Best Beaches in Japan

Known for being one of the worlds leader in innovating technology, many people visit the country to see the built up city of Tokyo. However, if you venture outside of these major cities, then you can find some excellent natural beaches around the country too.

With a population of more than 100 million and summer temperatures making the country swelteringly hot, it’s not surprise that people look to visit the beach. And in most of the major cities, you can find a beach to visit that you can relax on and cool down. But which are the best beaches in Japan? Well, let’s take a look at some of them.

Best Beaches in Japan

Beaches in Japan are a little bit different from other beaches in the world. Beaches are not only for swimming, but also for walking on and soaking up the sun. Beaches are usually sandy because they are made of sand, but there are many kinds of beaches with different looks and features. Beaches come in all shapes and sizes along our Japan coast; they’re not dissimilar to the beaches in Taiwan. However, there’s plenty of beaches there to check out.

Amanohashidate

Said to be one of the best beaches in Asia let alone Japan, Amanohashidate is well known by the Japanese, as its just a few hours North of Kyoto City. This sandbar is around 3.5km in length, and if you’re up to the challenge, walking along the whole thing can be a great experience. And to get back, there are many other forms of transport in the area too.

As you’d expect, this is quite a built up area and it can be very busy throughout the entire year. Although you can come here to swim, many people just come to the area to take in the breathtaking surroundings, as one of the best natural scenic areas in the entire country. Overall, this is the perfect place to take a daytrip out of Kyoto city and see something else outside the city.

Time from Kyoto: 2 hours | Best for: Scenery

Oarai Beach

Probably the most popular beach in the Ibaraki prefecture, Oarai is one of the best beaches on the east coast of Japan. It’s a good option for pretty much everything, so whether you’re looking to swim or you’re looking for somewhere to surf, you can do everything at Oarai.

As mentioned, this place has pretty much anything you want. Hot springs, perfect scenery and one of the best places to go for marine sports, Oarai is an all-round great beach. From bodyboarding to paragliding, you can try out many of the different activities here if you’re looking for an action packed getaway. There are a slo a lot of tide pools on the beach too, which make a great place to go crab hunting with the kids.

Oarai is also home to one of the best aquariums in Japan, with Seaworld having the most species of sharks in the whole of Japan. Because of this, it makes Oarai one of the best places to go for the entire family.

Time from Tokyo: 2 hours | Best for: Family

Kotohiki beach

Another great beach in Japan is Kotohiki beach, which is little over 2 and a half hours outside the center of Kyoto. As well as the amazing scenery and views you can get from this beach, it also has really clean water. So, it’s perfect if you’re looking for somewhere to go swimming.

In comparison to other beaches around this area, this one is relatively quiet and it’s rarely crowded. It’s a great place to go to get away and enjoy some relaxation time. The beach itself is several kilometers long, and the soft sand makes it an excellent choice if you’re looking for somewhere to go for a run. Bear in mind the water can get a little choppy at times, so be careful.

In addition to this, you can also find a great hot spring on this beach too. This can be a great idea if you find the ocean water a little too cold for your liking. So, if you’re looking for a quieter beach to relax on, the Kotohiki should be at the top of your agenda.

Time from Kyoto: 2 15m hours | Best for: Peace and quiet

Bayside Beach Saka

Just a short distance outside of the center of Hiroshima, Bayside Beach Saka is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the neighbourhood. The water here is very calm and tranquil, but it can get very busy due to it’s location. There isn’t a great deal of activities to do at this beach, but there are some volleyball courts if you want to have a go at that.

Generally, beaches that are so close to the city aren’t the best out there. And whilst I wouldn’t say that this is one of the very best beaches in Japan, it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in Hiroshima. It typically gets very busy here during the heated Japanese summer, but outside of these times it’s usually not so busy. It’s very easy to access. so it can be a good place to go and get your toes wet.

Time from Hiroshima: 20 mins | Best for: Convenience

Enoshima

Another one worth mentioning for those visiting Tokyo is Enoshima. There are beaches on the mainland of Japan before you travel there too, which is where many people come to visit to get out of the city. Although there are different beaches around the island of Enoshima itself, essentially the vast majority of the island’s perimeter is beach. So, it’s difficult to just pick one out as the best option.

Though not one of the best beaches in terms of swimming, many people come to visit here solely for the amazing view of Mount Fuji, which can be seen very clearly from the beach area. It’s pretty easy to get here from the city too, being only 45 minutes from Yokohama and little more than this if you want to visit from Tokyo. This is a good area for families to visit too, as it has some great shrines as well as a good aquarium here aswell.

Time from Yokohama: 45 minutes | Best for: Mt. Fuji

Conclusion

In conclusion, although not known for it’s beaches, you can still find some good places for you to swim on this island. It will all depend which prefecture you’re visiting and how easily you can get to them. But as Japan has some of the best public transport in the world, there are many different beaches you can access via train.

Link To or Reference This Page

If you found this content useful in your research, please do us a great favor and use the tool below to make sure you properly reference us wherever you use it. We really appreciate your support!