day & Ishigaki to Uehara about 10 times daily. Ishigaki Dream Tours operates 2 routes, Ishigaki to Ohara runs 6 times per day & Ishigaki to Uehara about 3 times weekly.
As the frequency and duration of crossings on some routes varies we would advise that you do a live search for crossings from Ishigaki Island to Iriomote Island to get the most up to date information.
Iriomote is a sparsely populated island in the Yaeyamas, southern Japan, measuring almost three hundred square-kilometres, making it the second largest landmass in Okinawa Prefecture.
A trip to Iriomote gives you the chance to explore one of Japan’s most untouched environments, with 90% of the island covered in dense trees, mangroves and national parks. Not only that, surrounding Iriomote are some of the country’s finest coral reefs, whilst inland, a network of rivers meanders through jungles and cascades down cliffs. These are best enjoyed on a riverboat or kayak, adding a real sense of wilderness and adventure.
Although home to just over two thousand residents, Iriomote is inhabited by the critically endangered namesake wildcat, a small subspecies of leopard rarely seen by visitors, so keep an eye out.
Japan is known for its excellent ferry infrastructure; the Yaeyamas are no different. Travelling between the islands couldn’t be easier, with roughly a dozen sailings every day from Hatoma and Ishigaki and daily routes from Kohama.