Miyakojima Travel Guide
Cape Higashi Henna
To start off our morning, we took a drive to the south-east point of Miyakojima, cape Higashi Henna. Lots of people come here to watch the sunrise, and it did not disappoint. We enjoyed the isolation with massive waves crashing into the rocks and a warm morning breeze coming over the cape. We went while it was still dark so we could see the beautiful sky. As soon as the sun rose everyone left and continued on with their day, making it one of the most isolated parts of the island.
It’s also popular for stargazing, as there is virtually zero light pollution, however the lighthouse does interrupt the stars if you’re too close. We decided to stargaze in other areas, but as we were driving during twilight, we could tell the stars were amazing. You can enter the lighthouse for a small fee, but the view from the ground was more than enough for us.
Playa Higashi Henna
A short walk from Cape Higashi Henna is Playa Higashi Henna. As we walked down we were surprised to find parking right next to this beach, but luckily the stroll from the cape was only about 5 minutes. Miyakojima has many beaches where you can snorkel, and possibly find sea turtles. We decided to come to this beach as many sea turtles have been spotted here and it was close to the cape. The coral sand on the beach isn’t the cleanest, so we had to be careful where we were stepping. Just take caution as there aren’t lifeguards on duty.
The color of water on the beach was absolutely stunning. It was one of the brightest blues we have ever seen on a bright sunny day. As we were setting up our spot on the beach, Michael looked at the water and thought he saw a sea turtle. As we stared some more, his guess was right there were indeed sea turtles coming up for air. We’ve watched so many vlogs where people looked for turtles in Miyakojima but came up empty. To have the highest probability of seeing turtles, it’s best to come when the tide is low, early in the morning, and during nesting season which is mid summer.
The water is quite shallow, and you don’t have to go far to see the turtles. We were so excited and stunned by how close it was to us. You don’t have to look for long, as the turtles are swimming all around, and you can see their heads popping up. As we were getting out of the water, we saw another sea turtle swimming away. Michael was lucky enough to be so near that he was even to take a selfie with the sea turtle. We read this beach was a guarantee to see turtles, and it was right as we saw about 10 turtles in the hour we spent there.
Imgya Marine Garden
After swimming with the sea turtles, I was satisfied with our time in the water. Michael really loves to snorkel and wanted to get a bit more swimming in before the sun got too intense. Just up the coast from Cape Higashi Henna is Imgya Marine Garden, a little cove protecting a calm, shallow inlet from the choppy waves. It has interesting rock shapes, lots of coral reefs, and plenty of marine life. A lovely walking path winds around the area with a bridge overlooking the shockingly blue water, so we spent some time enjoying the scenery before Michael got in the water.
This is a popular spot for snorkeling, paddleboarding, and clear-bottom canoeing. We didn’t have a ton of time, so Michael only spent a few minutes solo snorkeling, but it’s easy to understand why people like it so much. The area is peaceful and beautiful, and the marine life is vibrant. There are coral sections in and around the bridge filled with activity, and he even saw a cuttlefish while diving in the deeper area. We were glad we came here, because while the sea turtles at Cape Higashi Henna were amazing, that spot isn’t great for other sea life, and this was exactly what we were hoping to find.
Harry’s Shrimp Truck
For lunch, we went to Harry’s Shrimp Truck to try Hawaiian cuisine, with a Miyako twist. The exterior is a school bus decked out as a trendy food truck. This restaurant only has seating outdoors that overlooks the ocean next to the food truck. We arrived 20 minutes early and there was already a long line starting to form. Luckily, we were the first ten in line because we wanted try Miyako beef, which only has 20 portions available each day.
Miyako beef is beef grown and raised on island, which can be expensive as there are not many cows, making it a delicacy. We tried their most popular dish, butter garlic shrimp with Miyako beef, and the special dish. The special has Harry’s original sauce with a spicy buttery mix. Miyako beef is super soft and tender like wagyu, but you only need to try once as it is rather expensive. The shrimp was seasoned very well, and it wasn’t salty or greasy like I thought it would be. Mixed with the rice, it was a great meal for us.
