Cruises to Miyako
宮古Iwate Prefecture, on the Sanriku coast — not to be confused with Miyakojima in Okinawa
About MiyakoNo upcoming voyage currently calls at Miyako
NYK Cruises publish new voyages a few times a year. Tell us when you would like to sail and we will write to you when a call here is scheduled.
About Miyako
A fishing port on the Sanriku coast at the point where the shoreline changes character: ria inlets to the south, cliffs and rock to the north. The town was struck hard by the tsunami of March 2011 and rebuilt behind a sea wall. The coast either side belongs to the national park created in 2013 for the recovery of this region.
Within reach of the port
Jodogahama
A beach of white rock spires and pale gravel a few kilometres north of the port, named by a monk in the seventeenth century for looking like the Pure Land. A nationally designated place of scenic beauty, and reached on foot through a tunnel.
Sanriku Fukko National Park (Ministry of the Environment, English) ↗
The cliffs at Kitayamazaki
North again, and two hundred metres of vertical rock running for eight kilometres. There are lookouts along the top and a stairway of three hundred-odd steps down to the water for anyone who wants the base of it.
Iwate Prefecture (official) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
The morning market and the fish
Miyako lands salmon, squid and sea urchin, and the market by the harbour opens early. Bin-don — a bowl of rice you top yourself from small jars of whatever came in — was invented here.
Miyako City (official) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it
Shore excursions
NYK Cruises run their own guided excursions at each port, booked by guests themselves through My ASUKA PLANS — the booking window opens before departure and depends on your cabin class. They are conducted in Japanese. Going ashore independently is always an option.
Official sources
- Miyako City (official) ↗in Japanese — your browser can translate it