Kuroshima–Iko Pier–

Ishigaki Island Tourist Information

◆Ishigaki Island for sightseeingRental car required.Oh my god!!!
Early reservations are recommended as they fill up quickly.

Ishigaki Island Car Rental Ishigaki Island Tours offers easy comparison and reservation of rental car plans for Ishigaki Island! It takes about 3 hours to go around Ishigaki Island by car. If you want to visit all the sightseeing spots efficiently, you need to rent a car! There are plans that include free pick-up from Shin-Ishigaki Airport, car navigation system, no need to return a full tank of gas, and even child seats. We also introduce other means of transportation other than rental cars! (29 total) アクティビティの詳細を見る

◆Tuk-tuks and electric trikes are also popular!

Ishigaki Island Rides (Bike Rental & Bicycle Rental) Activities There are many other ways to get around in Ishigaki Island☆ Ishigaki Island Vehicle Activity Feature Ishigaki Island is dotted with attractive spots such as beautiful ocean, mountains, and observatories where you can overlook the magnificent nature. With such favorable conditions, how can you not go driving touring in Ishigaki Island [...]. (22 in total) アクティビティの詳細を見る

What Is the Iko Pier?

The Iko Pier, designated as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.

The pier stretching straight out into the crystal-clear sea makes for a stunning photo opportunity.

I’ve heard this pier used to be in use, but now it’s only used for fishing and by tourists taking photos.

How to Get to Iko Pier

Iko Pier is located about a 27-minute walk or a 9-minute drive from Kuroshima Port.

After leaving Kuroshima Port, pass the first intersection and turn left at the next T-junction.

Turn right at the end of the road, then turn left.

Follow the road for a while, then turn left at the end, and you'll see Iko Pier straight ahead.

Things to Do at Iko Pier

One of the top 1.2 most Instagrammable spots on Kuroshima.

Many tourists come here to take pictures.

While it’s worth seeing the pier up close, it’s also worth admiring the pier and the emerald-green sea from a distance.

Details on Iko Pier

There are various bridges in Okinawa, including the one on Kuroshima, but what makes them distinctive is that, as remote islands surrounded by the sea, they feature piers.

A pier is a bridge-like mooring structure built from the shore out into the water to allow ships to dock.

Although you can’t tie chopsticks together or cross the bridge by car, they’re known as popular tourist spots—such as the Fusaki-Bee Pier on Iriomote Island and the West Pier on Taketomi Island.

The famous pier on Kuroshima is the Iko Pier, located in the Kuroshima area of Taketomi Town, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture.

You can't drive right up to it, but you can get right up to the pier by bike or on foot.

As you walk along the pier, surrounded by the emerald-green sea, you’ll feel as if you’re walking right on top of the water.

The Iko Pier was built in 1924, but it was destroyed by a typhoon in 1933.

It was rebuilt two years later, in 1935, and the pier has remained in its current form ever since.

The Iko Pier extends out into the sea. Constructed of stone or concrete with a mortar finish, it measures 354 meters in length, 4.25 meters in width, and 1.8 meters in height, making it an impressive sight.

The tip of the pier is equipped with four mooring posts and a loading area, and it served as a landing site for the fishing boats that supported daily life on Kuroshima.

It is no longer in use and has become a place where people come to enjoy fishing and the scenery.

In December 2005, it was designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

Due to the typhoon, there are several sections of the pier that have collapsed, so please watch your step when visiting.

Also, since the surrounding waters are shallow, the area will be completely exposed at low tide, so we recommend visiting at high tide.

Recommended Sightseeing Spots Near Iko Pier

Kitakamiyama Mikage

To reach Kitakamiyama Ogoku from Iko Pier, head south after leaving the pier.

After passing two T-junctions, you'll see Kitakamiyama Gokoku on your left.

Kitakamemawan (Nishahame-mawan, Nishikame-mawan) is a sacred site located in the northeastern part of the island.

Long ago, the founding family of the Funamichi clan on Kuroshima had three siblings: the eldest brother, known as Karama Kana; the younger brother, Karajibouji; and the younger sister, Kakirachimachi. All three were sailors with exceptional skills in navigating ships, and they undertook various voyages.

That is how I came to be given the name Funamichi.

His descendant, Funamichi Taru, was also an accomplished sailor and completed 37 voyages between the Yaeyama Islands and Okinawa without a single accident.

Behind this miracle was the fact that his highly intuitive younger sister had been praying for her brother’s safe voyage.

The site where these prayers were offered came to be revered as a sacred place of the gods and a shrine dedicated to safe voyages, eventually becoming the present-day Kitakamiyama Shrine.

Monument to the "100 Selected Roads"

To reach the "100 Selected Roads" monument from Iko Pier, head south after leaving the pier.

We’ll head even further south from Kitakamiyama Ogoku.

Even after entering the village, continue straight for a while, and you’ll find a monument honoring one of Japan’s “100 Selected Roads” at the corner of the intersection where Route 213 joins the road.

The "100 Best Roads in Japan" monument was erected to commemorate the selection of Prefectural Route 213 (Kuroshima Port Line)—which runs from in front of the Traditional Performing Arts Hall on Higashi-suji to Kuroshima Elementary and Junior High School—as one of Japan’s 100 Best Roads.

Stone walls line both sides of the road, and from here you can see the traditional scenery of red-tiled roofs that is so characteristic of the Yaeyama Islands.

Once you leave the village behind, a rural landscape of ranches and pastures unfolds. In 1986, when it was selected as one of Japan’s “Top 100 Roads,” it was an unpaved road covered entirely in white sand, which made its beauty all the more striking.

Kuroshima Observatory

To get to Kuroshima Observation Deck from Iko Pier, head south after leaving the pier.

Turn right at the T-intersection just past the café called Iconoma on your left.

If you follow the road for a while, you'll come to the Kuroshima Observation Deck at the end of the road.

The Kurotoki Observation Deck has a unique, swirl-like shape, and since Kuroshima Elementary School is right next to it, you should have no trouble finding it.

From the top of the observation deck, you can take in a panoramic view not only of the vast green grasslands stretching across the island but also of Iriomote Island, Taketomi Island, and Ishigaki Island.

There is also a gazebo next to the observation deck, so you can take your time and enjoy the view.

Also, the sunset from here is absolutely breathtaking, and the view of the sun sinking below the horizon is sure to move you.

Details on Iko Pier

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