Nishihenna Cape
Just north of Harry’s is Nishihenna Cape, the northeastern point of the island. It’s a very craggy coast with some interesting formations, but it’s not quite as interesting as Cape Higashi Henna. I was stabbing myself as I walked on the extremely sharp rocks, and it was pretty hot so we didn’t stay long. However, we ended up coming back at 3am because it is the perfect spot to see the stars. Miyako has low light pollution, and the capes are far enough from the towns that the stars are unmatched.
We arrived well before sunrise so we could see it in the pitch dark. We used our flashlights to make it over to the middle of the cape and turned them off. When we looked up the stars, we were able to see every constellation, the milky way, and the andromeda galaxy. It was breathtaking as our city has so much light pollution that we never have the chance to see stars. We were even able to see shooting stars fall through the sky. There are many spots to see stars on the island, but Nishihenna Cape has nothing around besides the sounds of the ocean and faint lights from the boats. We spent hours here finding constellations.
Gelato Cafe Ninufa
Gelato Cafe Ninufa is a small restaurant and gelato shop on Ikema Island, north of Miyako. After parking in the lot, we went through their forested entrance. As we were walking through the plants we saw at the end the restaurant over looking the ocean. Due to a staff shortage at the time, they were only able to serve drinks and gelato.
I love gelato and they had so many diverse flavors. I stuck to the tropical side and ordered dragon fruit and banana, and Miyako lime. Michael is not a huge fruit person, but he enjoyed the gelato flavors together, rather than on their own. The lime was tangy rather than sour, and the dragon fruit and banana had an equally strong mixed flavor. We ordered a Umiiro cream soda, since cream soda is our favorite soft drink. The bright blue color was attractive as it was the same color of the ocean in front of us. The Umiiro cream soda had a bubble gum/Superman kind of flavor which was perfect for the hot day.
Before we went down to the beach, the server surprised everyone with fresh sata andagi (Okinawa donuts). I was planning to get them on the mainland but I was excited to try them early. She gave us two flavors, banana and brown sugar. As we bit in, the donut was piping hot with a soft inside and a slightly crunchy outside. It had a fried cake texture to it, but it set our expectations high for the donuts we were looking for.
Heart Rock
Located on the private beach of Gelato Cafe Ninufa is Heart Rock. This beach can only be accessed by purchasing something from the cafe. After finishing our gelato, we went down to the beach to see the rock structure. Heart Rock can only been seen when it is low tide so luckily we were there on time. As we approached the rock it was difficult to find the shape. The heart is tilted on its side as has to be viewed from a distance for it to be visible. The surrounding beach was lovely with bright white sand and beautiful blue water. The true highlight for us was the beach, rather than the rock.
Irabuohashi Bridge
To get to Irabu Island from Miyako Island, we had to drive on Irabuohashi Bridge. This bridge is the longest toll free bridge in Japan at 3,540 meters, completed in 2015. It’s a beautiful drive over the ocean, and there are some spots to pull over to take a glimpse of the bridge. While it is pretty cool, I wouldn’t say it is a real tourist attraction. But it’s one of the most notable parts of the island, so I felt like I should mention it.
Shinbinji
Located on Irabu Island is Shinbinji, a so-called hidden gem of Miyako. Shinbinji is simply a staircase that leads to the ocean, although I’m not sure why. I’ve seen it on Instagram as a hidden spot for pictures, but it was a bit underwhelming as it was more popular than we thought. There is a small parking lot nearby, and we walked through a short path to get to the staircase. It was small, and as we looked out there was nothing around besides the ocean. While we were there, quite a few groups came and went, so the secret is clearly out. It was a nice way to see another tiny corner of the island, but it’s definitely not mandatory to visit.
