Miyakojima, Okinawa

Former Miyakojima City Hall Hirara Building

The modern city of Miyakojima was established on October 1, 2005, from the merger of the old city of Hirara, the towns of Gusukube, Irabu and Shimoji, and the village of Ueno (all from Miyako District). As a result of the merger, Miyako District only has one remaining village.

Since the city was created by merging several towns that were located on different islands, the city of Miyakojima consists of multiple islands. The islands administered by the city include:

• Miyako-jima
• Ikema-jima
• Ōgami-jima
• Irabu-jima
• Shimojishima
• Kurima-jima

Several of the islands are connected by bridge.

• Miyako-jima and Ikema-jima
• Miyako-jima and Kurima-jima
• Miyako-jima and Irabu-jima
• Irabu-jima and Shimojishima: connected by six bridges (they are very close together)

Ogami-jima is the only island that is not connected by bridge and must be reached by boat.

As of December 2012 the city has an estimated population of 54,908 and a population density of 268.45 per km². The total area is 204.54 km². The city had 24,728 households.[1] This makes it the ninth-largest city in Okinawa Prefecture.

The city of Miyakojima is served by two airports. Miyako Airport (MMY), the main commercial airport, is located on Miyako Island; and Shimoji Airport, initially a private field, is now a Class 3 facility operated by the prefectural government located on Shimojishima. This nearby island is close enough to be connected by a causeway bridge to the larger Miyako Island.

Agriculture and livestock are the core financial industries in Miyakojima, with the main exports consisting of sugar cane, tobacco, cattle, and mango. Fisheries and seaweed farms, producing species such as mozuku and sea lettuce, can be found in and around areas like Ikemajima and Irabujima. However, each year more and more land formerly used for agriculture is being sold and converted into residential and retail buildings.[9]

The tourism industry is a steadily growing component of Miyakojima's economy. Traveling to the islands is facilitated primarily through airlines and cruise lines. With the addition of international flights made available through the opening of Shimoji Airport in 2019, flights connecting to Miyako have been increasing – over 730,000 plane tickets entering into Miyakojima were purchased in 2019 alone.[10] Since 2016 cruises have been a significant catalyst to Miyakojima's tourism industry, notably megaships servicing international tourists.[11][12] Efforts to introduce space travel have also been announced, as PD Aerospace proposes to create a spaceport at Shimojijima airport and begin flights in 2025.[13] The islands are popular tourist destinations because of the clear blue sea and white beaches. There are several golf clubs on the islands.

There are six breweries on the islands and a chemical plant that converts sugar cane into ethanol.[14]

Higashi-Hennazaki

The climate of Miyakojima is on the boundary between a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af) and a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with very warm summers and mild winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year; August is the wettest month, and January and July are the driest.

Miyako Sunayama Beach

Wind Turbines in Nishi-Hennazaki, Miyakojima

In 2008, the city announced the first "Declaration of Eco Island Miyakojima" with a goal to encourage industrial development and environmental conservation, notably of ground water sources and coral reefs.[19] This initiative was also focused on creating a self-sustaining energy supply primarily through low-cost solar energy.

As of 2009, the city has been certified as an Eco-Model City. A second version of the Declaration of Eco Island Miyakojima was introduced under the slogan "Toward the Future 1,000 Years From Now" in 2018, with an action plan released in 2019.[20] This updated version maintains similar goals with some added initiatives such as the eradication of foreign animal species, namely peacocks, and the reduction of household waste discharge.[21] Under this second declaration, a greater emphasis has been placed on the promotion of these environmental initiatives through actions such as the establishment of an Eco Island Miyakojima brand, the creation of a contests, and the integration of environmental sustainability education into local public schools.[20]

In 2019, the city was awarded a gold medal, also known as the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry Prize, in the New Energy Awards for its efforts in proliferating solar energy throughout the island.[22]

Ueno German Culture Village

In 1873, the German ship Robertson was shipwrecked on Miyako Island.[23] The crew were saved and cared for by the local islanders. As a gift for the islanders' kindness, and as an excuse for German warships to enter Ryūkyūan waters, Kaiser Wilhelm I erected a monument on the island in 1876, known locally as the German Emperor's Tributary Monument or the Friendship Monument.[23] After Japan annexed the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Japan used this as evidence of a history of friendship between Japan and Germany.[23]

In 1987, the Ueno German Culture Village opened in Ueno village, Miyako.[24] Internet websites under the name Ueno German Cultural Village can be easily found, however Ueno Village, Miyako Island, no longer exists as a jurisdiction since, as mentioned above, all of the separate cities, towns and villages on the island were merged into Miyakojima city in 2005.

• Hideki Irabu, baseball player
• Katsuyoshi Tomori, golfer
• Kazumasa Uesato, footballer
• Masanobu Kikukawa, martial artist
• Mikio Shimoji, politician

• Miyakojima City official website (in Japanese)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miyakojima, Okinawa.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Miyako (Okinawa).