Miyanohama Beach | Clear Blue Water and a Peaceful Pebble Shore on Naru Island

About 10 minutes by car from Naru Port, the road enters the green hills of the Funamawari area. Between the mountains, a vivid blue sea suddenly comes into view.

This is Miyanohama Beach, one of Naru Island’s best-known places to swim and relax beside the water.

Instead of a broad strip of white sand, the shore is covered with small, rounded pebbles polished smooth by the waves.

Clear turquoise water, forested hills, a stone-paved waterfront, and red-roofed wooden gazebos create a quiet landscape that feels distinctly different from a large mainland resort.

In summer, island residents and visitors come here to swim, enjoy marine activities, and spend time beneath the shaded pavilions.

Outside the swimming season, the atmosphere becomes even calmer.

Sit beside the water, listen to the pebbles moving with the waves, and watch the changing shades of blue. Even without entering the sea, Miyanohama Beach offers a wonderfully unhurried taste of island life.

Clear Water Beneath the Green Hills

The greatest attraction of Miyanohama Beach is the clarity and color of its water.

Close to shore, the seabed remains visible through the transparent sea. Depending on the sunlight, clouds, and depth, the water changes from pale emerald and turquoise to a deeper blue.

Behind the beach, the densely forested mountains of Naru Island rise almost directly from the coast.

The combination of blue water and green hills gives the beach an enclosed, peaceful character. Rather than facing an endless, empty horizon, visitors feel surrounded by the natural shape of the island.

There are no extravagant resort buildings competing with the scenery.

The pleasure of Miyanohama lies in noticing the sea itself: ripples of light moving over the water, cloud shadows drifting across the bay, and boats passing quietly near the shore.

Swimming is only one way to enjoy the beach.

Sitting beneath a gazebo and looking across the water can be just as memorable.

A Pebble Beach You Can Hear

Miyanohama is covered not with fine sand, but with small stones rounded by the movement of the sea.

The pebbles vary in color, from pale gray and white to brown and darker shades. Each has been gradually smoothed by waves rolling it against the others.

When the water retreats, the stones shift and touch, producing a gentle rattling sound along the shoreline.

It is a beach to enjoy with your ears as well as your eyes.

The pebble surface also means that sand is less likely to cling to towels, clothing, and bags. However, walking barefoot can be uncomfortable, and stones beneath the water may move underfoot.

Water shoes with secure straps and firm soles are highly recommended, especially for children and anyone planning to spend a long time in the sea.

Take a few slow steps along the shoreline before swimming. The unusual texture and sound are part of what makes Miyanohama different from a conventional sandy beach.

Six Gazebos Facing the Sea

Six wooden gazebos stand along the waterfront.

Their red roofs are one of the beach’s most recognizable features, providing shade and a comfortable place to rest between swims.

After leaving the water, visitors can sit beneath a pavilion, feel the breeze moving in from the bay, and enjoy the view without remaining in direct summer sunlight.

The gazebos also make Miyanohama convenient for families and groups whose members may want to spend the day in different ways.

Some can swim, while others rest in the shade, share a meal, read, or simply watch the sea.

Official tourism information also introduces the gazebos as places where visitors can enjoy a barbecue beside the water.

A meal cooked outdoors, with the blue sea in front and green mountains behind, is an appealing way to spend a summer afternoon on Naru Island.

Fire-use locations and local rules may change, however. Confirm the latest arrangements with the Naru Branch Office before planning a barbecue.

Food, charcoal, cooking equipment, and drinks should be prepared before arriving. Supplies are easier to obtain around Naru Port than at the beach itself.

Leave the gazebo and surrounding area as you found them, and do not abandon rubbish, food, or used charcoal.

Experience the Bay from a SUP Board

Visitors who want to do more than swim can also enjoy stand-up paddleboarding.

A local operator offers SUP rentals for use at Miyanohama Beach, including a board and life jacket.

From the shore, the water already looks inviting. From a board, however, the landscape takes on a different character.

Paddle slowly away from the pebbles and look back toward the beach. The gazebos, waterfront path, and green mountains appear as a single panorama.

When the sea is calm, you can sit or kneel on the board and enjoy the sensation of floating above the clear water.

The experience is suitable for beginners, but conditions should always determine whether it is safe to go out.

Contact the operator in advance to confirm availability, current prices, rental times, meeting arrangements, and the weather forecast.

Always wear the provided life jacket, regardless of swimming ability.

Do not use a SUP during strong winds, rough water, thunderstorms, or other unsafe conditions. A gentle breeze on land can feel much stronger once you are away from shore.

Combine the Beach with a Stay at Miyanomori Campground

Miyanomori Comprehensive Park Campground is located approximately 10 minutes from the beach on foot.