Ningin Coffee
Ningin Coffee is a small specialty shop and roastery located near Irabuohashi Bridge. This wasn’t actually the shop I originally planned to visit. The first coffee shop I found is just around the corner but was closed, and the backup shop was also conspicuously closed. Third time was the charm, but I was doubtful we would find a specialty coffee shop. Ningin Coffee has community style seating with a bar, huge wooden table, and concrete wall seating that is all connected.
Michael had a pour over and I had an iced chai tea with oat milk. The chai was slightly spiced and needed to be mixed constantly as it separated out. It wasn’t my favorite iced chai, but it was decent. The beans they serve here are all roasted dark. Michael usually prefers a medium or light roast. He said it was pretty good for a dark roast, and they know what they’re doing. Although it’s not the shop we planned, it was still a cool find.
Musunun Beach
There are so many beautiful beaches on Miyakojima but we wanted to go to a quieter beach. Musunun Beach located on Kurima Island, is a small local beach that is not very popular for tourists. The waters are really rough there, which is not ideal for swimming. As we couldn’t swim, we played at the edge of the water and let the huge waves crash into us as we ran around like kids. The atmosphere of this beach was different as people were here were just enjoying life. There were yoga classes, dates, and people sitting around. It was a unique place to catch a breath and have our eyes wonder at the deep blue water.
Blue Seal
Blue Seal is a local Okinawan ice cream chain. Their motto says “Born in America, and raised in Okinawa.” In Miyakojima, they only have two branches, so we went out to try both. We were able to try their top four flavors: Okinawan Salt Cookies, Blue Wave, Vanilla & Cookies, and San Francisco Mint Chocolate. We made it our mission to eat as much Blue Seal as possible, and wrote a whole article about it. We reflected on the taste, store fronts, and vibes of ever store we visited in Okinawa. After some hot long days, it was the perfect snack as their ice cream was really creamy from the milk fat content.
Goya Izakaya
Goya is an izakaya (Japanese bar) that has live traditional performances every night. We had to make reservations in advance and pay a small fee for our seats. On the website, it lists the time of the performance as they usually have only one per night. We got to our seats and ordered through a QR code online. We got Orion beer on draft, which is locally brewed in Okinawa. I’m not a beer expert but it did the job as it was so refreshing after a long and hot day. We ordered some fried chicken and purple sweet potato and taimo croquette to accompany our beer.
Two ladies were our performers for the night as they played on the sanshin (Okinawan three-string lute) and taiko drum. The staff was finger whistling which is common during folk songs. Even though we didn’t understand what was being sung, the energy was high and joyful. During the performance, the performers taught the audience some dances and we danced along with everyone to the music around the bar. It was a fun night full of food, dance, and tradition.
Ruler’s Taco Rice
One of Okinawa’s famous dishes is taco rice. We were very surprised to hear this as it doesn’t sound very Japanese. This dish was heavily influenced by the large U.S. military presence that has been in Okinawa since 1945. In the 80’s U.S. soldiers combined tacos with rice and taco rice was born. We planned to try taco rice from King’s Tacos who claim they are the original creators on the mainland. But we wanted to see how other taco rice compares, so we went to a popular chain, Ruler’s Taco Rice. Ruler’s has diverse options from traditional flavors to barbeque taco rice.
We haven’t had American Mexican food in years, therefore we took the opportunity to try as much as we could. We ordered cheese taco rice, spam taco rice, a regular taco, and a fish taco. They have different sizes of bowls, we went with small since we had a lot to eat. The taco rice had an authentic American-style taste, and the seasoning was nice and subtle with perfectly balanced toppings. We were surprised by how much we liked this dish. The tacos were delicious, the regular taco had a fried soft shell and the fish taco wasn’t dry at all. We set our expectations low as we thought it would be like a Taco Bell experience, but it was so much better.
Final Thoughts
Our time in Miyakojima was filled with unique moments. Every place we visited offered something special, and it was hard to convince ourselves we were even in Japan. I never thought I would swim with sea turtles, or witness water so blue, but Miyako found a way to hook me in, and I wished I could stay forever. We hope our Miyakojima travel guide inspires you to enjoy this special place as much as we did.
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