Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [609]
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Miyako-jima has direct flights to/from Tokyo’s Haneda airport (JTA; ¥42,900, 2½ hours, one daily), Osaka’s Kansai International Airport (JTA; ¥42,900, 2½ hours, one daily), Naha (JTA/ANA; ¥16,100, 50 minutes, 12 daily) and Ishigaki (JTA/RAC; ¥10,900, 20 minutes, four daily).
GETTING AROUND
Miyako-jima has a limited bus network that operates from two bus stands in Hirara. Buses run between the airport and Hirara (¥170, 20 minutes). Buses also depart from Yachiyo bus terminal for Ikema-jima (¥460, 35 minutes), and from the Miyako Kyōei bus terminal, 700m east of town, to Yoshino/Bora (¥470, 50 minutes). Yet another line runs between Hirara and Yoneha/Kurima-jima (¥390, 30 minutes).
The island’s flat terrain is perfectly suited to biking. If you want to move faster, there are rental-car counters at the airport and offices in Hirara.
Irabu-jima & Shimoji-jima
A 10-minute ferry ride from Hirara (Miyako-jima) brings you to Irabu-jima and Shimoji-jima, which are pleasantly rural islands covered with fields of sugar cane and linked by a series of six bridges. Like Miyako, Irabu and Shimoji are a beach lover’s paradise, and there are ample opportunities for swimming, snorkelling or simply sprawling out underneath the tropical sun. The islands are best visited as a day trip from Hirara, though there are a handful of low-key guest houses on the island as well as plenty of free camping grounds.
The best swimming beach on the island is Toguchi-no-hama on Irabu-jima’s west coast. With fine yellow sands and turquoise waters, you’d be hard-pressed to find more beautiful spot for an afternoon swim. There are some small shops here where you can rent snorkelling equipment; as well as free campsites with basic facilities.
Easily the best snorkelling beach is Nakanoshima-kaigan, on the west coast of Shimoji-jima. Here you can snorkel around a series of hard coral heads that are protected by a high-walled bay. Oddly, some of the best coral is fairly close to the shore, due to the unfortunate habit of local divers touching and standing on coral. Look for the sign reading ‘Nakano Island The Beach’.
Another interesting sight is Tōri-ike, two seawater ‘ponds’ on the west coast of Shimoji-jima that are actually sinkholes in the coral that formed the island. Boardwalks link the ‘ponds’ with the parking lot off the main road. This is a great spot to walk around, though the best place to experience it is underwater. Not surprisingly, this is a popular diving destination for operators on nearby Miyako-jima.
Another ‘attraction’ on Shimoji-jima is Shimoji airport, which is used as a practise runway by Japanese airlines. Plane-spotters come here from around Japan to watch the pilots practise landings, take-offs and go-arounds.
If you’d like to stay the night on the island, the chilled-out backpackers haven of Guesthouse Birafuya (78-3380; www.birafuya.com, in Japanese; dm/s/d ¥2000/3000/5000; ) is a few blocks inland from Sawada-no-hama beach. Birafuya has a dorm and small Western-style rooms and is a great place to meet other travellers, both Japanese and foreign. If you phone ahead, staff will pick you up at the ferry terminal. Bikes are also available for rent.
Fast ferries (¥400, 10 minutes, 11 daily) and car ferries (¥360 per walking passenger, ¥2000 per car, 25 minutes, 13 daily) run between Hirara on Miyako-jima and Sarahama Port on Irabu-jima.
The best way to explore the island is by bicycle, which can be rented in the port on Irabu-jima. Or, if you have a rental car or scooter, you can bring it over on the ferry from Hirara. Note that, at the time of writing, a bridge between Miyako-jima and Irabu-jima was under construction.
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YAEYAMA-SHOTŌ
At the far southwestern end of the Southwest Islands are the islands of Yaeyama-shotō, which include the main islands of Ishigaki-jima and Iriomote-jima as well as a spread of 17 isles. Located near the Tropic of Cancer, the isles of Yaeyama-shotō are renowned for their