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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Miyako, Okinawa
宮古島
Go for 3 nights if you want beaches and diving; skip if you want sightseeing, nightlife or car-free travel — you need a rental car here.
Miyako is a flat coral island of white sand and clear water, 50,000 residents and almost no sights. The point is the sea: snorkelling, diving and long empty beaches on Miyako plus the connected islands of Ikema and Kurima. Buses run every couple of hours, so a rental car is the difference between a good trip and a wasted one. Three nights is the working minimum; five is better.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 宮古島
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Sep (typhoon season, hottest water and air), Golden Week
- Stay
- 3–5 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥8,000–13,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥13,000–22,000 excl. bed · High ¥22,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Miyako soba (bowl) | ¥500–900 |
| Coffee | ¥400–600 |
| Orion beer: can at a supermarket / draught in a bar | ¥250–350 / ¥500–700 |
| Awamori, bottle at a shop | ¥1,500–3,000 |
| Taxi, Hirara to Maehama | about ¥2,000 |
| Beach parking at some beaches | ¥500 |
| Rental car, one day | from ¥5,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MMY · Miyako Airport
- Direct flights to Tokyo Haneda, Naha and Ishigaki on JTA and ANA; many trips connect through Naha.
- SHI · Shimojishima Airport
- On Irabu island, about a 25-min drive away; used by low-cost carriers.
Typical fares
- Taxi Hirara → Maehama
- about ¥2,000 (check)
- Bus, longest island run
- max about ¥500 (check)
- Rental car, one day
- from about ¥5,000 (check); IDP required
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Rental car is the default: agencies at the airport charge from about ¥5,000 per day, and you need an International Driving Permit plus your home licence. Scooters (50cc, about ¥2,000/day) and bicycles (about ¥1,500/day) are cheaper but slow in heat and rain. Buses are cheap (max about ¥500 one way) but run every couple of hours. Taxis work for one fixed run, e.g. Hirara to Maehama about ¥2,000; arrange the return.
See and do
Known for
- Maehama and Yonaha Maehama beaches
- Diving and snorkelling on coral reefs
- Ikema and Kurima bridges
- Miyako soba and awamori
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ikema Island | Drive Route 83 north over the Ikema bridge, about 30 min from Hirara | About 40 min |
| Kurima Island | Drive west over the Kurima bridge, about 20 min from Hirara | About 30 min |
| Shigira and southern coast | Drive Route 235 south from Hirara | About 30 min |
| Tarama | Island-hopper flight from Miyako Airport | About 1 h with airport time |
Sleep
- Hirara
- Main town: shops, izakayas, supermarkets and most guesthouses. No beach at the door, but the practical base without a car.
- Maehama / Yonaha
- Next to the island's best-known beach; guesthouses and kite schools. Needs a car or scooter for everything else.
- Shigira
- Resort strip in the south with manicured beach and hotel facilities; highest prices, everything on site.
- Ikema and Kurima
- Quiet guesthouses and small pensions on the connected islands; a car is essential.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Where is the beach? | ビーチはどこですか？bīchi wa doko desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| I have a rental car | レンタカーですrentakā desu |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- Typhoons: Jul–Sep can close flights and ferries for a day or more. Keep a buffer day before an onward international flight.
- Strong currents at some beaches, including near Block and the rocky points; ask locally before swimming.
- No scheduled ferries from outside the Miyako Islands as of 2024: check current sailings before planning an island hop.
- Drink-driving is treated seriously; use the local daiko service (a sober driver takes you and your car home) for about ¥2,000.
- Sun and heat: reef shallows give little shade; rash guards and water shoes help.
Very low crime; the real risks are the sea, the sun and the roads. Swim where locals swim, watch currents at rocky points, and never drive after awamori.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Miyako, Okinawa yet. Suggested stay: 3–5 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Maehama and Yonaha Maehama beaches
- Diving and snorkelling on coral reefs
- Ikema and Kurima bridges
- Miyako soba and awamori
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Miyako-guide (local tourist association, Japanese): miyako-guide.net/
- Wikivoyage: Miyako (Okinawa), revision 5242034 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5242034
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Miyako, Okinawa宮古島
ここまでお願いします
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on Miyako; the US consulate-general is in Naha, and most other countries keep embassies in Tokyo.
Cash is still useful at small beaches and guesthouses; carry some yen.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/miyako-okinawa). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.