Rosewood Miyakojima, Japan, Resort Evaluate

After a decade of repeat visits to Japan, I‘ve by no means misplaced the sense of awe sparked by Tokyo’s community of sky-scraping buildings and Kyoto’s towering bamboo stalks. I’ve dipped into effervescent onsens in Beppu and prayed at century-old temples in Nikko, however I had by no means made my solution to the southern Japanese islands. A 2.5-hour flight from Tokyo to Okinawa’s Miyako Island modified that and marked the start of my first Japanese seashore retreat.

My 15-minute journey from the airport zipped previous fields of bamboo stalks to Rosewood Miyakojima, flanked by an ocean of distinct blues. Flat-roofed lodging claimed their place on a golden shoreline blanketed in dewy vegetation. This setting was fairly a change from Tokyo’s spirited crowds and Sixtieth-floor views.

Opened in March 2025, Rosewood Miyakojima is the Hong Kong-based luxurious hospitality group’s first resort in Japan and one of many most anticipated lodge openings of 2025. The seaside sanctuary is guided by the identical consideration to element and native design touches that I’ve come to like within the firm’s 33 lodges world wide.

At Miyakojima, the Japanese design penchant for minimalism fosters a nice stillness. Helmed by Dutch design home Studio by Piet Boon, the resort is framed to attract consideration to the unspoiled land it inhabits. Layers of Ryukyu limestone and wheat-colored pure textures across the property make no try to compete with the ocean. At each flip, the ocean is the star of the present—a lot in order that it has its personal nickname: Miyako blue.

Miyakojima, one in every of 49 inhabited pockets of land in the Ryukyu islands in southern Japan, is basically rural, with a inhabitants of lower than 60,000 folks. Often known as the Island of Prayers, it’s a spot of non secular significance to its residents, which shapes the resort’s ethos. Even the ceramics and picket sculptures across the resort pay homage to a centuries-old Paantu ritual, during which locals enhance themselves and their homes with mud and grass for success.

The lodge’s dedication to Okinawan tradition is so essential that managing director Noriko Nakayama knocked on the doorways of residents on the island to share plans for the lodge and ask for his or her blessing for the opening.

Personally, I’m grateful they authorised. My keep made my love of Japan develop far past its cosmopolitan cities.

Learn on for my full assessment of Rosewood Miyakojima as the primary journalist to remain on the brand-new lodge.

The Rooms

Fifty-five villas stretch throughout a personal peninsula surrounded by vegetation and Miyakojima’s well-known blue waters. The lodging take their names from the Okinawan dialect and mirror the topography of their location—Daya villas sit cliffside; Mui villas are located within the mountains; Miji villas are on the tip of the peninsula; Uru villas are immediately on the sand; and Isu villas stake their place on a rocky seashore. Three giant homes, ranging between 1,614 and a pair of,152 sq. ft, provide sea views, a devoted butler service, and terraces with a barbecue grill and personal pool.

Okinawan craftsmanship shines all through the interiors. Miyako jofu, a fragile textile handwoven from fibers of the ramie plant used for the reason that sixteenth century, is integrated in shiny up to date display prints inside each room. Geometric picket wall carvings are a nod to the Hachiji tattoo traditions native to Okinawa, worn by ladies as symbols of standing, feminine energy, and safety.

Inside my oceanside villa, I used to be instantly drawn to the ocean foam inexperienced accents and grey textured dressers that saved the addictive Okinawan pineapple cookies and rums produced from the close by sugarcane fields. A few of my favourite brushstroke ceramic items within the area have been by Okinawan artist Kyoji Matsuda, working to protect the thousand-year-old heritage of Ryukyuan pottery. Stroll-in closets offered ample cupboard space whereas the toilet, cloaked in pure gentle and Ryokan stone, featured a freestanding bathtub and moisture-rich cleaning soap constructed from a resident affectionately often called the Glycerin Queen. It’s this deliberate choice to enlist Okinawans to contribute to the resort’s facilities that I appreciated essentially the most.

A spacious front room with a banquette-style desk giant sufficient for a small household grew to become my favourite nook to spend mornings. Steps away, my non-public pool was flanked by giant creme-hued loungers and crops that offered privateness and shade.

Meals and Drink

4 eating places have a good time the nutrient-rich produce of the area that has contributed to the longevity of so lots of its residents. Naturally fermented miso, peanut-infused jimami tofu, and contemporary catches of the day handpicked every morning by the resort’s cooks information the various menus. The all-day eating eatery Nagi provides each Japanese and Italian delicacies. Every morning for breakfast, I ordered slow-cooked onsen-tamago eggs, pickled greens, miso soup, and grilled salmon. Within the night, saffron risotto balls, contemporary focaccia bread, and a marbled Miyako steak make their solution to practically each desk.

