The moment I switched the engine off, all I could hear was the sea. Nishi-Kaigan Park on Irabu Island, nine at night. No street lights, and not a single power line in view. It took about three minutes for my eyes to adjust, and after that I just laughed. The sky was packed with stars from one horizon to the other.
Getting there took one failed attempt, though. On my first trip I tried to drive out to 17END on Shimoji Island and got stopped at the gate. You cannot drive to 17END.
Irabu Island and Shimoji Island have some of the darkest skies in Miyakojima (Miyako Island), Okinawa. But dark on its own is not enough. Can you park there after dark? Are there toilets? Is the ground sand, or sharp limestone? Turn up without knowing, and the worry arrives before the stars do.
This guide covers six stargazing spots on Irabu and Shimoji Island, with the car parks, the ground underfoot, when the Milky Way and the Southern Cross appear, what to bring and what to watch out for on the road at night. If you only have one night, go to Shiratorizaki (Nishi-Kaigan Park).
- Why the night sky over Irabu and Shimoji Island is so dark
- The six stargazing spots compared
- Six stargazing spots on Irabu and Shimoji Island
- 1. Shiratorizaki (Nishi-Kaigan Park): not even a power line in the way
- 2. Sawada-no-Hama: nights when the tide pools mirror the stars
- 3. Toguchi-no-Hama: the one place you can lie back and face south
- 4. 17END on Shimoji Island: you cannot drive in, and that catches people out
- 5. Nakanoshima Beach (Kayaffa): a cove with zero lighting
- 6. Makiyama Observatory: height is the draw, city glow is the catch
- When the Milky Way and the Southern Cross are visible from Irabu Island
- Three conditions that decide the night, and how to check them
- What to bring stargazing on Irabu Island
- You can shoot the stars on a phone, with a tripod and AE/AF lock
- Driving and wildlife on Irabu Island after dark
- In summary: if you want the stars, stay on the island
- Frequently asked questions
Why the night sky over Irabu and Shimoji Island is so dark
Almost all the artificial light on Irabu Island sits in two villages, Sarahama and Irabu, plus the harbour. From the western half of the island across to Shimoji Island there is nothing but sugarcane fields, scrub and sea. Drive west along the prefectural road and you can feel the sky get darker.
Miyako Island has dark spots of its own, at Yonaha Maehama and Higashi-Hennazaki. But the main island carries the glow of Hirara, so depending on which way you face, part of the sky washes out. The advantage on Irabu and Shimoji is that you are one bridge away from that glow, and everything from south to west is open ocean. Both the Milky Way and the Southern Cross sit low in the southern sky, so having no buildings and no street lights to the south translates directly into what you can see.
The eastern side of the island is the weak side, because the lights of Hirara sit right in front of you. That is the only reason Makiyama Observatory comes sixth on this list. It is not a question of the view.
The six stargazing spots compared
Toilets marked as available means the facility exists. It is not a guarantee that it is open after dark.
| Spot | Car park | Toilets | Street lights | Underfoot | Open sky | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shiratorizaki (Nishi-Kaigan Park) | Free | Yes | Almost none | Paved, then limestone reef and cliffs | Wide open west to north-west | Your first night |
| Sawada-no-Hama | Free, about 10 cars | Yes, plus showers and a vending machine | A little near the car park | Paved, then shallow water and rocks | West, towards Shimoji Island | Stars reflected in water |
| Toguchi-no-Hama | Free, two car parks on private land | Yes | Almost none | Sand, you can lie down | South to south-west | Lying back for an hour |
| 17END (Shimoji Island) | Free, about 20 cars at the gate | None | Airport lighting | Concrete with steps and blown sand | North to west, glow to the south-east | Runway lights and stars |
| Nakanoshima Beach | Free, 10 to 15 cars | None | None | Sharp rock and steps | West to south-west | Avoiding other people |
| Makiyama Observatory | Free, large | Yes | Yes, inside the park | Paved, very windy | East, city glow in front | Night views with stars |
Six stargazing spots on Irabu and Shimoji Island
1. Shiratorizaki (Nishi-Kaigan Park): not even a power line in the way
Irabu Sawada, Miyakojima City, at the north-western tip of the island. Head north on Prefectural Road 204 and you will see the sign for Nishi-Kaigan Park. About 45 minutes by car from Miyako Airport, or 25 minutes from the Irabu Bridge. If stars are the only thing you came for, this is it.
