Hirara, the town centre of Miyako Island, has a set of beaches you can reach in minutes from the middle of town.
Beaches on Miyako Island usually mean a drive of thirty minutes or more, but everything in the town area is 15 to 20 minutes from Miyako Airport. You can fit them in before or after checking into your hotel, or in the odd hour before returning a rental car. That is the real appeal.
This guide covers the four beaches in the town area, along with Miyako Shrine and Nishizato Odori, both worth visiting while you are here.
The four beaches covered here are as follows.
- Sunayama Beach
- Painagama Beach
- Miyako Sunset Beach
- Yuni no Hama
Let’s take a look.
4 Beaches in the Town Area
Sunayama Beach
The best known beach in the town area is Sunayama Beach.
Cross the sand dune from the car park and a natural rock arch appears in front of you. The view of the sea framed by that arch is one of the defining images of Miyako Island, and it draws a crowd at sunset in particular.
Despite sitting close to town, the beach itself has kept its untouched character, and the water is exceptionally clear.
| Access | About 20 minutes by car from Miyako Airport |
| Address | Nikadori, Hirara, Miyakojima City, Okinawa |
| Activities | Available |
| Parking | Available |
| Restrooms | Available |
Painagama Beach
Closest of all to town, and a place locals come to unwind, is Painagama Beach.
Showers, restrooms, and shaded gazebos are all in place, and parking is free. Lifeguards are on duty during the swimming season, so it works even with small children.
Come evening you will see plenty of locals out walking or jogging, making this a beach where you brush up against everyday life on Miyako Island rather than the tourist version of it.
| Access | About 15 minutes by car from Miyako Airport |
| Address | Shimozato, Hirara, Miyakojima City, Okinawa |
| Activities | Available |
| Parking | Available (free) |
| Restrooms | Available |
Miyako Sunset Beach
As the name suggests, Miyako Sunset Beach is known for the beauty of its evening light.
Facing west with an open outlook, it lets you watch the sun drop into the horizon with nothing in the way. The Irabu Ohashi Bridge is visible from here too, and the hour around sunset fills with people taking photos.
There are two free car parks, plus showers and restrooms. The swimming season runs only from July to October, but the place is worth a stop for the evening view at any time of year.
| Access | About 15 minutes by car from Miyako Airport |
| Address | Hirara, Miyakojima City, Okinawa |
| Swimming season | July to October |
| Activities | Available |
| Parking | Available (free, two car parks) |
| Restrooms | Available |
Yuni no Hama
Offshore from the Irabu Ohashi Bridge, a pure white beach that rises out of the sea only at low tide: that is Yuni no Hama.
Its shape and size change every time it appears, which is why it is called the phantom beach. Nothing blocks the view in any direction, and being ringed by Miyako Blue on all sides is an experience in a different class from anything else in the town area.
Since there is no reaching it from land, you join a boat, SUP, or sea kayak tour leaving from Hisamatsu Fishing Port or similar. The one thing to watch is that the meeting time shifts daily to match the low tide.
| Access | About 15 minutes by car from Miyako Airport to Hisamatsu Fishing Port |
| Address | Miyakojima City, Okinawa (offshore from the Irabu Ohashi Bridge) |
| When it appears | Only at low tide |
| Main ways to get there | Boat / SUP / sea kayak |
| Parking | Use the parking area designated by your tour operator |
| Restrooms | None |
Other Places Worth Visiting in the Town Area
Miyako Shrine
Set on high ground in town, Miyako Shrine is known as the southernmost shrine in Japan.
The hall is built with the vermilion Ryukyuan red tiles of the subtropics, giving it a character quite different from shrines on the mainland. From the grounds you look down over the streets of Hirara and out to the sea.
A visit takes 15 to 30 minutes and there is free parking, so it slots easily into a day at the town beaches.
| Access | About 15 minutes by car from Miyako Airport |
| Address | 5-1 Nishizato, Hirara, Miyakojima City, Okinawa |
| Time needed | About 15 to 30 minutes |
| Parking | Available (free) |
Nishizato Odori
Running right by Miyako Shrine, Nishizato Odori is the oldest shopping street on the island and the busiest quarter in Hirara.
By day it is a shopping street lined with souvenir shops and restaurants; by night it becomes an izakaya strip. Okinawan cuisine, Miyako beef yakiniku, and folk-music izakaya with live sanshin are all here, and the Nishizato area of Hirara alone counts around 48 izakaya.
Every beach in the town area is within a ten-minute drive of Nishizato Odori. Beaches by day, Miyako Sunset Beach at dusk, dinner on Nishizato Odori at night: that is the standard course for this part of the island.
| Access | About 15 minutes by car from Miyako Airport |
| Address | Nishizato, Hirara, Miyakojima City, Okinawa |
| Busiest hours | Evening (mainly izakaya trading hours) |
| Main establishments | Okinawan restaurants, Miyako beef yakiniku, folk-music izakaya, souvenir shops |
| Parking | None (use the coin car parks nearby) |
| Restrooms | None |
Around the Town Area
Activities on Miyako Island
Snorkeling, diving, SUP, and other marine sports in Miyako Island’s crystal-clear water are hugely popular.
Yuni no Hama landing tours can be booked here as well. Popular plans fill up early, so reserve as soon as your dates are set.
Rental Cars on Miyako Island
A rental car is by far the best way to get around Miyako Island.
The town beaches sit close enough together to manage on foot or by bicycle, but a car becomes essential the moment you head for other parts of the island. Bus services on Miyako Island are infrequent, and having a car makes a huge difference to how much you can fit in.
Reservations fill up quickly in peak season, so book early once your travel dates are decided.
Hilton Okinawa Miyako Island Resort
Opened in June 2023, the Hilton Okinawa Miyako Island Resort sits about 15 minutes by car from Miyako Airport, with easy access to central Hirara and the Irabu Ohashi Bridge.
Its greatest asset is the setting: next to Miyako Sunset Beach, with views of the world-famous Miyako Blue sea, remarkable sunsets, and the Irabu Ohashi Bridge.
Alongside its 329 rooms it has three outdoor pools and two indoor pools, a spa, a fitness centre, and a kids’ club, making for a polished resort stay whether you are travelling as a couple or a family.
Summary
This guide has covered the four beaches in the town area of Miyako Island.
Sunayama Beach for the view, Painagama Beach for its facilities, Miyako Sunset Beach for the evening light, and Yuni no Hama for something out of the ordinary. They sit close together yet each has a clearly different character.
All of them are within 15 to 20 minutes of Miyako Airport, which makes them easy to slot into the gaps on your arrival or departure day. Add Miyako Shrine and Nishizato Odori and the town area alone will fill a day.
When you visit Miyako Island, be sure to make time for the beaches in the town area.
Thank you for reading to the end.
Comments