How do you hop between Okinawa's islands?

Okinawa's island network runs out of two harbours and a handful of airports. Naha's Tomari Port sends village boats to the Kerama islands and Kume Shosen's ferries to Kume-jima. From Ishigaki's Ritou Terminal, high-speed boats run to Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima, Iriomote, Hatoma and Hateruma. None of the operators we checked sails from Naha to Miyako or Ishigaki, so those hops are flights. Miyako is about 45 minutes away and Ishigaki about an hour. The car and cargo ferries take a bike as it is, and so do Anei Kanko's high-speed boats when there's room; the other high-speed boats want it folded and bagged. In winter the north wind cancels the exposed routes, and Uehara and Hateruma suffer most, so build a spare day into any plan that ends with a flight home.

We read the ferry operators' and airlines' own pages in October 2026 to build this guide. Fares carry their date in each route's page, linked below.

Which boats go where, and which carry bikes?

Route	Operator and boat	Time	Adult one-way	Bikes
Naha (Tomari) to Tokashiki	Tokashiki Village: Marine Liner Tokashiki / Ferry Tokashiki	40 min / 70 min	¥3,300 / ¥2,200	Yes: ¥330 unbagged on the ferry; Marine Liner only folded or dismantled in a bag
Naha (Tomari) to Zamami	Zamami Village: Queen Zamami 3 / Ferry Zamami 3	50 min / 90–120 min	¥3,950 / ¥2,900	Yes: ¥430 as cargo on the ferry; Queen only in a rinko bag
Naha (Tomari) to Aka	Zamami Village: Queen Zamami 3 / Ferry Zamami 3	50 min / 90 min	¥3,950 / ¥2,900	Yes: ¥430 on the ferry; Queen only in a rinko bag
Zamami to Aka	Zamami Village: Mitsushima	15 min	¥500	Folding bikes only, folded and bagged
Naha (Tomari) to Kume-jima	Kume Shosen	3 h, or 3 h 30 via Tonaki	¥3,970	Yes: ¥1,400
Motobu to Ie-jima	Ie Village	30 min	¥730	Yes: ¥600
Toguchi (Motobu) to Minna	Minna Kaiun	15 min	¥1,050	Not stated; phone first
Heshikiya to Tsuken	Kamiya Kanko	15–30 min	¥650–800	Yes: ¥200
Azama to Kudaka	Kudaka Kaiun	15–25 min	¥670–760	Not stated; rent on the island
Naha or Motobu to Yoron	A-Line and Marix Line, alternate days	4 h 50 / 2 h 30	¥4,290 / ¥2,930, plus ¥960 fuel adjustment	Yes: ¥1,020 / ¥870
Ishigaki to Taketomi	Anei Kanko; Yaeyama Kanko Ferry	10–15 min	¥970	Anei: yes, space permitting; Yaeyama Kanko Ferry: rinko bag only; Anei cargo ferry ¥490
Ishigaki to Kohama	Anei Kanko; Yaeyama Kanko Ferry	25–30 min	¥1,720	As Taketomi; Anei cargo ferry ¥490
Ishigaki to Kuroshima	Anei Kanko; Yaeyama Kanko Ferry	25–30 min	¥1,850	As Taketomi; Anei cargo ferry ¥490
Ishigaki to Ohara (Iriomote)	Anei Kanko; Yaeyama Kanko Ferry	40–45 min	¥2,520	As Taketomi; Anei cargo ferry ¥730
Ishigaki to Uehara (Iriomote)	Anei Kanko; Yaeyama Kanko Ferry	45–55 min	¥3,290	As Taketomi; Anei cargo ferry ¥730
Ishigaki to Hateruma	Anei Kanko	60–90 min	¥4,990	Anei: yes, space permitting; Ferry Hateruma 2 ¥630
Ishigaki to Yonaguni	Fukuyama Kaiun: Ferry Yonakuni	about 4 h, twice a week	¥3,610	Yes: ¥1,200, no booking
Hirara (Miyako) to Tarama	Tarama Kaiun: Ferry Tarama III	2 h, not Sundays	¥2,510	Yes: ¥1,180

Times and fares come from each operator's own page for winter 2026/27, or from the island's official site where we couldn't reach the operator; where a route has two boats, the high-speed one comes first. The Yaeyama fares are the same with both companies and include the fuel adjustment in force from April 2026.

Which island hops need a flight?

Getting from the main island to Miyako or the Yaeyamas means flying. Naha to Ishigaki takes about an hour, and JTA, ANA and Solaseed Air flew 14 a day from Naha in November 2026, per Ishigaki Airport's timetable. Naha to Miyako takes about 45 minutes on JTA, RAC or ANA, by the Miyakojima Tourism Association's figure, and Skymark flies twice a day to Miyako's second airport at Shimojishima.

