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Spot guide · MiyakojimaSunayama Beach
Over a sand dune to a small cove, six minutes by taxi from the terminal, with the famous arch fenced off
Sunayama means 'sand hill', and the name is the route: from the car park you cross a sand dune and the beach opens out on the far side. It sits a short drive north of Hirara, 2.8 km from the cruise terminal by the computed route. For a port day without a rental car it is the postcard beach a taxi can reach in minutes rather than half an hour, which is the opposite of Yonaha Maehama or Higashi-Henna Cape.
What you see is a small white cove with shallow, clear water and a limestone arch standing in the surf, the shape that appears on every Miyako poster. The arch is netted and fenced because of the risk of collapse, and a travel magazine says you may not enter the sea-cave passage, so it is a photograph from the sand, not a walk-through. Shallow water is fine for paddling and a look at the reef edge.
The catch is that there is nothing here to look after you. The Miyakojima Tourism Association says most beaches on the island have no lifeguards, rip currents are strong, box jellyfish and other hazards exist, and the sun is fierce even under cloud. The same magazine says no swimming area is designated at Sunayama and locals do not generally swim here. Treat it as a shoreline stop. Skip it in typhoon or high-wave warnings, and skip it if the dune climb is too much.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Book or hold a taxi for the return before you get out; there is no shop, no lockers and no taxi rank at the cove.
- Do not go under or onto the arch. It is fenced and netted, and the cave passage is closed because of collapse risk.
- Bring water, a hat and sun cream; the tourism association warns that the sun is strong even when it is cloudy, and there is no shade listed.
- Swimming is at your own risk: most Miyako beaches have no lifeguards and rip currents are strong. Stay at the shoreline.
- Wear shoes that grip sand; the route crosses a dune from the car park.
Shallow water is fine for paddling and a look at the reef edge.
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Spot guideYonaha Maehama
Seven kilometres of the sand every Japanese ranking calls the country’s best
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Open the guide →Questions people ask here
How do I get to Sunayama Beach from the Miyakojima cruise port?
By taxi from the cruise terminal, which is about 1 km from the berth and served by a passenger shuttle. The computed drive is 2.84 km, about 6 minutes, and the meter should read around ¥900 on the 2023 remote-island tariff. Walking is 3.09 km, about 41 minutes. There is no public bus to the cove in these sources.
Is Sunayama Beach safe for swimming?
It is not a managed beach. A travel magazine says no swimming area is designated and locals do not generally swim there, and the Miyakojima Tourism Association says most Miyako beaches have no lifeguards and rip currents are strong. Paddling at the edge is the sensible limit.
Can I walk under the Sunayama Beach arch?
No. The arch is netted and fenced because of collapse risk, and the sea-cave passage is closed to visitors. You photograph it from the sand.