, an archipelago belonging to the southern Ryukyu islands, which is located to the east of Taiwan, and administratively is part of Okinawa prefecture. Other islands of the Yaeyama archipelago are Iriomote, Taketomijima, Kohamajima, Hatoma, Yubujima, Hateruma (the southernmost inhabited island of Japan), and Yonaguni (the westernmost one). The latitude of these islands is very low, just north of the Tropic of Cancer. Close to the islands is a coral reef.
is very mild, the sky is often cloudy, and periods of bad weather, with wind and rain, are quite common. Sometimes, especially in January, there may be very cool days, with highs around 16 °C (61 °F) or less and lows around 10 °C (50 °F). In January 2016, there was a day with a minimum of 8 °C (46 °F) and a maximum of 10 °C (50 °F).
is muggy, with fairly frequent and sometimes abundant rains. The first part of the rainy season, called the plum rains (
), arrives in May and June, ie one month earlier than on the main islands of Japan, however, between one shower and another, the sun can come out, especially in June. In July, there is a relative pause, so that the rains decrease, and sunshine becomes pretty frequent.
In the second part of summer (August, September, and early October), the rains increase again, but the amount of sunshine remains generally decent, at least until September. If all goes well, a week can pass without rain, otherwise, there may be periods of bad weather, or even typhoons.
In fact, from June to October, with a peak from August to early October, Ishigaki can be affected by
, the tropical cyclones of Southeast Asia, which can bring strong winds and heavy rains.
in Ishigaki is never cold, in fact, the temperature drops to a minimum of 23 °C (73 °F) in February, so it's possible to try to swim even in winter, while it gets very warm in summer.
It is difficult to find the best time to visit Ishigaki, because there is no dry and sunny period. However, in general you can choose the period from November to April. A typhoon can still pass until mid-November, although this happens rarely and with generally modest effects. From mid-December to mid-March, there can be cool days, with highs of 15 °C (59 °F) or less.
Since there is a pause between the two rainy periods (May-June and August-September), in Ishigaki the best month for a beach holiday is July, though afternoon thunderstorms are still possible, in addition to the passage of tropical storms and typhoons over the island.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.8 °C, with a minimum of
16.3 °C and a maximum of
21.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
8 °C in January 2016.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25.5 °C. However, it reached
27.3 °C in January 1995.
Precipitation amounts to
130 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 2.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 25% of the time.
The average humidity is 72%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23.8 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
February is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
19.3 °C, with a minimum of
16.7 °C and a maximum of
21.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12.5 °C. However, it dropped to
10 °C in February 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26.5 °C. However, it reached
28 °C in February 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
140 mm, distributed over 17 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 29% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23.4 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
March is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.9 °C, with a minimum of
18.2 °C and a maximum of
23.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13.5 °C. However, it dropped to
9.7 °C in March 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
27.5 °C. However, it reached
29 °C in March 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
130 mm, distributed over 17 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 32% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
April is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
23.4 °C, with a minimum of
20.8 °C and a maximum of
25.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
16 °C. However, it dropped to
13.4 °C in April 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
29 °C. However, it reached
31 °C in April 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
155.1 mm, distributed over 15 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 34% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
25 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
May is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
26.1 °C, with a minimum of
23.6 °C and a maximum of
28.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
20 °C. However, it dropped to
17 °C in May 2013.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31.5 °C. However, it reached
33 °C in May 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
205 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 40% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.4 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
26.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
June is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
28.6 °C, with a minimum of
26.3 °C and a maximum of
30.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
22.5 °C. However, it dropped to
19.5 °C in June 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33 °C. However, it reached
34.6 °C in June 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
205 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 35 minutes. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
28.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
July, the hottest month of the year, is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
29.8 °C, with a minimum of
27.3 °C and a maximum of
32.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
25 °C. However, it dropped to
23.8 °C in July 2001.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34 °C. However, it reached
35.3 °C in July 2006.
Precipitation amounts to
130.4 mm, distributed over 16 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 62% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
29.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
August is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
29.4 °C, with a minimum of
26.8 °C and a maximum of
32 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
24.5 °C. However, it dropped to
23 °C in August 2018.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34 °C. However, it reached
35.6 °C in August 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
260 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 58% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
29.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
September is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
28.2 °C, with a minimum of
25.6 °C and a maximum of
31 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
23 °C. However, it dropped to
20 °C in September 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33 °C. However, it reached
34.7 °C in September 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
260 mm, distributed over 17 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 51% of the time.
The average humidity is 76%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
28.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
October is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
26.1 °C, with a minimum of
23.5 °C and a maximum of
28.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
20.5 °C. However, it dropped to
19 °C in October 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31.5 °C. However, it reached
32.8 °C in October 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
204.5 mm, distributed over 16 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 44% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
27.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
November is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
23.6 °C, with a minimum of
21.1 °C and a maximum of
26.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17.5 °C. However, it dropped to
13 °C in November 2013.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
29 °C. However, it reached
30.7 °C in November 2008.
Precipitation amounts to
155 mm, distributed over 17 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 35% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
26.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
December is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.4 °C, with a minimum of
18 °C and a maximum of
22.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13.5 °C. However, it dropped to
10 °C in December 2020.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
27 °C. However, it reached
29.2 °C in December 1996.
Precipitation amounts to
125 mm, distributed over 18 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 40 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 27% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
24.8 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.