is the largest and the most populous island among the

Miyako Islands The (also Miyako Jima group) are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, belonging to the Ryukyu Islands. They are situated between the Okinawa Island and Yaeyama Islands. In the early 1870s, the population of the islands was estim ...

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city o ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Miyako Island is administered as part of the City of Miyakojima, which includes not only Miyako Island, but also five other populated islands.

Geography

Miyako-jima lies approximately southwest of

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has an ...

. With an area of , Miyako is the fourth-largest island in Okinawa Prefecture. The island is triangular in shape and is composed of limestone. Miyako-jima is subject to drought and is frequently struck by typhoons. Miyako-jima is well known for its beauty, particularly the , a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty at the southeasternmost point of Miyako-jima. It is considered by many as one of the most beautiful spots in

. Other notable locations include Yonaha Maehama beach, Sunayama beach, Painagama Beach and the sights on

Irabu-jima ( Miyako: ''Irav''), is an island in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The island is connected to Miyako Island by a bridge , which was completed in January 2015. Irabu Island is also connected via six bridges to Shimoji-shima. There are ...

. There are three islands nearby which are connected by bridges to Miyako-jima, Irabujima (as of early 2015), , and . Ikema Bridge connects Miyako Island and

Ikema Island , is located to the north of Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The island is connected to Miyako Island with a bridge (), which was completed in February 1992. There is a pond in the centre of the island. To the north-east is the . ...

. It is -long and was completed in February 1992. Yonaha Maehama beach can be viewed from the opposite side on Kurima Island. The

Miyako language The Miyakoan language ( ''Myākufutsu/Myākufutsї'' or ''Sumafutsu/Sїmafutsї'') is a diverse dialect cluster spoken in the Miyako Islands, located southwest of Okinawa Island, Okinawa. The combined population of the islands is about 52,00 ...

, one of several

Ryukyuan languages The , also Lewchewan or Luchuan (), are the indigenous languages of the Ryukyu Islands, the southernmost part of the Japanese archipelago. Along with the Japanese language and the Hachijō language, they make up the Japonic language family. Al ...

spoken there to some degree.

Gallery

File:Yonahamaehama Miyakojima Okinawa Japan02bs3s4592.jpg, Yonaha Maehama beach in Miyako-jima File:Miyako_sunayama_beach_3.jpg, Sunayama beach in Miyako-jima File:Yonahamaehama_Miyakojima_Okinawa_Japan06s3s4592.jpg, Yonaha Maehama Beach view from Kurima Island in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. File:Miyakojima - Higashihennazai.jpg, Eastern Cape (

Higashi-hennazaki The cape of is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty located at the southeasternmost point of Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is connected by a road No. 83. The promontory is 2 km long and 140 – 200 m wide. At the ...

) of Miyako Island File:Miyako_ikema_bridge.JPG, Ikema bridge connects

with Miyako Island. It is -long.

Climate

Culture

Miyako Island is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Miyako Island is administered as part of the City of Miyakojima, which includes not only Miyako Island, but also five other populated islands ...

, Miruku-potoke (the local name for the

Maitreya Buddha Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

) is traditionally believed to be an ugly god who arrives from China to create humans, animals, and crops. The handsome god Saku-potoke (the historical

Shakyamuni Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

, founder of Buddhism) then challenges him to a flower contest and steals the flower while the other sleeps. Miruku-potoke is thus defeated and forced to return to China, which is why China is a prosperous country while Miyako is not. Nearly identical creation myths are found in Korea. Miyako is home to a unique festival called

Paantu The Paantu ( Miyako: ) festival is an annual festival on the island of Miyako-jima in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture. Every year during the ninth month of the lunisolar calendar, male villagers will dress up as paantu, supernatural being Supern ...

(パーントゥ), which occurs in the ninth month of the cultural (lunar) calendar. Three men dressed in grass, leaves and mud walk around town smearing the mud on houses, cars and people. They carry sticks in one hand and an expressionless mask in the other. Legend holds that those who have been muddied by the Pantu will have a year of protection and good fortune. Owners of new homes will also invite Pantu to give a muddy 'blessing' to their homes. Miyako has its own version of

soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. The variety ''Nagano soba'' includes wheat flour. In Japan, soba noodles can be found i ...

Otōri is a drinking custom in Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The custom involves one person offering a toast to each of several other people in a round. Custom This group ritual involves people sitting in a circle. One person, the ''oya'' ...

is a custom of drinking

awamori ''Awamori'' (, Okinawan: , āmui'') is an alcoholic beverage indigenous and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from long grain indica rice, and is not a direct product of brewing (like ''sake'') but of distillation (like ''shōchū''). The ...

, a distilled beverage native to Okinawa, Japan. It is performed by people sitting (usually around a table). One offers a toast, drinks from a small glass, and then offers some to each person at the table making a round, and usually going to the right. When the toaster makes their way back to their spot, the person who passed the otori before pours them another glass. They then announce "tsunagimasu" and drink their second glass. After a brief interval, it is then the turn of the next person to pass the otori, which continues until the celebration is ended.

