Ishigaki car rental: do you need one, licence rules, where to pick up

Rent a car if you want Kabira, the north coast or the capes on your own timetable; skip it if you stay in town and spend your days on ferries to the other islands. You need an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, or an official Japanese translation if your licence is from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan.

Do you need a car on Ishigaki?

Probably yes for one or two days, not for the whole trip. Town, the airport and the ferry terminal are well served by bus. The rest of the island is reachable, but on few departures.

• Airport to town: Azuma route 4 runs about every 30 minutes and costs ¥550 to the ferry terminal (Azuma Bus fares, airport bus page). Details are on the ferry terminal page.
• Kabira Bay: route 9 (Kabira Resort Line) leaves the Bus Terminal six times a day, from 06:15 to 18:15, and takes about 43 minutes to Kawahira Kōen-mae (Azuma timetable from February 2026). The fare is ¥770 (route 9 fare table). From the airport, route 11 runs direct to Kabira at 12:15 and 15:00 only (Azuma route guide).
• The north: routes 5 and 6 to Hirano have three to five departures a day, about 1 hour 25 minutes each way, because the two early runs skip Sundays, holidays and, for one of them, Saturdays (Azuma timetable).
• What the bus does not do: the timetable ends at Hirano village, with no stop listed at Cape Hirakubo. Beaches between stops, sunset at the capes and evening returns from the north are hard without a car.

An Azuma one-day pass is ¥1,000 (Azuma Bus). It suits one Kabira trip. For a full loop of the island, a car is simpler.

Licence rules for visitors

The National Police Agency accepts two documents from short-stay visitors (NPA leaflet, 2026):

• An International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. This covers drivers from the US, UK, Canada, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and others.
• A licence from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan, with an official Japanese translation. The NPA lists these six separately from the IDP route.

Either one is valid for up to one year from your entry into Japan, and only while your home licence is valid (NPA). The translation must come from your country's consulate or a body named by Japan's National Public Safety Commission (NPA).

JAF is that body. Its translation for driving costs ¥6,000 plus ¥20 per printed page and usually takes 2 to 3 business days (JAF). JAF accepts applications only online and only from inside Japan. From abroad, a contact in Japan can apply for you, or you can ask your licensing authority or embassy; Germany's ADAC is JAF's example (JAF). Only the paper original counts.

Some guides add Estonia to the translation list. The NPA's 2026 leaflet and JAF both name only the six above, so Estonian licence holders should check with the rental company before booking.

Road rules that catch visitors

• Drive on the left (NPA).
• Speed: where no sign is posted, the limit on roads with a centre line is 60 km/h. Since 1 September 2026 it is 30 km/h on residential roads without one (NPA poster). Signed limits always apply.
• Stop signs (止まれ) mean a full stop. Report every accident to the police on 110, even with no injuries (NPA). Without a police report, the rental insurance may not pay (Toyota Rent a Car).
• Iriomote cats: 97 road accidents involving the Iriomote cat were recorded from 1978 to the end of 2021, and 90% of the cats were found dead. The population is about 100, and speeding and rental-car traffic are named causes (Ministry of the Environment plan). Okinawa Prefecture's survey treats 40 km/h as the legal speed on Iriomote's roads (Ministry of the Environment newsletter, March 2024). Drive slowly at dusk, night and dawn. More on the Iriomote cat page.

Where to pick up at New Ishigaki Airport

The airport has no rental desks listed. Every company below uses a shuttle from the rental pick-up stop in the general car park (airport shuttle page).

Two names travellers expect were not confirmed. OTS says it has temporarily suspended some services, with bookings made by 20 October 2026 still honoured (OTS). The Times Car Rental site showed a maintenance page on 3 November 2026 (Times). Nippon's town office was marked closed (Nippon), so in practice you pick up at the airport. Toyota does not allow one-way returns to its airport shop (Toyota).

Prices for a compact car

As published on 3 Nov 2026, tax included:

• Toyota C1 (Vitz, Passo, Roomy class): ¥10,340 for 24 hours, ¥8,690 per extra 24 hours. Okinawa peak rates apply 29 April to 5 May, 6 to 15 August and 29 December to 3 January (Toyota price list).
• Orix compact (Fit, Note class): ¥9,900 for 24 hours, ¥7,920 per extra day. In Okinawa from 1 July to 31 August it is ¥13,860 (Orix price list).

The Orix airport shop also listed early-booking deals from ¥5,500 for six hours (Orix).

Insurance and the NOC

Basic insurance is in the price, but you pay the first ¥50,000 of property damage and ¥50,000 of car damage (Toyota). The collision damage waiver removes that for ¥1,100 per 24 hours at Toyota and Orix (Toyota, Orix).

The NOC (non-operation charge) is separate. It pays the company for the days the car is off the road. At Toyota it is ¥20,000 if you can drive the car back, and ¥50,000 if you cannot (Toyota). Toyota's Double Protection adds NOC cover for another ¥550 per 24 hours. A Toyota C1 day with both covers comes to ¥11,990.

Fuel, ETC and parking

• Fuel: you get a full tank and return it full. Otherwise you pay a fuel fee by mileage (Toyota).
• ETC: the Toyota and Orix airport shops do not lend ETC toll cards. You do not need to ask for one.
• Parking: street parking is generally prohibited in Japan. Use coin car parks, and use convenience store car parks only while shopping (Toyota parking guide). In town, park before you walk to the ferry terminal.

Renting on Iriomote, and the bike islands

Rent a separate car on Iriomote. Orix has a shop a 3-minute walk (250 m) from Ohara Port, open 08:00 to 17:00, with no one-way returns (Orix Iriomote Ohara). Taketomi Town says buses and rental cars are available on the island (Taketomi Town). No rental company at Uehara Port was confirmed from its own site.

If the ferry is cancelled: Uehara sailings are cancelled most often, especially in winter. Both operators then sail to Ohara and run a connecting bus to Uehara, which needs a bus coupon (YKF, Anei Kanko). Tell your rental office which port you will reach. If your return boat is cancelled, phone the office before your return time to extend the rental. Toyota charges the full NOC if a car is left anywhere other than the shop (Toyota). YKF posts cancellation certificates you can show (YKF). More on rough seas and typhoons.

The smaller islands need no car. On Taketomi and Kohama, bikes are rented at the port (Visit Okinawa Taketomi, Visit Okinawa Kohama). Kuroshima is flat and under 13 km around (Visit Okinawa). Hateruma has no public transport, so visitors rent a car, scooter or bicycle (JNTO).

FAQ

Can I rent a car on Ishigaki with only my home licence?

Only if it is from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan, and you carry an official Japanese translation with it (NPA). Everyone else needs a 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, obtained at home before the trip.

Is there a rental desk inside the airport terminal?

None is listed by the airport. You walk to the rental shuttle stop in the general car park, and each company drives you a few minutes to its shop (airport).

Can I get to Kabira Bay without a car?

Yes. Azuma route 9 runs six times a day from the Bus Terminal and takes about 43 minutes, for ¥770 (Azuma Bus). The snorkeling page explains what you can do there.

Should I take the NOC cover?

It turns a possible ¥20,000 to ¥50,000 charge into nothing, for ¥550 a day at Toyota (Toyota). Without it, a dent you can drive back still costs ¥20,000 on top of any repair share.

Facts on this page link to their sources; checked 2026-11-03.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Kerbside at the terminal, New Ishigaki Airport. Rental shuttles leave from the general car park.: Paipateroma, CC BY-SA 4.0.