What's on in Miyakojima (Miyako), Japan through the year

Busy — Winter break (fuyuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Miyakojima 100km Wide-Road Marathon

  15–31 Jan · usuallySporting event

  Japan's first ultramarathon of the year, usually on a late-January Sunday: the 100 km race circles the whole island from before dawn, and the coast roads are lined with aid stations all day. Source ↗

Still on: Winter north winds (15 Nov – 5 Mar (usually)), Sugarcane harvest (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Winter north winds (15 Nov – 5 Mar (usually)), Sugarcane harvest (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Spring break (haruyasumi) in Japan

• Nature

  Yabiji reef surfaces

  1 Mar – 10 Apr · usuallyHigh water

  Japan's largest reef comes out of the water at the year's lowest spring tides, usually in March. Boats run from Ikema for a couple of hours of walking on it, and then it is gone again.

Still on: Winter north winds (15 Nov – 5 Mar (usually)), Sugarcane harvest (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Strongman Triathlon, Golden Week

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  1 Apr – 15 Nov · usually

  The water off Yonaha Maehama is comfortable for most of the year. Wind and swell, not temperature, decide whether the boats to the outer reef go out on any given morning.

• Festival

  Strongman Triathlon

  5–20 Apr · usuallySporting eventCrowdedBook earlyClosures

  The island closes its roads for a long-course race each April and every bed on Miyako goes to competitors and their families. Not the week to arrive without a booking. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Golden Week

  29 Apr – 6 MayCrowdedBook early

  A run of public holidays from 29 April to 5 May when much of Japan travels at once: trains, flights and hotels fill, rates peak and popular sights are crowded. Book well ahead or come the week after. Source ↗

Still on: Yabiji reef surfaces (1 Mar – 10 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Golden Week, Golden Week in Japan

• Season

  Okinawa's rainy season

  10 May – 25 Jun · usuallyMonsoon

  The front sits over the Ryukyus for six weeks before the mainland gets it. Warm rain in bursts rather than a washout, and the sea is already swimmable through all of it.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Golden Week (29 Apr – 6 May)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Okinawa's rainy season (10 May – 25 Jun (usually))

Busy — Summer break (natsuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Typhoon season

  1 Jul – 15 Oct · usuallyClosures

  Miyako takes direct hits rather than glancing ones. Shutters go down, flights are cancelled a day either side, and the shops close — the single biggest risk to a summer trip here. Source ↗

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Summer break (natsuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Typhoon season (1 Jul – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Typhoon season (1 Jul – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Typhoon season (1 Jul – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Winter north winds

  15 Nov – 5 Mar · usuallyWind season

  From late autumn a steady north wind makes north-facing beaches rough and feels colder than the sun suggests. Snorkel tours move to the sheltered side and use wetsuits, and the water is at its clearest. Source ↗

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Winter break (fuyuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Sugarcane harvest

  1 Dec – 31 Mar · usually

  The three sugar mills on Miyako and Irabu start crushing in December, and harvesters and loaded cane trucks work the farm roads until about the end of March. Source ↗

Still on: Winter north winds (15 Nov – 5 Mar (usually))