What makes it work is how much sky you get. A resident of Miyako Island described it as genuinely pitch dark, with not even a power line running past, and standing there it turned out to mean exactly that. One more piece of evidence: the stargazing tour that runs on Irabu Island meets in this very car park, at 8.30pm. That is a place chosen by someone who does this for a living.
The car park is free. Official facility information lists toilets, but whether they are open at night depends on how the park is run, so do not count on it. Watch your feet. The seaward side is jagged Ryukyu limestone reef with sheer drops in places. There is no reason to walk down towards the water in the dark, and the car park and the pavilion give you all the sky you need.
2. Sawada-no-Hama: nights when the tide pools mirror the stars
Irabu Sawada, Miyakojima City, at the foot of the bridge linking Irabu and Shimoji Island. It is one of Japan’s 100 finest beaches. Those boulders standing out in the shallows are tsunami stones, said to have been carried in by the Great Meiwa Tsunami of 1771. There are flush toilets, showers and a vending machine, which makes this the easiest of the six in terms of facilities.
What you come for here is not the sky but the water. At low tide, with pools left behind and no wind, the surface mirrors the stars. Three conditions have to line up: a new moon, low tide and still air. All three can be checked in advance, and I explain how further down. Wind ripples the surface and the reflection is gone, which is why I have driven out here for nothing more than once.
The car park is free with room for about ten cars. The thing to watch is the rock scattered through the shallows. Step onto it in the dark and you will lose your footing. Check the tide before you go, too. This is also the best sunset spot on Irabu Island, so arriving an hour before sundown and staying through sunset, blue hour and into the stars is the efficient way to do it.
3. Toguchi-no-Hama: the one place you can lie back and face south
Around 1391 Irabu, Irabu, Miyakojima City. An arc of white sand 800 metres (0.5 miles) long and 50 metres (165 ft) wide. By day it is the busiest beach on Irabu Island, but at night it goes quiet, because there are no houses nearby. There are free car parks and toilets at both the eastern and western ends. Both sit on land belonging to local operators, though, and the one on the west side keeps business hours of 9am to 5pm, so check before you leave a car there overnight.
Because it is sand, you can spread out a mat and lie down. You cannot do that at 17END or Shiratorizaki, and if you plan to look up for more than an hour the difference matters. The other hidden asset is that the beach opens south to south-west. If the Southern Cross is what you are after, this or Nakanoshima Beach are your options on Irabu and Shimoji.
The danger here is the water. Toguchi-no-Hama has strong rip currents and there have been fatalities. Box jellyfish warnings run from June to September, and there are no lifeguards. Stay on the sand. That is all there is to it.
4. 17END on Shimoji Island: you cannot drive in, and that catches people out
The northern end of the Shimojishima Airport runway, in Irabu Sawada, Miyakojima City. It is the best-known place on Irabu and Shimoji Island, and also the one with the longest list of caveats if stars are your aim. You will sometimes see it written as 17 End.
First, you cannot drive in. Since March 2019 the access road has been closed to all but authorised vehicles, though pedestrians can walk it, as stated on the Okinawa Prefecture website. From the free car park at the gate it is a walk of just under eight minutes. Eight minutes, at night, on an unlit road.
The same page also warns that the path has developed steps in places and that sand blown up from the shore makes it slippery. Walking it while holding a phone for light is a bad idea. There are no toilets and no vending machines out here either, and the nearest facilities are at Toriike Pond, three to five minutes away by car.
And one more thing, honestly. 17END is not pitch dark. An astrophotographer who shoots here recorded that the site takes a strong hit from the light of Hirara to the south-east, and that in July it works better for the summer Milky Way from around 10pm onwards once that influence drops off. That matches what I found. This is a place where you wait for the Milky Way to climb.
