Miyakojima, Japan: Some of Japan's Clearest Water and a Flat Coral Island

The waters around Miyakojima have visibility that regularly exceeds 50 meters, and the coral surrounding the island is among the healthiest in the Ryukyu Archipelago. Yabiji, a coral atoll 10 kilometers northeast of the island, is a submerged reef that breaks the surface only during the lowest tides of the year and is accessible by snorkel boat as a dedicated shallow-water experience with an unusual concentration of marine life across the reef flat. Dive operators on the island run excursions to sites along all four coasts; the south coast has the most developed underwater terrain with slope dives reaching depths suitable for recreational scuba.

Maehama Beach, on the western coast of the Miyako group's Irabu Island, consistently appears on lists of the finest beaches in Japan. The beach is 7 kilometers long and faces west, producing sunset views across a broad bay of water that shifts between turquoise and indigo depending on the depth. The sand is fine and white. Irabu Island is connected to Miyakojima by the Irabu Bridge, completed in 2015 as the longest toll-free bridge in Japan at 3.5 kilometers — accessible by car or bicycle from the main island.

Sunayama Beach on the north coast of Miyakojima proper is accessible by a short hiking path through a pine forest and opens onto a beach framed by limestone arch formations. The beach is smaller than Maehama and faces north across open water; the limestone arches are the distinguishing feature. The path through the pines takes about 15 minutes from the road.

Miyakojima is the origin point of the Miyako-jofu — a traditional textile woven from banana fiber and ramie grass, bleached using the island's calcium-rich groundwater filtered through the coral limestone, and distinguished by a distinctive crisp hand and a resistance to creasing that made it prized for summer kimono. The fabric is designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property; weavers who produce authentic Miyako-jofu are few in number. The Miyako Traditional Crafts Center in Hirara has demonstrations and the resulting fabric available for purchase.

The Pantu Festival, held in the village of Shimajiri each autumn, is one of the most unusual festivals in Japan: three men wearing masks and covered entirely in a thick gray mud from a sacred pond walk through the village for three nights, smearing the mud on anyone they encounter. The mud is believed to carry the blessings of the island's protective spirits; residents open their doors to be marked. The festival is not for tourist schedules — it runs on dates determined by the traditional Miyako calendar — but for cruise passengers who happen to be there during the autumn period it is memorable.