See here for my Okinawa with kids article – as this article only covers time in Ishigaki with kids.
Please that Okinawa is 3.5 hours on a plane from Tokyo. Many families have grand plans for visiting Okinawa at the end of a Japan trip – but I, personally, only recommend visiting Ishigaki and/or other parts of Okinawa is you have a minimum of 5 days to spend here.
A little caveat from me:
**While Okinawa is so beautiful and we have had an incredible time here – please also note that some families are surprised that Okinawa accommodation options for families aren’t always very well-kept or very modern. This means that it can feel like you are paying for luxury accommodation while the actual facilities aren’t always as fancy as the price tag might have you imagine.
There are also a lot of pool rules at many resorts in Japan (even when it comes to swimming timings at the beach) which can make it hard if you have kids who enjoy rough play in the pool (children’s pools and waterslide areas are, of course, fine though). If you have bigger kids who like jumping, splashing, rough play or diving – a private villa may be a better option.
The main reason for many of these rules is because a large number of Japanese children and adults aren’t such confident swimmers and, as a result, pool lifeguards are quite nervous when it comes to keeping everyone safe. This can be a bit of a culture shock for those who are visiting from overseas. This hasn’t impacted our time in Okinawa at all but I did watch other families look confused and a bit frustrated so I think I wouldn’t be including the whole picture if I didn’t take the time to include this information here for families to take on board before making family vacation plans.
The weather in Okinawa is significantly warmer in the summer months – which is fabulous – but it is not unusual for pools and outdoor activities to be closed or flights to be delayed due to bad weather / typhoons in June – Oct. We were so so lucky that we didn’t see a single drop of rain in late-Jun through early July but I do encourage you to have travel insurance sorted ahead of time and to pack a few indoor activities for kids.
If you are worried about any of the things I have mentioned above – you may want to compare options (and prices) for taking a week in Bali, Vietnam or Thailand after all of your mainland Japan adventures instead**
PLEASE NOTE: This article contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
See my Okinawa with kids article for my favourite souvenirs and “the things” to eat while in Okinawa.
HOW TO GET TO ISHIGAKI WITH KIDS?
You can fly from one of the other major airports in Japan.
We flew from Melbourne to Hong Kong (stayed and did Hong Kong Disneyland) and then straight into Ishigaki on Cathay Pacific.
There is a 1 hour time difference between Hong Kong and Ishigaki and the flight takes 2 hours.
WHERE TO STAY IN ISHIGAKI WITH KIDS?
Fusaki Beach Resort & Villas
We stayed at Fusaki Beach Resort & Villas and we had the most BEAUTIFUL time here.
I have written in detail about Fusaki Beach Resort & Villas here (lots of pictures too.)
PLEASE NOTE: This article contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Get internet sorted before you go
I like using pocket wifi in Japan as the kids can also connect to me.
But for this visit, I couldn’t collect it at the airport or have it sent to the hotel as a typhoon had been through the area the week before. So we had to wait until a few days and we did find wifi in the Okinawa hotels to be really touch and go. So I recommend organising a pocket wifi or an esim for while you are here.
PAINUSHIMA ISHIGAKI AIRPORT WITH KIDS
Family Mart at Ishigaki Airport
There is a Starbucks at Ishigaki Airport
It is before you go through security though.
Before security there are also a few cafes with Ishigaki Beef Donburi bowls and soba noodles in broth.
If you are looking for things to eat once you’re inside security at the domestic side of Ishigaki Airport, there is a small convenience store that sells some sandwiches, chopped pineapple, rice balls, snacks and blue seal ice-cream.
Our plane from Ishigaki to Naha was a whale shark!!
