Ishigaki-Jima
02 June 2015 | Boat location at Ishigaki Marina, Japan: 24 20.50'N; 124 08.74'E
Pam Lau
Picture: We bought new bikes!!
We arrived at the Ishigaki Island before noon. As we were approaching to the marina, I called channel 16, the international navigational channel. No one answered at the marina; instead, the Japanese Coast Guard answered. We were not surprised because we had to notify them 24-hours before arriving Japan with all the details of our boat and when we were approaching Ishigaki. On the way in we saw three coast guard boats in a row with their bows pointing towards us. The man on the radio asked for the name of our boat and our position, latitude and longitude, then he gave us permission to enter the marina. The marina looked new and there were many empty berths. Since there was no one around, we picked a slip and docked our boat. Later we found out that the people who manage the marina are miles away in the office of the Department of Fisheries.
Within minutes of our arrival, there were at least ten uniformed officers waiting to board the boat. Two Quarantine officers and four Coast Guards came on board first while Customs officers waited on the dock. I was filling out some papers for the Coast Guards while Ted took the Quarantine officers inside the boat. They checked the refrigerator and told Ted that we may keep the meat, cheese, fruit etc. but they would have to stay and be consumed onboard. No food waste is allowed on shore so we would have to wait until we are next at sea to dispose of the scraps. We eagerly agreed because in some other countries, like Australia or America, our food would have been taken away. What a nice guy!
After what seemed like hours, we finally finished all the paperwork for the three departments; Quarantine, Coast Guard and Customs. And then we had to go to the Immigration office to get our passports stamped, finger prints and pictures taken. We also had to stop at the Customs office afterward. They wanted us to list all the "open" ports (as opposed to "closed" ports) that we intended to visit while we are in Japan. We heard and read that the Customs office has the list of the "open" ports. We asked them several times, each time they said, "No". They insisted that we list them before leaving Ishigaki. We hardly know Japan not to mention all the ports. We spent much of our time researching and talking with other people. We asked the Japanese captain, Hanada, on S/V "Virgo". He suggested a few ports that we could visit on the way to the Inland Sea. I emailed Sho, one of the organizers of the Japan Yacht Rally, he listed all the ports that we would stop at the rally. I also got a list of ports from S/V King Bee, whom we met at the rally in 2012, sailing to the eastern and northern part of Japan. And for the rest of the ports, we looked at the map and listed them. Besides listing all the ports, we had to fill in the time of arrival and departure. I estimated all of them. The Customs Department is used to dealing with big ships which know their ports and schedules. They sail regardless of weather conditions or personal issues, whereas yacht schedules are extremely flexible and depend mainly on weather conditions. Nevertheless, we handed in our list on Friday before we left Ishigaki. We also managed to get "Shuang Yu" reclassified as a "coastal" vessel while in Japan; very helpful when dealing with Customs and Immigration officials. We have to remember to change it back to an "international" vessel before leaving Japan. We also got a list of open ports but not until we had already handed in our schedule.
When we got out of the Immigration and Customs offices on the first day, we were quite hungry. Suddenly we smelt something delicious like fish and chips coming from a small store. We did not have any Japanese yen yet but we thought they might take credit card. We went inside what looked like a family owned and operated fish shop. The two ladies in the store appeared to be mother and daughter. The older lady was frying some fish while the younger one was attending to the cash register. Neither of them spoke English. We asked if she would take credit card. She took the credit card and asked if it is "Visa". Then she handed it back to me and smiled and shook her head. She indicated that we would like some fish. We said "Yes". She bagged four freshly fried fish and handed them to me. I gave her $10 US dollars. She took it and examined it thoroughly. Again, she handed it back to me, indicating that the fish is free. We were really surprised but she insisted so we thanked them both and accepted their generous offer. What a great first impression of Japanese people!
The climate here reminds us some of the tropical islands in the South Pacific or in Southeast Asia, very hot and humid. According to the guidebook, there are many diving and snorkeling spots in the area and we noticed a number of dive boats operating out of the marina. We would like to spend time on recreation or sightseeing but our immediate goal is to deal with the "check in" formalities and to try to get on Internet and/or purchase a phone or Sim card. One night we went to an Internet cafe and paid about $12 for the two of us for one hour and fifteen minutes, very expensive. We finally found free Internet at the ferry terminal, a short distance from our boat. We don't like hunting for WiFi all the time so we read on www.noonsite.com, a cruisers' website, that we can purchase a phone on a two-year plan in Ishigaki. We jumped on our bikes and looked for the company, which was in another area of the island. All the roads and sidewalks are well paved so it is very bicycle friendly.
We finally found the 'phone company. No one spoke English so the man in the phone company called someone who can speak English. It was explained to us that tourists cannot buy a phone or sim card in Japan. We know a person can rent a phone or sim card at the airport for an astronomical price. Anyway the person on the phone told us that we cannot purchase a phone on a plan because we don't have a Japanese resident card. We asked about a pre-paid phone and they told us that their company, which is the largest phone company in Japan, does not have pre-paid phone services. In other countries in Asia a person can buy a pre-paid sim card or phone on any street corner; Japan is different!
On the way back from our disappointing trip to the 'phone company, we passed a bike shop and found two aluminum folding bikes, exactly what we have been looking for! Our old bikes are steel and quite rusty due to salt water exposure. Anything made of ordinary steel goes rusty very quickly in a marine environment so we have to use stainless steel or aluminum. Our old bikes were two years old and very cheap but still good and had served us well. The new bikes were awesome; they are lighter in weight and have gears! And they were reasonably priced! They will come in handy in Japan because we read that there are bike paths everywhere.
We shopped at a big chain supermarket called "Ieon", the same company we used a lot in Malaysia. The fruit and vegetables were all wrapped in small packages and quite expensive. However, they are very good quality. There were many ready-to-eat foods for sale, much like an American deli section. The nori-rolls, tempura, kobabs were delicious and half of the price they would be in the States. All the bottles and boxes are much smaller than the States. We have the impression that they are more interested in the quality rather than the quantity.
We had two restaurant meals in Ishigaki. They are so Japanese! I know I am just excited about the culture and how they sit in tatami mats and short tables with Japanese lanterns hanging and signature Japanese fabric printed pennants going through the door way and so on. The food was fabulous! The first night, we had fried cuttlefish, rice noodles with vegetables and grilled beef. The second time, we had dinner with David and Robyn from S/V "Maajhi-Re" who are on their way to British Columbia. We had a large plate of sashimi (squid, octopus, tuna, and mackerel), tempura, and pork saute with bitter melon (one of the local specialties.) Of course they serve the food with large cold pitcher of draft beer. I think the food alone is a good enough excuse to be in Japan! Scrumptious!!