Hateruma

Hateruma (波照間) is the southernmost populated island in Japan, and part of Okinawa's Yaeyama Islands.

Get in
Anei Kankō and Hateruma Kaiun together have four departures daily from Ishigaki harbor. If you buy a round-trip ticket, be sure to catch the same operator's boat on the way back. Travel time is 60 minutes.

Hateruma's airport is served by regular flights from Ishigaki (one roundtrip per day, restarted in Jan 2024).

Get around
There are no buses on Hateruma, so for trips beyond the village, rent a car, motorcycle, bicycle or moped. There are two places for car rentals: Hotel Oceans near the pier and Hoshi Rent-A-Car in the town center.

Drink
Hateruma's local specialty Awanami (泡波) makes its way from the distillery to the local stores only sporadically, and the islanders usually buy it all up within hours. So if you come across anything larger than the tiny 100 ml bottles, grab it.