Miyako Island (Miyako-jima) and the Miyako Islands

For our Miyako-jima travel guide, please click here.

The fourth largest in the Okinawa Prefecture, this iron-board flat coral island boasts spectacular rocky outcrops, and blindingly white sand beaches with crystal clear turquoise waters. Catch it on a sunny day and Miyako-jima is glory at its best. As the Miyako Islands are solely formed by emerged coral reefs, they are all flat islands (without mountains and rivers). The water around the Miyako Islands stay clear even after heavy rain, which is because rain water gets absorbed quickly and filtered by coral rocks underneath the ground, and eventually water comes out into the sea from underground river channels after many years of filtration. This is the reason why the Miyako Islands are known for some of the clearest waters in the world. The Miyako Islands are more sunny due to the flat geography, compared to those islands with mountains and rainforests, which are known to attract and create rainy clouds. The Miyako Islands are also a paradise for off-the-beach snorkeling lovers. You can see many kinds of tropical fish, sea turtles and colorful lush coral close to many of the beaches.

There are amazing barrier reefs (offshore coral reef) called Yabiji, which are located off the north east of Miyako main island.