This makes it easy to combine swimming with an overnight stay surrounded by Naru Island’s forests.

The campground offers auto-camping spaces, an open tent area, and 11 bungalows designed for groups of five, eight, or ten people.

The bungalows include useful facilities such as air conditioning, refrigerators, and Wi-Fi. The largest units also provide a private bath, toilet, and kitchen.

Shared facilities include a spacious cooking area and a large communal bath. Rental equipment may also be available, although food and charcoal should generally be obtained in advance.

A stay allows visitors to experience more than the bright colors of the daytime beach.

Swim at Miyanohama in the afternoon, return to the campground for dinner, and then look up at the night sky after the surrounding hills have grown dark.

By spending the night, a simple visit to the beach becomes a fuller island experience of sea, forest, sunset, and stars.

The campground operates separately from the beach. Accommodation, bungalow use, camping spaces, baths, barbecue facilities, and rental equipment may require reservations or additional fees.

Confirm availability and conditions directly with the campground before traveling.

Lively in Summer, Peaceful in Every Other Season

The official swimming and facility season generally runs from around mid-July until late August.

During this period, toilets, changing rooms, and cold-water showers are normally available.

The showers are not heated.

Although a cold shower may feel bracing after swimming, it provides a convenient way to rinse off seawater before changing clothes or returning to the port.

Outside the summer operating period, these seasonal facilities may be closed.

The beach itself, however, remains worth visiting.

In spring and autumn, Miyanohama can be a quiet stop during a drive around Naru Island. The gazebos face the same clear water, the pebbles still move with the waves, and the mountains remain close behind the shore.

Without the activity of the swimming season, it can feel less like a tourist attraction and more like a glimpse into the island’s everyday landscape.

Bring a drink, sit beneath one of the pavilions, and allow time to pass without planning another activity.

On Naru Island, doing nothing beside the sea can be one of the most satisfying parts of the journey.

A Beach for Families—and for Travelers Who Simply Need a Pause

Miyanohama Beach works well for several kinds of visitors.

Families can combine swimming with shaded rest beneath the gazebos.

Groups can enjoy marine activities or, after confirming the rules, an outdoor meal.

Campers can use the beach as part of a longer stay at Miyanomori Comprehensive Park.

Solo travelers and couples can stop during an island drive and enjoy the waterfront without needing to swim.

The beach is also close to the Kasamatsu Hirotomo Memorial Museum, which occupies the former Funamawari Elementary School building.

Visiting the museum and beach together creates a natural connection between art and landscape.

Inside the museum, visitors encounter paintings shaped by the artist’s memories of the Goto Islands, the sea, faith, family, war, and peace.

Outside, the blue water and green hills that formed part of his island world are waiting nearby.

Miyanohama is not a place that demands a complicated itinerary.

It simply offers several good reasons to stay a little longer than expected.

A Relaxing Beginning—or Ending—to a Naru Island Journey

Miyanohama Beach is approximately 10 minutes from Naru Port by car.

Its location makes it a convenient first stop after arriving on the island.

After crossing from Fukue, leave the port, follow the road into the hills, and arrive at a sea so clear that the journey immediately feels worthwhile.

The beach also works well as the final stop before returning to the port.

After visiting Egami Church, Shutogashima Senjojiki, the Yuming Song Monument, or the island’s viewpoints, spend the remaining time beneath a gazebo and look back on the day.

An itinerary filled entirely with sightseeing can make an island visit feel rushed.

Leaving even 20 or 30 minutes for the beach allows the pace of the journey to match the pace of Naru Island itself.

Whether you come to swim, paddle, camp, take photographs, or simply sit beside the water, Miyanohama offers a place to slow down.

Before You Visit

Miyanohama Beach is an outdoor natural attraction with no general admission fee or fixed sightseeing hours.

The official swimming season and the opening of seasonal facilities generally run from around mid-July until late August. Exact dates may vary each year, so check the latest official information before traveling.

Toilets, changing rooms, and cold-water showers are normally available only during the seasonal operating period.

The beach is covered with pebbles rather than sand. Wear secure water shoes when walking along the shoreline or entering the sea.

Children should remain closely supervised, even near the water’s edge. A properly fitted life jacket provides additional protection for young swimmers and participants in marine activities.

Do not swim or use a SUP during strong winds, high waves, heavy rain, thunderstorms, typhoons, or other dangerous conditions.

Use the gazebos considerately and share the space with other visitors.

When planning a barbecue, confirm current fire-use rules and permitted locations in advance. Remove all rubbish and equipment after use.

Ferries serving Naru Island may be delayed or canceled because of weather and sea conditions.

Rental cars and taxis are limited. Arrange your ferry, island transportation, accommodation, and activities together whenever possible.