FAQ

Our neighbour rents cars. He includes airport pickup and drop-off with his rental service. You may contact them directly for enquiry (jellyfish644@gmail.com)

There is only one meaningful place to source groceries without going to town, which is Karimata shoten in Yoshihara (7 minutes drive). It is open every day, no exception from 14:00 to 21:00.

Karimata san has convenience store basics, and some fresh products from local farmers. Fresh eggs, vegetables and fruits of the day. Sashimi depending on local fishing. Better go early for better supply.

You will find as well roadside booths from locals where you can buy local produce and drop coins in a box. For anything else, you need to drive to town.

Going to town (25 minutes drive), we recommend the Yurateiku farmers’ market. A permanent grocery shop filled with local produce only.

For supermarkets, Max Valu (Open 24 hours) and Kanehide are the generic options, San-A the more upmarket one.

For great Ishigaki meat, Misaki gyu on the outskirts of town is the place to go for the best quality and price.

See our Ishigaki map for more indications.

There are a lot of lunch options around, some at walking distance. For dinner, you would need to drive to Kabira (10 minutes drive). As a closer option, Café Stella (7 minutes drive) is open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays and can accommodate if you book on other days ! Café Moment (Walking distance) at the back of the house is happy to open for dinner upon request.

Possible breakfast/dinner arrangements with our neighbour:

Japanese breakfast or dinner can be provided with our neighbouring ryokan – outside of the main season at times when they are not full. You would need to notify Hanashiro-ya by noon for same-day dinner or next-day breakfast.

See our Ishigaki guide and map for more details about restaurant recommendations.

Guests from the Garden Apartment can enjoy barbecue at the dedicated Braai area at the back of the house (built-in barbecue).

Guests from the Rooftop apartment can do so on the roof terrace (Weber kettle barbecue).

You will need to bring your own charcoals and fire starters. You will also need to clean it and put the gear back in place. The barbecue cleaning is not included in the general cleaning fee, to be fair with guests not using it. More details in our house manual.

A small table top gas barbecue (outdoor use only) is available for grilling slices, yakiniku style. You will need to get a compatible Iwatani gas can (available at supermarkets and convenience stores).

Minami Banana is connected to NTT optic fiber. The network quality allows for smooth working and video conferencing.

Masks, fins, water shoes, life jackets, inflatables, etc. are available for our guests to use. Various sizes are available but may not fit in some occasions.

In case you need more water gear (more sizes, or wetsuits, protective clothing, etc.), our neighbour Jellyfish rents/sells some. More variety is available for purchase at the Don Quijote shop in town (25 minutes drive).

Life jackets are available but may not fit your child size. Floats or additional life jackets are available for rental at our neighbour’s Jellyfish. More variety is available for purchase at the Don Quijote shop in town (25 minutes drive).

You will need to bring your own beach towels. Indoor bath towels and face towels are provided for each guest but we ask you not to use them at the beach to avoid hard stains.

You can hang things outside if sunny, using our drying racks.

Alternatively, the bath cabins are equipped with indoor drying racks. For fast drying, a dehumidifier (provided) can be plugged. Conventional clothes dryers are not available.

Yes

Yonehara beach is part of a natural park and fishing is forbidden. It is forbidden in most places on the coast. A popular fishing area is under the Southern Gate bridge in town.