I visited Hateruma Island as part of my island-hopping and airport conquest. It’s the southernmost inhabited island in Japan. I took the ferry from Ishigaki Port and flew back from Hateruma Airport on a Shin Nihon Aviation charter flight. At the time, Hateruma Airport had no scheduled service; Shin Nihon Aviation was operating limited-period charter flights, and I timed my visit accordingly.
Currently, First Aviation operates scheduled flights between New Ishigaki Airport and Hateruma Airport.
Itinerary
Day 1: Tokyo → Ishigaki → Hateruma
Day 2: Hateruma → Ishigaki → Tokyo
Ishigaki Port → Hateruma Island
The Hateruma route is known for rough seas. At the ticket counter, they hand you a written warning about the swells. I bought motion sickness pills at the port shop.
The Hateruma ferry comes in two types: the larger “Paijima 2” and a smaller vessel. The smaller one rocks considerably more. Of the three departures that day, the first and the third (which I took) were Paijima 2. Once the boat hits open water after leaving Ishigaki Port, the rocking intensifies. I kept my phone put away, closed my eyes, and slept through most of the crossing.
The hotel’s shuttle was waiting at Hateruma Port. Since the ferry was the only way to reach the island (at the time), the port fills with shuttle vehicles from various hotels at arrival time.
Hateruma Island
I explored the island by rental bicycle from the hotel.
First stop: the Monument of Japan’s Southernmost Point. About 20 minutes by bike from the hotel. I had previously visited Cape Sōya (northernmost) and Cape Nosappu (easternmost), so this completed north, east, and south.
Then I headed toward Nishi Beach on the opposite side of the island — about 30 minutes by bike from the monument, passing through the village. Most things along the way are the southernmost in Japan.
I visited several shops in the village: Naishi Kyōdō Baiten, Minami Kyōdō Baiten, and Maruma Baiten. Small stores, but stocked with everything from fresh food to bento. The hotel doesn’t serve dinner, so I bought food at the shops.
Hateruma Airport → New Ishigaki Airport
The next morning, the hotel shuttle took me to Hateruma Airport.
Shin Nihon Aviation’s Cessna seats a maximum of three passengers (plus the pilot) in a 2+2 configuration. On this day, there were no other passengers — I had the plane to myself. There’s no permanent staff at the airport; the pilot handled the paperwork and security screening. The pilot said he had been flying this route every day during the charter period.
After takeoff, I could see from above the same waters I had crossed by ferry the day before. Iriomote and Taketomi islands were visible. About 30 minutes later, we landed on Ishigaki. No jet bridge — a staff member drove out to meet the plane, and after exiting the restricted area, that was it.