Beaches
Coastal spots, snorkeling, and island escapes
22 spots
Nokonoshima Island — Flower Island 10 Minutes Away
Nokonoshima, a teardrop-shaped island 10 minutes by ferry from Meinohama Port in western Fukuoka, is barely 3 km long an…
Keya Otehon Sea Cave — Accessible Ocean Geology
On the western tip of Itoshima Peninsula, the Genkai Sea has been cutting into basalt cliffs for millennia, producing a…
Imazu Bay Flamingo Sunset Café Row
Along the Imazu Bay coastline of Itoshima, a loose collection of surf cafés, beach bars, and open-air restaurants has em…
Fukuoka City Waterfront — Momochi Seaside Park
The Momochi district, built on reclaimed land in the 1990s to host the 1989 Asia-Pacific Expo, contains an unexpectedly…
Uminonakamichi Seaside Park — 10km Coastal Garden
Uminonakamichi National Seaside Park occupies the entirety of a 10km-long sand spit between Hakata Bay and the Genkai Se…
Niji-no-Matsubara — Japan's Three Great Pine Groves
Niji-no-Matsubara is a 5km arc of coastline planted with approximately 1 million black pine trees — one of Japan's 'thre…
Karatsu Sea Cave Kayaking — Through the Basalt Cliffs
The Matsuura coastline west of Karatsu is a 20km arc of basalt sea cliffs, small fishing harbors, and sea caves accessib…
Nijinomatsubara Seaside Cycling — Coastal Pine Road
The Niji-no-Matsubara pine grove fronts a 5km bicycle lane alongside the beach, rated by Cycling magazine as one of Japa…
Kujukushima (99 Islands) — Sea Kayaking Paradise
Kujukushima ('99 islands,' though actually 208) is a scattering of forested islets across Omura Bay north of Sasebo — a…
Fukue Island Beaches — Crystal Water of the East China Sea
Fukue Island, the largest of the Goto Islands, has 20+ named beaches with water clarity and sand quality that rival Okin…
Aoshima Island — Tropical Island Shrine
Aoshima is a small island (1.5km circumference) connected to the mainland by a walking bridge, famous for two features:…
Ibusuki Sand Bath — Buried Alive on the Beach
Ibusuki is famous for sunamushi onsen (砂むし温泉) — hot sand baths where attendants bury visitors up to the neck in naturall…
Amami Oshima — Subtropical Island Paradise
Amami Oshima is a large subtropical island 380km south of mainland Kagoshima, closer to Okinawa culturally and ecologica…
Iso Beach — City Beach with Volcano View
Iso Beach (磯海水浴場) is a small city beach in Kagoshima's northern suburbs, offering the unique combination of urban swimmi…
Kabira Bay — Emerald Glass-Bottom Paradise
Kabira Bay (川平湾) is Ishigaki Island's most iconic scenic spot — a shallow turquoise bay dotted with forested islets, whe…
Yonaha Maehama Beach — 7km White Sand Crescent
Yonaha Maehama Beach stretches 7 kilometers along Miyakojima's southwest coast — consistently ranked among Japan's top 3…
Blue Cave — Neon Blue Snorkel Dive
The Blue Cave (青の洞窟, Ao no Dokutsu) is a partially submerged sea cave near Maeda Point where sunlight filtering through…
Sunayama Beach — Hidden Beach Through Arch
Sunayama Beach (砂山ビーチ, 'Sand Mountain Beach') is a secluded cove accessed by climbing over a large sand dune (the 'mount…
Manta Ray Snorkeling — Kabira Manta Scramble
The waters around Ishigaki Island host year-round populations of manta rays (wingspan up to 5 meters) that congregate at…
Okinoshima Island — Coral & Tropical Fish Near Tokyo
Okinoshima is a small island connected to the Tateyama coast by a 500-meter sandbar, creating a tide-dependent land brid…
Maebara Beach — Boso's Surf Capital
Maebara Beach, along Kamogawa City's Pacific coastline, is one of Chiba's premier surf breaks — a 1.5km crescent of sand…
Jodogahama Beach — White Pebbles & Pine-Covered Rocks
Jodogahama (浄土ヶ浜, 'Pure Land Beach') is one of Tohoku's most scenic coastal landscapes — a protected cove with pure whit…