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Flying within Okinawa 2009/7/17 19:40
We have free tickets to either Ryukyu airport on the main Okinawa island or to Hirara. Because they are free tickets, we cannot choose any other airports within Okinawa. My questions therefore :
1. 1st time to Okinawa, I think there are more to see/do on Ishigaki and Iriomote than on the main island, and if that's true, should we opt to fly to Hirara or Ryukyu airports from Tokyo, remembering that both of these flights are free for us but after that we would have to pay. The same would apply on the return to Tokyo.
2. What are the names of the domestic airlines that fly within Okinawa, say from Ryukyu airport or Hirara to either Iriomote or Ishigaki.
3. My wife doesn't like boats as she gets seasick so we would need to fly between Ishigaki and Iriomote.
Could someone please advise on the cheapest flight routing given our situation, ie: flying free from Tokyo, could choose either Ryukyu (if there are interesting things to do/see on the main Island) or Hirara, then onto Iriomote/Ishigaki before returning to Tokyo. Could stay between 4 to 7 days total, we are flexible.
by Ykk (guest)  

... 2009/7/18 12:08
We have free tickets to either Ryukyu airport on the main Okinawa island or to Hirara.

Your airport terminology is confusing! What are the two Ryukyu Airports? I have never heard the term.

The main airport on Okinawa Island is Naha Airport (also known as Okinawa Airport). And Miyako's airport is commonly known as Miyakojima Airport rather than Hirara Airport.

It is difficult to answer your question without knowing what are the two "Ryukyu Airports". Ryukyu refers to the entire island chain that constitutes Okinawa Prefecture.

1st time to Okinawa, I think there are more to see/do on Ishigaki and Iriomote than on the main island

That is not true. The main island has more to do than any other island. But for the best nature, I recommend Iriomote. For the nicest beaches, I recommend Miyako.

What are the names of the domestic airlines that fly within Okinawa, say from Ryukyu airport or Hirara to either Iriomote or Ishigaki.

ANA and JAL (including Ryukyu Air Commuter and Japan Transocean Air).

My wife doesn't like boats as she gets seasick so we would need to fly between Ishigaki and Iriomote.

That is not possible. Iriomote has no airport.
by Uji rate this post as useful

Uji 2009/7/19 01:30
I was thinking the same as you but my travel agent confirmed that the main airport on Okinawa Island is called Ryukyu although I said I knew it as Naha (because we landed there once for refuelling). Again, he said Miyako's airport is Hirara which I noticed is the same as the name of the main city. As I said, it's our first time so I didn't argue. Sorry for the confusion.
It didn't look, at first glance, as though there were a lot to do on the main island. Maybe you have more info on what to do/see from the Japanese sites which are usually more comprehensive than English sites.
by Ykk (guest) rate this post as useful

Flying within Okinawa 2009/7/19 02:49
1. 1st time to Okinawa, I think there are more to see/do on Ishigaki and Iriomote than on the main island, and if that's true, should we opt to fly to Hirara or Ryukyu airports from Tokyo, remembering that both of these flights are free for us but after that we would have to pay. The same would apply on the return to Tokyo.

If you want to go to Ishigaki, you must take a paid flight. You can connect at either Naha or Miyako.

I have been to both Okinawa Main Island and Ishigaki and I think that Ishigaki is nicer than Okinawa Main Island. Ishigaki has wide, beautiful beaches, some historic sites and a lime stone cavern. You can go by tourist taxi anywhere on the island. Miyako is nice, too.

2. What are the names of the domestic airlines that fly within Okinawa, say from Ryukyu airport or Hirara to either Iriomote or Ishigaki.

From Naha, you can take either ANA or JAL to Ishigaki. From Miyako you can go to Ishigaki with JAL only.

3. My wife doesn't like boats as she gets seasick so we would need to fly between Ishigaki and Iriomote.

Iriomote is accessable by ship only. It takes 45 minutes from Ishigaki.
by okinawadolphin rate this post as useful

... 2009/7/19 10:44
I am afraid there is no airport by the name of "Ryukyu Airport".
by Uji rate this post as useful

Okinawadolphin 2009/7/19 19:23
Thanks you all for your info.
Okinawadolphin, where did you see JAL flying to Ishigaki as JAL's Hong Kong office said they do NOT fly to Ishigaki from Tokyo Haneda/Narita or Osaka or connect from Naha.
Was the ferry ride to Iriomote bumpy when you went ?
by Ykk (guest) rate this post as useful

Haneda -> Ishigaki 2009/7/20 00:12
Two years ago my girlfriend came from Tokyo to Ishigaki via Miyako with JAL. The itineraries have changed since then so I just checked at JAL's homepage (Japanese: www.jal.co.jp, English: www.jal.co.jp/en/). There is a direct flight from Haneda (HND) to Ishigaki (ISG). The flight number is JTA071. From the flight number I conclude that the carrier is Japan Transocean Air which is domestic.

If you fly by ANA from Tokyo to Ishigaki, you connect at Naha (OKA).

I don't remember how bumpy the travel to Iriomote was, but I don't think it was very bumpy. My girlfriend at that time also didn't like to go somewhere by ship, but she didn't get sick.



by okinawadolphin rate this post as useful

... 2009/7/20 11:04
Was the ferry ride to Iriomote bumpy when you went ?

The boats to Iriomote are high speed boats. They hurry through the sea at high speeds, resulting in quite a bumpy ride. The degree of bumpiness depends on the height of the waves. If the sea is calm, the ride is also quite calm. But when the waves are high, it can be an extremely bumpy ride. I once went shortly after a typhoon when the sea was very rough, and it was the most scary boat ride I have ever been on. But on another occasion, the sea was calm, and the ride was little problem. Still not the smoothest of boat journeys, though...

I believe there exist some car ferry connections apart from the high speed boats. While slower and less frequent, these ferries are probably much less bumpy than the high speed boats.
by Uji rate this post as useful

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