So is it not worth going? It is, because this is the only place where the approach lights and the stars land in the same frame. Expect total darkness and you will be disappointed, but treat it as airport light plus stars and it delivers. The concrete surface also means your tripod does not end up caked in sand, which is a small mercy. Do not climb down to the beach at night, as there are no steps and you have to pick your way between the tetrapods. Nothing on the prefectural page sets an hours limit for walking the path, so if you want certainty, ring the Shimojishima Airport office on 0980-78-4184.
5. Nakanoshima Beach (Kayaffa): a cove with zero lighting
The south-western shore of Shimoji Island, in Irabu Sawada, Miyakojima City. By day it is a cove full of snorkellers, but at night there is not one light of any kind. It sits right on the prefectural road so you will not get lost, and the car park is directly across the road. There are no toilets, with the nearest about 2 km (1.2 miles) away at Toriike Pond. The cove opens west to south-west, which makes it the other candidate alongside Toguchi-no-Hama for the Southern Cross.
The one real drawback is the ground. It is strewn with sharp rock, and flip-flops genuinely hurt. Wear reef shoes or thick-soled trainers. There are steps down to the beach as well, so a head torch rather than a hand-held one is the right call.
6. Makiyama Observatory: height is the draw, city glow is the catch
Irabu Ikemazoe, Miyakojima City, on the highest ground on Irabu Island, with a lookout shaped like a grey-faced buzzard. Makiyama Park has a large car park and toilets, and the paths are maintained. On facilities alone it is the star pupil.
It still comes sixth for stars, and the reason is which way it faces. The lookout looks straight at Hirara on the main island, so the height that gives you the view also gives that glow a clear run at you. It is windy, too, windy enough to take a hat off in daylight, so keep the tripod low.
So what do you come up here for? For night views with stars, rather than for stars alone. The lights on Irabu Bridge, the glow of Hirara, and stars above both. You will never get that frame at Shiratorizaki, and I drove up twice for that one photograph. Opening hours are worth a note: some sources say the site is open around the clock, others give 11am to 3pm with Thursdays closed, and I have not been able to settle it. Plan on turning back at the car park.
When the Milky Way and the Southern Cross are visible from Irabu Island
The Milky Way runs from late June to late September, and after 10pm in July
The Milky Way is at its best over Irabu Island from late June to late September, peaking in July and August. Late at night the band of light crosses directly overhead.
Latitude is what gives Miyako Island the edge. The galactic core sits well to the south, so the further south you observe from, the higher it climbs. Rough figures put it around 36 degrees at its highest here, against about 25 degrees from Tokyo. That gap is what you feel when you look up.
For timing, things get going after 9pm. At a spot like 17END with city glow to the south-east, July is better after about 10pm. Arriving just after sunset, deciding it is nothing special and driving away is the most common mistake people make.
The Southern Cross means early May, 9pm to 10pm, and one hour only
Seeing a Southern Hemisphere constellation from Japan is the part that surprises most visitors. The Southern Cross is visible here from February to June, with April and May the window to aim for, and in early May it crosses the meridian somewhere between 9pm and 10pm.
It is a demanding target, though. At this latitude the top star of the cross reaches only about 8 degrees, and the bottom star around 2 degrees, as rough figures. It barely lifts clear of the horizon. Unless the southern horizon is completely unobstructed you will not see it at all, which on Irabu and Shimoji Island means Toguchi-no-Hama or Nakanoshima Beach, where the sea opens south to south-west. 17END faces north to west and will not work.
You get about an hour, half before the meridian crossing and half after. Binoculars help, and 7x to 8x is the right magnification, because anything stronger narrows the field so far that finding it gets harder. The trick is to locate the trapezium of Corvus higher in the southern sky and work your way down from there.
A word on winter. It is windy and cold, but the air is clearer and the stars come out sharper. Orion takes the lead role, along with Canopus in February, a first-magnitude star that sits just above the southern horizon and is known in China as the old man of the south pole, a star said to add years to your life if you see it.
Three conditions that decide the night, and how to check them
Choosing the night matters more than choosing the place. Three things to look at: the moon, the cloud and wind, and the tide.
Moon phase comes first. A full moon washes the whole sky out and the Milky Way all but disappears. Aim for the week either side of a new moon. Ideally you look up the new moon dates while you are still planning and book your accommodation for that week. Dates are on the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan calendar service, and setting the location to Miyakojima City gives you sunset and moonrise and moonset as well.