Between Miyako and Ishigaki the Miyakojima Tourism Association lists no ferry, and RAC and ANA fly three times a day in 30–35 minutes. Yonaguni has a twice-weekly ferry and three RAC flights a day from Ishigaki. Kume-jima and Yoron have daily boats and flights from Naha, and Tarama has both from Miyako, so on these routes the choice comes down to time against a bike that doesn't need boxing. Hateruma's only regular link is Anei's boat. Daiichi Koku also flies small planes there from Ishigaki on scattered dates.

Flight	Airlines	Time
Naha to Ishigaki	JTA, ANA, Solaseed Air	about 1 h
Naha to Miyako	JTA, RAC, ANA	about 45 min
Naha to Shimojishima	Skymark	45–55 min
Miyako to Ishigaki	RAC, ANA	30–35 min
Ishigaki to Yonaguni	RAC	30 min
Naha to Kume-jima	JTA, RAC	about 30 min
Naha to Yoron	RAC	about 40 min
Miyako to Tarama	RAC	about 25 min

Which ferries carry a bike without a bag?

The car and cargo ferries do. On the Kerama runs, Ferry Tokashiki takes an unbagged bike for ¥330 and Ferry Zamami 3 takes one as cargo for ¥430 if you hand it in 30 minutes before sailing. On their high-speed sisters a bike has to be folded or dismantled and bagged, and it counts as one of your two pieces of luggage up to 2 m in total dimensions and 30 kg. Kume Shosen charges ¥1,400 to Kume-jima, Ie Village ¥600 to Ie-jima, Kamiya Kanko ¥200 to Tsuken and Tarama Kaiun ¥1,180 to Tarama.

At Ishigaki the two companies part ways. When there's room, Anei Kanko loads a non-electric bike on its high-speed boats for an extra charge it doesn't publish. Its cargo ferries Paikaji and Ferry Hateruma 2 sail a few days a week and carry e-bikes and motorbikes. Yaeyama Kanko Ferry's high-speed boats have no bike space and accept a bike only dismantled into a rinko bag. The Yonaguni ferry takes a bike for ¥1,200 with no booking; pay cash at the window. For the full picture on riding the small islands, and on renting instead, see cycling on the outer islands.

How does winter weather change the plan?

The north wind from December to March hits the exposed crossings hardest. Tokashiki Village cancels the Marine Liner when waves exceed 3 m and the ferry at 4 m, and posts its decision at 8:00. Zamami Village's limits for the crossing are 3.0 m or 15 m/s for the Queen Zamami 3 and 4.0 m or 17 m/s for the ferry. Kume Shosen decides at about 7:30. Minna Kaiun's limit is lower still, at waves of 1.0 m.

In the Yaeyamas, Anei Kanko says strong northerlies cancel the Uehara route on Iriomote's north coast, and in the winter monsoon the cancellations often run for days. Both companies then send Uehara passengers to Ohara on the south-east coast and bus them across the island. Bus seats are limited, and each company carries only its own ticket holders. Hateruma's route crosses open ocean, and Anei warns that a run of high seas can stop every sailing for several days. The independent travel site Ishigaki TripAssist puts the winter odds of a cancellation on the Uehara and Hateruma routes at about even. On 9 October 2026 both companies had cancelled every Uehara and Hatoma boat by early morning.

Base yourself on Ishigaki and visit the exposed islands early in the stay. Leave a spare day before any flight home. Check the operators' status pages first thing; the ones that publish a time decide between about 5:50 and 8:00.

What changes in winter 2026/27 specifically?

Two Kerama boats go into dock. The Queen Zamami 3 is out from 20 October to 3 December 2026, and the Marine Liner Tokashiki from 1 to 11 December 2026. Tokashiki Village and Kume Shosen raised fares on 1 October 2026. The Marine Liner now costs ¥3,300 and Kume Shosen ¥3,970. Zamami Village publishes its timetable a month at a time, and February and March 2027 weren't out when we checked. Yaeyama Kanko Ferry's winter timetable runs to 28 February 2027 and Anei's to 31 March 2027.

When should you book?

Book the Kerama high-speed boats ahead. Zamami Village opens online bookings 55 days out and phone bookings a month out, and it takes no same-day phone bookings. Tokashiki Village strongly recommends booking for Golden Week and from June to October. Kume Shosen takes bookings from one month ahead. In the Yaeyamas tickets are sold on the day. Anei asks you to book its crowded 8:00 Hateruma boat online by 18:00 the day before, and Yaeyama Kanko Ferry caps how many tickets it sells for each sailing.