Miyako, Japan: Coral Reefs and Clear Water in the Ryukyu Islands

Yonaha Maehama Beach, on the southwestern coast, is consistently ranked among the top beaches in Japan and often in Asia more broadly. The beach is four kilometers of white sand with water so pale it photographs turquoise even on overcast days; the bottom shelves gradually and the reef fish come in close. Rental beach chairs and equipment are available; the beach has a resort hotel at one end and is otherwise undeveloped. A taxi from the port takes about twenty minutes.

Hirara city, where the port is located, has a compact downtown with an excellent range of Okinawan food — including Miyako soba (a mild pork-based broth with broad flat noodles, distinct from the noodle soups of the main islands) and sea grape (umibudo), a seaweed that grows in clusters like tiny grapes and is eaten raw with ponzu sauce. The Hirara Bazaar and covered shopping street near the city center are the most concentrated area for lunch and market browsing.

Irabu Island, connected to Miyako by Japan's longest toll-free bridge (3.54 kilometers, completed in 2015), is the place to spend a slower half-day. The island is less developed than Miyako, and the Toguchi Beach on its western side is a wide, flat beach backed by limestone outcrops popular with snorkelers. The Irabu fishing community still operates traditional boats for skipjack tuna, and the fish markets at the northern port are open in the morning.

Miyako's diving is accessible to beginners and rewarding for experienced divers. The Miyako Blue (as the local tourism board calls the water color) is real — visibility regularly exceeds 30 meters, and the coral formations along the southern reefs include impressive table corals, sea turtles, and occasional manta rays. Several dive operators near the port rent equipment and offer guided half-day reef dives without the full certification requirements of Japan's main islands.