Cloud and wind. A rule of thumb from a local diving guide made sense to me: around the new moon, the day after heavy rain, and a night with no wind. The reasoning behind the day after heavy rain is that the water vapour drops back towards the ground and the high cloud thins out. There is a counter-argument on wind, that a breeze moves the cloud through so a partly cloudy night will clear if you wait. In my experience still air is non-negotiable only when you are shooting the reflection at Sawada-no-Hama. For the forecast, the tenki.jp starry sky index for Miyakojima City runs ten days ahead and is easy to read.
Tide matters at Sawada-no-Hama and 17END. Sawada turns into a mirror when low tide leaves pools behind, and the white sand at 17END only appears at low water. Pick Hirara on the Japan Meteorological Agency tide tables and you have the low tide time for the day.
On seasons: the rainy season here starts about a week earlier than on the main island of Okinawa, running from early May to late June. Typhoon season begins in July, and yet July has a high proportion of clear days on record. In practice the weeks straight after the rainy season ends have been the most reliable for me. Winter brings northerly winds and more cloud.
What to bring stargazing on Irabu Island
There are no habu vipers on Miyako Island. Dead specimens turned up at Hirara Port in 2013 and again in 2024 and the prefecture ran surveys, but 126 days of searching caught nothing. Venomous snakes are close to a non-issue here.
The real enemy is biting midges, known in Japan as nukaka and to North American readers as no-see-ums. They are 1 to 1.5 mm long, far smaller than a mosquito. Being bitten feels like a faint prickle at the time, and then the itch arrives the next day and means it. A week, or close to a month if you are unlucky. They also do their worst near water, which puts the beaches squarely in the firing line. Bring repellent containing DEET, long sleeves and long trousers. Long sleeves in summer sounds like suffering, but it is the sensible kit, not the stoic option.
Take a torch with a red mode. The cells in your eye that handle low light barely respond to red, so a red light lets you see your hands while keeping the dark adaptation you have built up. One flash of white and you start the several-minute wait again. Not pointing your light at other people is part of it too.
- Head torch with a red mode, so both hands stay free
- DEET repellent, long sleeves and trousers, thick-soled shoes for the rock at Nakanoshima and Shiratorizaki
- A ground mat and something to put on, because the sea breeze drops the temperature even in summer
- Tripod, power bank and a towel, since sea air leaves salt on your lens
- Binoculars at 7x to 8x, a star app, and a bag for your rubbish, as there are no bins at any of these spots
You can shoot the stars on a phone, with a tripod and AE/AF lock
Night mode on an iPhone 11 or later will do it. The tripod is the part that matters. Handheld, night mode caps out at ten seconds, but fix the phone in place and it extends automatically to thirty. That is the technical reason a tripod is described as essential.
The steps are simple. Mount the phone, tap the brightest star on screen, then press and hold the yellow box to set AE/AF lock. If the exposure will not stretch out, drag the sun icon upwards. Set a ten-second timer, fire the shutter and leave it alone for thirty seconds. Dropping the brightness and raising the contrast afterwards makes the stars read more sharply.
One tip. Fill the frame with nothing but stars and you will look at it later and not know where it was taken. The approach lights at 17END, the tsunami stones at Sawada. Put something of the ground in shot. On a camera, open the aperture right up and start at 200 divided by your focal length in seconds, so around eight seconds on a 24 mm lens.
Driving and wildlife on Irabu Island after dark
Fill up before 7pm, and you cannot stop on the bridge
This one gave me a fright in practice. Petrol stations on Irabu Island shut early, and the one I was able to confirm closes at 7pm. By the time you drive back from the stars there is no fuel to be had on the island. For supplies and toilets, the single convenience store on the island, the FamilyMart at Miyako Irabu, is open 24 hours. It is near where Prefectural Roads 90 and 204 meet, and honestly it is the only thing on the island you can rely on at night.
Stopping on Irabu Bridge is prohibited. You will occasionally see write-ups describing stargazing from the bridge itself, and that is not something to copy. Shoot from the car parks at either end. The Umi-no-Eki on the Irabu side closes at 6pm.
