is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

on the north coast of western

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island ...

, the largest island of Japan. The bay faces the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

and within the borders of

Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populous prefecture of Japan at 570,569 (2016) and has a geographic area of . Tottori Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture to the west, Hir ...

. Miho bay is bounded to the west by Yumigahama Peninsula, which forms the western border with

Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamag ...

Geography

Miho Bay is approximately in length, extends from the coast, and has a depth of . The bay has an average temperature of between 20 and 22 °C. Miho Bay is generally defined as extending from the mouth of the Amida River in Daisen to the east and

Cape Jizō A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

at the tip of the Shimane Peninsula to the west. Miho Bay is naturally protected by numerous

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic processes—deposition (geology), deposition of ...

s and the quicksand of the Hino River, but as these natural areas of protection have decreased,

coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landwa ...

has become a problem along the bay. Miho Bay was known historically as a safe harbor.

Coastal cities and towns

Miho Bay is faced by the coastal cities and towns of and Matsue,

, Sakaiminato and

Yonago is a city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan and making up part of the boundary of Lake Nakaumi. It is adjacent to Shimane Prefecture and across the lake from its capital of Matsue. It is the prefecture's second large ...

make up the Yumigahama Peninsula coastal area of Miho Bay, and the coast continues east to Hiezu and Daisen at the west of

Rivers

The Hino River, the

Miho River Miho River (Korean:미호강 / 美湖江), a tributary of Geum River, is a river beginning in Eumseong in Chungcheongbuk-do. Its length is about 37.5 km See also *List of rivers of Korea The Korean peninsula is mainly mountainous along it ...

, and the Amida River all empty into Miho Bay. The short, shallow Sakai Channel connects Nakaumi and Lake Jinji to Miho Bay.

Tourism and recreation

A large onsen in Yonago, the Keike Onsen, faces Miho Bay. There are also

yachting Yachting is the use of recreational boats and ships called '' yachts'' for racing or cruising. Yachts are distinguished from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. "Yacht" derives from the Dutch word '' jacht'' ("hunt"). With sailboat ...

美保湾ヨットクラブ
/ref> and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques ...

facilities, as well as numerous white sandy beaches.

Transportation

Yonago Airport prominently occupies the middle of the Yurigahama Peninsula, and the

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

of the airport is less than 1 km from Miho Bay. Two train lines run along the distance of the bay. The JR West Sanin Main Line runs near the eastern coast of the bay to

Yonago Station is a railway station on the Sanin Main Line in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is also the terminus of the Sakai Line. The station started operation on November 1, 1902. Layout The stati ...

, and the JR West Sakai Line runs along the western coast of the bay to

Sakaiminato Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Sakaiminato Station is the western terminus of the Sakai Line, and is located 17.9 ...

. Miho Bay has traditionally been one point of connection to the Oki Islands. One ferry to the Oki Islands, name, has a terminus on Nakaumi in Sakaiminato, travels through the Sakai Channel, crosses Miho Bay, and the connects to the Oki Islands across the Sea of Japan.

Mihonoseki Incident

In 1927, 4 nautical miles from Cape Jizō, the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

''Jintsuu'' and the ''Momi''-class destroyer ''Warabi'', both ships of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

, collided at the mouth of Miho Bay. There were 92 naval personnel who were killed when the ''Warabi'' sunk, and 28 were killed aboard the ''Jintsuu''. The event became known as the . Captain Keiji Mizushiro (1883–1927) was questioned, but committed suicide before the beginning of the trial. The ''Jintsuu'' was recommissioned during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and was chosen as a shinyo suicide boat in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous ...

, but it ran aground shortly before the end of the war and was scrapped in 1947.

References

{{Reflist Bays of Japan Landforms of Tottori Prefecture Landforms of Shimane Prefecture Tourist attractions in Tottori Prefecture Tourist attractions in Shimane Prefecture