Photo: Opqr / CC BY-SA 3.0Euglena Mall is two covered arcades crossing at the town centre, with the public market at the junction. Fish downstairs in colours that look wrong to anyone from a temperate country, a food court above, and between them the entire Yaeyama pantry: island salt, chilli oil steeped in awamori, brown sugar, dried bonito, and minsah weaving.
It is also the wet-weather plan, the heat plan and the short-call plan at once — covered, flat, ten minutes from the ship by shuttle, and open late. For a port where everything else needs a car or a boat, that matters more than it sounds.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Ishigaki beef at lunch costs a fraction of dinner for the same animal. This is the single best-value meal in the port.
- Yaeyama soba is not Okinawa soba. Round noodles, lighter broth — ask and you will get an explanation.
- Buy island salt and chilli oil (koregusu). Both pack flat and neither exists at home.
- The market’s upper floor will cook fish you buy downstairs, as in Naha.
- Minsah belts are woven in a five-and-four pattern that puns on "for all time." Small pieces are cheap.
For a port where everything else needs a car or a boat, that matters more than it sounds.
Guided days from Ishigaki
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
More in Ishigaki
Spot guideKabira Bay
The colour is real. The swimming is not allowed.
Open the guide →
Spot guideTaketomi
Sand lanes raked by hand every morning
Open the guide →
Spot guideMiyara Dunchi
An 1819 official's house the Ryukyu court ordered pulled down five times, ten minutes' walk from the ferry terminal
Open the guide →Questions people ask here
What is there to do in Ishigaki town?
Euglena Mall — two covered arcades meeting at the public market. Island fish downstairs, a food court above, and the Yaeyama pantry in between: island salt, awamori-steeped chilli oil, brown sugar and minsah weaving. It is about ten minutes from the berth by shuttle or taxi (40–50 minutes on foot), and covered, which makes it the short-call and wet-weather answer.
Where can I eat Ishigaki beef cheaply?
At lunch, in town. The steakhouses and yakiniku places around Euglena Mall serve lunch sets at a fraction of the dinner price for the same island-raised wagyu. It is the best-value meal available in this port.