Miyako Umineko-maru bay cruisePhoto: Yasu / CC BY-SA 3.0
Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
The 58-year-old sightseeing boat died in 2021; the town missed it so much the city built a new one by 2022. Runs from Desaki pier at Seatopia Naado (it also runs to Jodogahama, ¥600); no individual bookings, and no sailings on Tuesdays in April–June and September–December (holidays excepted). In October boats leave Desaki at 9:00, 10:10, 11:10, 13:10, 14:10 and 15:10; in November the last is 14:10.
- Short enough to be certain of: 1 hr 30 min door to door, so even a tender day works.
- 1 hr 30 min door to door needs a 3.5-hour call: a 2–3 hour stop cannot hold it. Pick something closer instead.
Why Miyako Umineko-maru bay cruise is famous
Umineko means black-tailed gull, and the birds follow the boat close enough to take food from a hand, which is the point of the trip. The cruise runs out past Jodogahama and the rock formations, giving the coast from the sea rather than from a lookout.
Where the 1 hr 30 min 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 5 minutes each way is the measured figure for ¥1,800 · taxi ~5 min to desaki pier, not the optimistic one. If your ship is late, cut the 1 hr 20 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 15 min for bothUni, at its June–August peak
Fresh Sanriku uni is a summer catch, at its best June to August.
See the detail 2 hr 45 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 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