1 / 2Blue Cave sappa boatPhoto: くろふね / CC BY 3.0
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Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
Twenty minutes in a tiny sappa skiff into a cove that glows cobalt — no reservations, sea decides. Boats leave from the Marine House, 5 minutes on foot from the Visitor Center bus stop, so expect a queue on a ship day. March to November, and worth rearranging a morning for.
- Our number 2 for Miyako, out of ten. It is the first thing we would spend the hours on.
- Short enough to be certain of: 2 hr door to door, so even a tender day works.
- 2 hr door to door needs a 4-hour call: a 2–3 hour stop cannot hold it. Pick something closer instead.
- No single published ride covers this one. Budget for a taxi both ways, or fold it into a guided day.
Why Blue Cave sappa boat is famous
A sea cave reached by sappa-bune, the small open boats local fishermen use, which are the only craft that fit through the entrance. Inside, light comes up through the water and turns the cave blue. It runs only when the sea allows, which is not most days in winter.
Where the 2 hr goes
Counted from the moment you step off the gangway, about 30 minutes after the ship arrives. The hour before all-aboard is not in this bar; it is already set aside.
about 15 minutes each way is the measured figure for ¥2,000 · first-come · taxi 10–15 min, not the optimistic one. If your ship is late, cut the 1 hr 35 min in the middle. Never cut the hour at the end.
Routes that already include it
Each one is a finished day timed from the official timetables, with this stop in it. Read the route rather than assembling it yourself.
What to put beside it
Each of these still lands you back aboard with the hour to spare.
2 hr 45 min for bothUni, at its June–August peak
Fresh Sanriku uni is a summer catch, at its best June to August.
See the detail 3 hr 15 min for bothBin-don at the Gyosai Market
Miyako’s own invention: uni, roe or squid served in a milk bottle you pour over rice yourself — born from how fishermen carried raw uni to market..
See the detail
3 hr 30 min for bothJodogahama Beach
White rhyolite spires over water so clear the monks called it Paradise — the single image of the Sanriku coast, 10–15 minutes by taxi from your berth..
See the detail