Economy

Miyako is home to

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

cultivation, and produces

brown sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

. '' Miyako jōfu'' is a locally produced hand-woven textile made from

ramie Ramie (pronounced: , ; from Malay ) is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial growing to tall;

fiber. It was formerly known as ''Satsuma jōfu''. The textile traces its production to the Tensho period, 1573–92. A large tourism boom in Miyako, starting with locals and Taiwanese visitors in the early 2010s, has been steadily growing with the annual number of tourists reaching over 1 million in both 2018 and 2019. The city has been struggling to cope with cruise megaships from mainland China– currently, the central port in Hirara can only handle ships as large as 50,000 tons but port officials hope to service ships as large as 200,000 tons. The effects of this growing tourist industry may change the character of the island as its population is small and rural.

Defense

The

Miyako Strait The , also known as the Kerama Gap, is a waterway which lies between Miyako Island and Okinawa Island consisting of a 250km-wide passageway with international waters and airspace. It is the widest strait in the Ryukyu Islands. Political significa ...

has strategic significance. Chinese warships' passage through the straits is monitored by Japanese forces. In late April 2015, it was confirmed that the Japanese

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

was in advanced planning regarding the permanent deployment of a GSDF ''security unit'' to Miyakojima, to begin sometime in

fiscal year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

2016. This is part of ongoing efforts to improve the defenses of the

Nansei Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonagun ...

. A GSDF security unit is a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

sized force, of up to 500 personnel, whose role on Miyakojima will include providing the initial response to large-scale disasters in the area as well as acting as a rapid response force to counterattacks on remote islands within its area of responsibility. The Miyakojima security unit's exact composition is unclear as of April 2015, though given its known taskings, it is likely that the

TOE Toes are the digits (fingers) of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being ''digitigrade''. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being ''plant ...

will include both the

Komatsu LAV The is a Japanese military vehicle first produced in 2002. Currently used exclusively by the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF), it has seen use in the Iraq War. It is built by Komatsu Ltd. Defense Systems Division in Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan. Koma ...

and soft skinned vehicles with all terrain capability. Consideration is also currently being given to deploying GSDF units equipped with

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

and

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...

s to the island. Tokyo has currently earmarked ¥21.2 billion yen ($205 million USD) in FY2021 to build new

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard of Japan. The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...

patrol boats and helicopters for the region, with plans to assign 22 ships of over 1,000 tons in the region by 2024. Miyako-jima's Coast Guard station is home to 9 ''Shimoji-class'' small patrol vessels and a ''Tokara-class'' medium patrol vessel. Positioned in between the larger commercial ports of Ishigaki and Naha, Coast Guard facilities on Miyako's neighbor islands can provide 3 ''

Tsugaru Tsugaru (津軽) may refer to: * Tsugaru, Aomori, a city of Aomori Prefecture, Japan * Tsugaru Peninsula * Tsugaru Strait, between Honshū and Hokkaidō ** Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry, a ferry crossing this strait * Tsugaru-jamisen, a traditional style of ...

s'', a ''Kunigami'', and a ''Hateruma'' class patrol vessel based at the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in

Naha is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area i ...

and 11 '' Kunigami-class patrol vessels'' and 2 '' Hateruma-class patrol vessels'' homeported at Ishigaki should the need arise. Along with facilities for housing up to 600 crew, Ishigaki is now JCG's largest base, surpassing even that of Yokohama.

Points of interest

Miyakojima City Tropical Plant Garden The is a botanical garden in Hirara, Miyako-jima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Landscaping began in 1967 on a site that before the war was a forest of Ryūkyū pines. The garden now contains about 1,600 species of plant and 40,000 trees in an ar ...

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

maintains a ticketing office on Miyako Island. It is only for domestic flights. * Miyakojima Ultramarathon.宮古島100kmワイドーマラソン　＜1月＞
Retrieved 20 September 2015 *

Eastern Cape of Miyako Island

Transportation

Airlines

Miyako Airport is an airport on Miyako-jima (Miyako Island) in Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan. History The airport opened in 1943 as an Imperial Japanese Navy airbase. Civilian operations commenced in 1956. Jet service commenced in 1978 using Boeing 737s. Japan ...

Lanes

*Port of Hirara *Port of Shimairi - For Ōgami-jima

Buses

*Miyako Kyoei Bus *Yachiyo Bus *Kyowa Bus *Chuo Kotsu - For Shimojijima Airport in Shimoji-jima

Trains

*The only railway on this island is operated in Shigira Resort, and conformed as a

Chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

, which connects the westernmost with the southernmost points of railway in Japan. **Stations : Shigira-ue - the westernmost railway station in Japan. Shigira-shita - the southernmost railway station in Japan.

References

External links

Miyakojima Website (Japanese)Pantu in JapaneseWLCM.net
Miyako Folklore English translation by Mark Wisniewski
WLMC.net
Miyako Natural Science English translation by Mark Wisniewski {{DEFAULTSORT:Miyako Jima Miyako Islands Islands of Okinawa Prefecture Japan Ground Self-Defense Force