On the poolside bar Yukku, tapas-style dishes of wagyu burgers and crudités are served alongside a cocktail menu with brightly-colored punch cocktails that remember the island’s wealthy rum historical past. The eye to element of every drink, overseen by bar supervisor Utaro Izaki, is a picture-worthy voyage into the area’s contemporary fruits and historical awamori, a mellow, caramel-tinged spirit constructed from fermented lengthy grain rice that’s solely produced in Okinawa.

On the oceanside Maas, chef Tokijiro Namada’s menu and vibrant character give guests greater than sufficient purpose to tug up barside and watch his meticulous slices of sashimi and preparation of grouper that’s speared every night time by fishermen within the close by bay. Cocktails listed below are additionally spectacular; my favourite is the briny and brilliant Maas bitter, made with awamori, home salt inventory, and shikuwasa, a small, bitter citrus fruit native to Okinawa. Later this yr, a fourth eating idea, Chuma, will debut in a pavilion overlooking the ocean. The menu will carry collectively 4 distinct areas of washoku (Japanese delicacies): sushi, tempura, teppanyaki, and yakitori.

Actions and Experiences

Dive into the dazzlingly blue waters of Miyako with experiences that embrace snorkeling over coral reefs and studying concerning the historical and sustainable apply of spearfishing. Rosewood Miyakojima holds a privileged place amongst a shoreline teeming with sea turtles. Managing director Noriko Nakayama (who additionally has a grasp’s diploma in environmental science) leads a program targeted on elevating consciousness about these sea creatures and supplies one-on-one discussions concerning the lifespan of the area’s three turtle species and the way they thrive of their habitats. An unique diving concierge program is headed by bi-lingual guides who can tailor itineraries to swimsuit ranges of expertise and curiosity.

Off-site actions are additionally ample. “Martial arts classes and calligraphy workshops provide deeper insights into Okinawan heritage. Moreover, guided excursions of Miyakojima’s pristine seashores, lush landscapes, and historic websites present a complete understanding of the island’s distinctive attraction,” stated Schreiner.

Friends can even go to a pottery studio for an expertise that faucets into the 300-year-old Ryukyu custom of Tsuboya pottery. A spotlight of my journey was a SUP and kayak expertise by Miyakokima’s shaded mangroves with Zumisup. Coasting by jungly pockets over water on this uncommon ecosystem was a relaxing solution to finish a visit and get a peek into Okinawa’s various topography.

The Spa

Okinawa is dwelling to among the world’s longest-living folks due partially to eating regimen, robust group, and bodily exercise. Asaya Spa faucets into this legacy of wellness with Okinawan therapeutic rituals that embrace an natural compress fabricated from Miyako Island sea salt to advertise rest. I used to be pleasantly stunned to search out two of my favourite Japanese magnificence manufacturers, Lapidem Tokyo and EviDenS De Beauté, used within the spa’s therapies.

Asaya’s design is impressed by the legendary story of the Okinawan goddess Amamikyu, who created the Ryukyu Islands from three components: grass, bushes, and stone. Six secluded particular person bungalows sit behind a community of thriving greenery meant to evoke Miyakojima’s inland primeval forests.

Hydrotherapy amenities, an outside vitality pool, a yoga studio, and a totally outfitted health club spherical out the lodge’s wellness choices. Later this yr, a martial arts program below the steering of a Miyakojima karate grasp can be obtainable, too.

Accessibility and Sustainability

The resort consists of one accessible ocean-view villa, and all areas of the property are accessible for wheelchair customers.

In-room automation and occupancy sensors are among the energy-saving strategies carried out in every room. As a part of Rosewood’s Companions in Provenance program, native farmers are tapped to produce native delicacies like Okinawan pork, sea grapes, and candy potatoes.

The Location

Sluggish and regular is the Okinawan lifestyle, and you may expertise this tempo first-hand with visits to the towering stone arches of Sunayama seashore and lighthouses at Cape Higashi-Hennazaki (a nationally designated “Place of Scenic Magnificence”). The lodge’s concierge providers carry you nearer to Okinawan customs, delicacies, and craftsmanship.

You’ll be able to attain Miyako airport in about 2.5 hours by aircraft from Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. If you happen to’re trying to expertise a city-to-sea journey like me, Japan Airways’ Japan Explorer Cross provides discounted home flights all through Japan, making it straightforward to journey on nonstop flights from main cities like Tokyo and Kyoto to Okinawa.  What I like about this cross is that it encourages worldwide vacationers to go to lesser-explored locations in Japan and could be bought with any worldwide airline’s air ticket originating exterior of Japan.

How you can Get the Most Out of Your Keep

Friends can guide by the American Advantageous Resorts & Resorts program to take pleasure in unique advantages. Or, think about reserving by a Rosewood Elite journey company to unlock particular perks resembling lodge credit and upgrades.

Nightly charges at Rosewood Miyakojima begin from $1,400.

Each T+L lodge assessment is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed on the property, and every lodge chosen aligns with our core values.