Ishigaki Day 1 Itinerary 2026: Jin Air Direct to Vivobiva Resort

Our spontaneous trip to Ishigaki! ✈️

How spontaneous, you ask?

My partner and I were just lying down, scrolling through Reels,

and we got completely sucked in by Ishigaki's viral charm.

But who cares?

As long as we have fun, right?

Let's embark on this adventure!

(This is a proud shot of my swim bag, bought duty-free)

I really wanted the Joseph & Stacy Kitty Edition

in red,

and just by chance, it was restocked duty-free, so I snagged it immediately!

Mesh, backpack, and red... ❤️

It's the absolute perfect swim essential!

✈️ For Ishigaki flights, we took a Jin Air direct flight!

Thankfully, Ishigaki

has one direct Jin Air flight per day,

and the timings are just perfect!

📌

Incheon Airport ➡️ Ishigaki 9:15 AM - 12:00 PM

Ishigaki ➡️ Incheon Airport 1:00 PM - 3:45 PM

(No flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays)

I ambitiously packed a vintage camcorder too!

The Sanyo Xacti CG9, full of that charming Japanese small-town vibe.

Ishigaki Airport Rental Car Pickup

It feels a bit like Jeju Island.

In fact, Ishigaki is closer to Taiwan,

and being at the very edge of Japanese territory, the weather is said to be mild.

Waiting for our rental car pickup 🚗🚗

If we got a rental car, my partner wouldn't be able to enjoy draft beer,

so after much deliberation, we booked it in a hurry.

Orix had separate downtown and airport branches.

They said airport pickup/drop-off was only available at the airport branch,

so we paid an extra fee (awkward shrug),

and successfully switched to the airport branch for our rental.

The extra fee was cheaper than a taxi from the airport to the city.

Our travel buddy, Little Pea! 💚🫘

Hanare Ramen

Anyway, it's a ramen spot worth visiting.

Due to a lack of Japanese skills,

I know the location, but I can't quite say the name of this

unnamed ramen spot.

はなれラーメン居酒屋 鎌倉

I briefly studied Kumon Japanese a while ago,

and I'm guessing the name is 'Hanare Ramen' ㅋㅋㅋ

We stopped by on the way to our accommodation because we were hungry.

That worn-down, charming vibe...

I absolutely love it! ❤️

Taking a seat in the tatami area,

I noticed it looked so much like something out of an anime, which got me excited.

This really is a trip, isn't it!

Photos of the interior, taken with the Sanyo Xacti.

There was plenty of seating, and no Korean on the menu.

It definitely seemed like a local favorite.

Fried rice and Tonkotsu Ramen

The ramen was delicious and everything was great, but

the fried rice was just so hilariously

stacked like a mountain, it was too funny! 😂😂😂😂

+

We always seem to miss taking pictures of the most delicious dishes.

If you ever visit this restaurant,

*Gyoza!* You absolutely *must* try the gyoza!

Seriously, please... please try the fried... gyoza...😇😇

🛏 Vivoviva Resort

Our accommodation, chosen by my husband, completely stole my heart, so I have to share it!

📌 Vivoviva Ishigaki Resort

It's a bit far from the city center, but it boasts an amazing ocean view.

With separate living room, bedroom, and dining areas,

it feels more like a spacious pension or condo,

making it perfect for families too!

Our first Blue Seal ice cream in Ishigaki!

This Blue Seal ice cream is famous in Okinawa Prefecture,

and Vivoviva Resort even gives it to you as a welcome dessert when you check in!

The salt milk flavor was surprisingly unique and absolutely delicious.

There aren't many reviews from Koreans, so I wanted to leave one!

A resort nestled right by the sea,

I absolutely loved the peaceful atmosphere of its walking paths.

We had originally planned to visit Yaimamura to see the monkeys after checking in, but

it started raining 🥺🥺.

Since everyone said the dirt paths at Yaimamura get completely muddy when it rains, ruining your clothes, we had to change plans.

Suddenly, the vibe turned into static apnea!

Just to reiterate,

I'm a freediving beginner.

