Jodogahama Beach

What to know

Jodogahama Beach (浄土ヶ浜, Jōdogahama, meaning "Pure Land Beach") is a stunning beach just outside central Miyako City in Iwate Prefecture. It is one of the most famous spots along the Sanriku Coast and part of the Sanriku Recovery National Park.

The beach features a beautiful white pebble shoreline and clear, calm waters dotted with jagged rocky islands. This memorable scenery evokes images of the "Pure Land," a Buddhist concept of paradise, from which the beach gets its name.

Ranked among Japan's top 100 beaches and swimming spots, Jodogahama is especially popular in summer. It draws visitors with its sheltered inlet that is protected from the open ocean. A rest house near the beach offers showers, toilets, changing rooms, a shop, and a dining hall. The rest house and other tourist facilities were destroyed by the 2011 tsunami but have since been rebuilt.

A visitor center is located at the main parking lot of Jodogahama Beach. It houses a small, free museum about the coastline and its natural features. Several short walking trails lead from the visitor center to the beach, boat piers, viewpoints in the surrounding pine forests, and a fishery museum with exhibits on historical and modern fishing methods in local waters.

Two different boat cruises operate around Jodogahama. The large Umineko-maru sightseeing ship offers coastal views and connects Jodogahama with the Minato Oasis Michi no eki roadside station in Miyako's fishing port. The small boats of the Blue Cave Cruises provide close-up views of the sharp rocky islands opposite the beach and visit the Blue Cave (Aonodokutsu), a small cave accessible only from the sea, named for its cobalt blue water. All cruises are accompanied by local seagulls (umineko).

Iwate Kenpoku Bus runs 1-2 buses per hour between Miyako Station and Jodogahama. All buses stop at the Jodogashima Visitor Center (15 minutes, 200 yen one way), and some continue to the beach at the Oku-Jodogahama bus stop (20 minutes, 250 yen). Many buses also stop at the Minato Oasis Michi no eki roadside station.