Yonaha Maehama Beach(Maehama Beach)

Located in the southwestern part of Miyako Island, Yonaha Maehama Beach – also called Yonaha Beach, Maehama Beach, Maipama Beach, and Yonaha Maehama – is a popular and beautiful southwest-facing beach with white sand in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture.  

Financial Express listed this sandy beach as one of the best beaches in Asia in 2023 and The Culture Trip listed this beach as one of the 8 most beautiful beaches in Japan.  TripAdvisor also listed this beach as one of the best beaches in Asia as part of its annual Travelers’ Choice awards in 2023, and it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

This beach is usually open between 9 am and 6 pm.

Yonaha Beach Okinawa has lifeguards on a seasonal basis – the lifeguards here are usually available between April and October and they are usually posted from 9 am to 6 pm.  In addition to lifeguards, this beach also offers many other amenities including restrooms, showers, changing rooms, and rental facilities for beach chairs and beach umbrellas.  In addition, you can also get water sports equipment on rent near the beach including banana boats, fly-boards, paddleboards, and jet skis.

Yonaha Maehama Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, paddleboarding, boating, snorkeling, scuba diving, jet-skiing, beach volleyball, surf-skiing, water-skiing, parasailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, parasailing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching.

This beach is ideal for beginner swimmers, snorkelers, and paddle boarders because the clear, blue-colored, and shallow water here usually has manageable waves – in addition, expert surfers also visit this beach in stormy weather, because it offers thrilling surfing waves during these times.  Snorkelers and Scuba divers frequently visit this beach to explore the marine landscape and biodiversity here.  If you plan to swim, kayak, or snorkel here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  Please also note that swimming is allowed here on a seasonal basis – swimming is usually allowed at this beach between April and October.  Jellyfish are also known to live near the beach and these animals can cause painful stings – underwater nets are set up near the beach between April and October to protect visitors from jellyfish.

If you like taking pictures with amazing views, Yonaha Maehama Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Philippine Sea, the Kurima Bridge, and the southwestern Miyakojima Island shoreline, particularly at sunset. 

This beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it sees fewer visitors as compared to most other South Japanese beaches.

Yonaha Maehama Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Yonaha Maehama Beach is easy – this beach is located near 1199 Shimoji-Yonaha and it is easily accessible from Miyako Airport through a road named National Route 390.  There is a free parking lot near the beach that accommodates around 30 cars.  You can easily walk to the beach after parking here. 

We recommend visiting this beach early between Spring and Autumn because it can sometimes get crowded during this time.  We also recommend wearing a hat and sunglasses here in the summer because the sun rays here are more intense as compared to the Japanese mainland.

Yonaha Maehama Beach – stretching seven kilometers in length – is one of Miyakojima’s longest beaches.  In addition, this beach also hosts a part of the All-Japan Miyakojima Triathlon at the end of April.  The beach’s name – Yonaha Maehama – roughly translates to “front and south of Yonaha” in the local Miyako dialect.  The beach most likely received this name because of its position near Miyako’s Yonaha district.

There are many nearby attractions around Yonaha Maehama Beach within a 20-minute drive.  You can check the Yonaha Maehama Beach map to see the nearby Maipari Miyakojima Tropical Orchard – this orchard has many tropical plants and fruit trees including coconuts, palms, and bananas.  It also offers horseback rides and golf cart tours – it also has a cafe that sells snacks and beverages made with fresh fruit.  Imgya Marine Garden – also called Imgya Marine Garden and Imugya Marine Garden – is a coastal natural park that has a natural pool full of marine life – this park offers many fun activities including swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, and wildlife watching.  This park also has a beautiful bridge, a walkway, and an observation area offers excellent views of the Miyao Island shoreline.  Miyako Shrine is a shrine that was built in 1590 and is one of the southernmost shrines in Japan – this shrine is dedicated to local deities including the Kumano Sanjin and Toyomishin Sanjin.  It hosts many interesting festivals including an annual festival in October and a summer festival for good harvest in July.  Shigira Gold Onsen – also called Shigira Hot Spring – is a privately owned upscale hot spring that offers a relaxing experience.  The hot spring’s premises offer multiple baths, a sauna, and a large jungle-themed pool – it also has a cafe, a shop, a gym, and saunas.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Ryugujo Observation Deck is a popular observation area that resembles a mythical undersea castle named Ryugu-jo.  This observation area has multiple floors and it offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Kurima Bridge, the nearby Irabu Island, and Miyako Island.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Yonaha Maehama Beach.  Mipama Es Su Casa is an oceanfront restaurant and bar that offers a variety of delicious barbecued meat dishes, and it also offers excellent International and local Miyakojima dishes.  Nirai Kanai is another great buffet restaurant that offers a variety of outstanding dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including sushi, eggs, pasta, sandwiches, and curry rice.  Rakuen No Kajitsu– also called Fruits of Paradise – offers tropical-inspired dishes made from organic and locally sourced ingredients including pasta, curry, pork bowl, and rice-with-soup, along with excellent desserts.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant nearby, Shinkiro offers many amazing local dishes including tonkatsu, Miyako soba, katsu curry, and soup.  Another great modestly priced restaurant is Hana Fuu that offers amazing dishes including ramen noodles, grilled seafood, and fried rice. Minaaiya is another modestly priced restaurant that has a rustic ambiance and it offers amazing homemade tofu and it also offers other Japanese snacks including onigiri, mochi, desserts, and soba.

If you are looking for a hotel near Yonaha Maehama Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Hotel Shigira Mirage offers many amenities including access to a golf course, a spa, multiple pools, a sundries store, a cabana, a lounge, golf cart rental facilities, multiple restaurants, access to a golf course, and a spa.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Seawood Hotel Miyakojima that offers many amenities including a pool, a gym, a spa, multiple restaurants, and a sundries shop.  Another nearby upscale Yonaha Maehama Beach hotel is the 4-Star Miyakojima Tokyu Resort that offers many amenities including a spa, a bar, multiple pools, gardens, multiple shops, a convenience store, multiple restaurants, and a beach house.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Wellness Villa Brisa that offers many amenities including access to a golf course and hot springs, a pool, and multiple restaurants.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Marine Lodge Marea offers many amenities including a bathouse, a garden with a barbecue area, a diving shop, a buffet restaurant, and multiple pools.