Please no criticism!

Only unconditional praise, please 😉😉

And my clumsy dolphin kicks and breaststroke, lol!

You can't imagine how happy I was that the resort had a pool!

All million of us swimmers out there know exactly what I mean, right?

I loved snacking on Gimbugak (seaweed crisps) after swimming so much,

I took this photo as a reminder to buy more before heading back to Korea.

Seriously, everyone, try Nori Ten Gimbugak!

After a good rest and play, we headed out to the city center for dinner.

On the way to the city, the rain poured so heavily we could barely see ahead,

and with the steering wheel on the right, my husband, who's not used to it, and I were trembling with nerves.

But as soon as we parked, the rain just stopped completely! ❤️

The weather fairy is definitely on my side!

Ishigaki Souvenir: The North Face

We're a couple whose only plan is no plan at all,

but there was one place my husband specifically mentioned he absolutely *had* to visit:

The North Face store in Ishigaki.

It's located right in front of the big intersection in the city center where Euglena Mall is,

so even those who are bad with directions can easily find it. But if you still find it tricky,

just look for this cute wildcat statue!

Ishigaki is famous for its wildcats (Iriomote wildcat).

That's why only The North Face store in Ishigaki

sells T-shirts with the Ishigaki wildcat on them!

So, we bought one white and one khaki T-shirt.

This was a string backpack, like a shoe bag,

and it was incredibly cute, but we decided to stick with just the T-shirts!

(Looking back... maybe I should have bought it?)

Ishigaki Oysters

In Ishigaki, Hitosh, famous for its tuna sashimi, was the most well-known spot,

but after failing to get a reservation, we gave up and started looking for other delicious spots.

ISHIGAKI OYSTER'S

This was actually the oyster spot I kept championing for us to visit!

Is this what a true beachside vibe feels like?

I'm not exactly sure what's written here,

but it's probably an explanation about their oysters.

Oyster's is an oyster BBQ specialty spot,

and it seems the owner catches the seafood themselves

to be sold as grilled dishes!

(We chatted using Papago!)

Just like this!

We heard them sadly mention that there weren't many items available because it had rained yesterday and today,

and listened to their slight disappointment.

You just stand and choose what you'd like to grill up.

There were actually four varieties of oysters available,

and it was so fascinating how their size and shape were all different from the oysters and rock oysters we usually see in Korea.

Since they told us they'd be delicious as sashimi,

we immediately chose to have them as sashimi, of course! 😂

They also gave us a delightful variety of sauces for pairing,

and I seriously wanted to buy that yellow lemon sauce to take home with me!

They looked so incredibly fresh, so here's another shot!

Since it felt a bit lacking to only have the oysters as sashimi, and they were also a little on the pricier side,

we ended up ordering a few other small dishes as well.

The gentleman at the table next to us

said the scallops were delicious, so we ordered them butter-grilled,

but due to a slight 'lack of technique' on our part,

we ended up showing off some Korean 'passion' (?) in our grilling efforts!

And dear global explorers,

Have you ever tried oyster gambas?

It's exactly that delicious taste you're imagining!

The kind of flavor that makes you crave adding some pasta noodles to it.

Though, if it were me, I definitely would've added more sliced garlic.

👇🏻 It's a bit on the pricey side, but the atmosphere itself is absolutely delightful! 👇🏻

If you weren't able to get into Hitosh and are looking for an alternative dining spot,

this place might be a wonderful option to check out : )

Grabbing Sushi Bento Boxes at MaxValu's Closing Sale

Here's to our incredible journey!

And a huge toast to my husband, who drove all day long, navigating unfamiliar roads with such focus!

This beer is for you, my dear husband!

We aimed to snag some deals at the closing sale, so we finished dinner and headed over after 8 PM,

and not only were the prices great, but the quality of the scallop sushi, in particular, was absolutely outstanding,

leaving us incredibly, incredibly satisfied! 🙂🙂

+ Pro Tip: MaxValu is open 24 hours, and their sushi selection is far more substantial and higher quality than what you'd find at a convenience store, so it's highly recommended!