Roads here have almost no street lighting. Run on high beam and drop to low when you see another car coming. The farm tracks through the sugarcane are narrow with plenty of blind spots, so keep your speed down. Remember that Japan drives on the left, and there are still people out walking at 10 at night.
The viewpoints in older articles that you can no longer visit
Sankakuten was closed to the public in 2021. It is privately owned land, so going in without permission is trespass. It is an unmaintained cliff about 70 metres (230 ft) above the sea. People still head there on the strength of old blog posts and videos, which is why it is here. The grey-faced buzzard monument at Funausagibanata was also removed in 2019 after salt damage, and only the base remains. And Nagama Beach is on Kurima Island, not Irabu.
Keep your light off the wildlife
While you wait for the stars, the wildlife is sometimes the better show. Fireflies are out on Irabu Island all year round, a woodland species rather than a river one, and a local guesthouse lists the area near the Shimojishima Airport control tower and the eastern side of the campsite as places to watch.
On full moon and spring tide nights from June to October, land crabs make a mass migration to the sea to spawn. It runs for about two hours from around 9pm, and females carrying eggs cross the roads, so driving slowly through this period genuinely matters. The stretch to watch is the road along the inlet from the Kuninaka junction towards Shimojishima Airport. Coconut crabs come out onto the road at night as well.
Then there are the turtles. Nesting season on Miyako Island runs from about May to August, and both Toguchi-no-Hama and Sawada-no-Hama are beaches where it can happen. A turtle that has come ashore is sensitive to light, and if startled it will abandon the nest and go back to the sea. If you come across one on a summer night, keep quiet, keep your light off it and watch from a distance.
In summary: if you want the stars, stay on the island
- One night only, go to Shiratorizaki (Nishi-Kaigan Park). The most sky, with a car park and facilities
- Reflections at Sawada-no-Hama, lying down at Toguchi-no-Hama, the Southern Cross at Toguchi or Nakanoshima Beach
- 17END means an eight-minute walk and no toilets. The Milky Way runs late June to late September after 9pm, and fill up before 7pm
And this may be the most practical thing here. If the stars are the point, stay on Irabu Island. Drive over from central Miyako Island and you will be doing 30 minutes or more on pitch-black roads on the way back, tired, on the left, in a hire car you are still getting used to.
Irabu Island runs heavily to villas and guesthouses, and at least one guesthouse promotes its roof as a stargazing spot. On the eastern side of Toguchi-no-Hama there is a cafe and restaurant open until 10pm, so you can eat and walk straight down to the beach. Choose the accommodation first, then pick the spots near it. That order works.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Which months are best for stargazing on Irabu Island?
A. There are stars all year. The Milky Way shows clearly from late June to late September, peaking in July and August. The Southern Cross runs February to June, with April and early May the window to aim for.
Q. What time does the Milky Way appear?
A. In summer, after 9pm. Just after sunset the western sky is still bright and the Milky Way is low. At places like 17END with the glow of Hirara to the south-east, July is better if you wait until after about 10pm.
Q. Are there car parks and toilets at these spots?
A. All six have free parking. Toilets exist at Shiratorizaki, Sawada-no-Hama, Toguchi-no-Hama and Makiyama Park, and there are none at 17END or Nakanoshima Beach. Whether they are open after dark depends on how each site is run, so the safe move is to use the 24-hour FamilyMart at Miyako Irabu, the only convenience store on the island, before you set out.
Q. Can you still see stars on a full moon?
A. The bright stars, yes. The Milky Way, all but impossible. The land crab migration happens on full moon and spring tide nights, though, so switching your target to the wildlife is a fair option.
Q. Do I need a hire car, and is it suitable for children?
A. Realistically a car is assumed. There are no buses at night and this is not an island where you can always flag down a taxi. If you would rather not drive, there is one stargazing tour that meets at the Nishi-Kaigan Park car park at 8.30pm and runs about 50 minutes, led by a guide with Japan’s certified star guide qualification, from around 5,800 yen for ages six and up. With children, Toguchi-no-Hama and the area around the Shiratorizaki car park are the reassuring choices.
