If you also choose Hong Kong Express, you will land before 10:30 am.
The International Hall of Ishigaki Airport is very small and the entry speed can be very fast, especially when you are on the front side of the plane.
After leaving the International Hall to reach the outside, bus stops are in front of you, including the Karry Kanko bus which is a non-stop bus to ferry port and the bus from East Transportation Co., Ltd. (東運輸株式会社 in Japanese). You can buy tickets from the driver when you get on the bus. You can use coins and 1000 Yen notes. Larger notes are not acceptable.
If you live near a port, it is recommended to choose a bus from Karry Kanko. If your stay is more than 5 days, it is recommended to purchase a round-trip ticket. Otherwise, you can cover the trip back to the airport by purchasing a 5-day ticket from “East Transportation Co., Ltd.” later. If you purchase a round-trip ticket, the driver will give you a return ticket, please keep it safe. If you have purchased a one-day or five-day ticket, please keep your ticket and you will need to show it every time you get on and off the bus.
The Karry Kanko bus departs from the airport in 10 and 40 minute every hour and takes 30 minutes to the ferry port. The “East Transportation Co., Ltd.” bus has a higher density and takes 40 minutes to reach the final stop located near the ferry port.
After arriving at the final stop, please calculate the current time, plus the time to and from your hotel.
- If the time is earlier than 13 o’clock, you can choose to purchase a round-trip ferry ticket to Kuroshima (黒島 in Japanese) at the counter of “八重山観光フェリー株式会社” located in ferry port. This is the recommended trip.
- If the time between calculations is between 13:00 and 14:00, you can choose to purchase the Taketomi Island Tour at the counter of the “（有）安栄観光”. You can choose “竹富島 バス観光・水牛車観光コース” or “竹富島観光コース（グラスボート・バス・水牛車）”, the latter one contains all included in previous one and a glass boat trip as addition. This is an alternative trip.
- If you are unable to participate in the any trip above due to the schedule or full time, you can go to the “East Transportation Co., Ltd.” (東運輸株式会社 in Japanese) bus terminal before 14 o’clock to purchase the package tour of Ishigaki half-round sightseeing (定期観光バスＢコース（石垣島半周観光）in Japanese). This is the second alternative.
After purchasing the ticket, you can pre-save the baggage at the hotel (because you have not reached the checkin time window yet), return to the port or bus stop after purchasing lunch along the way, waiting for departure.
Please note that eating is prohibited on ferry and on the bus.