I originally published this Western Japan Surf Guide in 2000 on the Hold Out Osaka website.

I have found a lot of good surfing in Western Japan, especially near Osaka, where I was based from 1997 to 2003. Although having a car or a friend with a car proves indispensable, many surf spots are accessible by train. Although this guide is not complete or comprehensive, I hope it can provide a glimpse of the waves available.

Wakayama Prefecture

Wakayama Prefecture is the nearest surf location to Osaka. The prefecture dominates the Kii Peninsula, which receives its swells from the Pacific. In summer, the south-facing beaches get waves from low-pressure systems near Guam, the Philippines, and the Marianas. Each year, about 20 typhoons affect Japan, with many of those swells hitting Wakayama. The prefecture’s breaks are almost all reefs, except for Isonora. The water is warm, and you only need surf trunks in the summer.

Isonora

Isonora is the closest surf beach to Osaka. The beach break waves are usually slow and mushy because the swells have to travel so far up the peninsula. Sometimes it does get good. There is a Nankai train station at the beach. It’s easy to access from Osaka and Osaka’s Namba station. By car, it takes an hour to an hour and a half from Osaka. The problem with the easy access is that the beach gets extremely crowded. It seems that all the surfers here are from Osaka.

Takura

Close to Isonora, Takura takes a big typhoon swell to break. The locals are reportedly fierce, but well-mannered gaijin (foreigners) can usually surf hassle-free. The shallow reef offers good surfers lots of left barrels.

Gobo

Further south is Gobo, and near this town, there are many beaches, points, and reef breaks. You can take a JR train to Gobo, but then you’ll have to get to the beach on your own. Gobo is the first town exposed to the Pacific, which gives it better quality surf. Some Japanese surf friends love Gobo because of all the right-point breaks and barrels.

Inami

The next town after Gobo is Inami. There is a great river mouth/reef/pointbreak near the Kirime River. If you are going by train, get off at the Kirime station. (NOTE: The station is a local station, so make sure you change trains at Gobo if you take an express train from Tennoji or Wakayama. You’ll go right by it unless you’re on the right train. Ask the JR staff whether your train stops there.)

It is only a couple hundred meters from the station to the beach. If you pass the Family Mart, you’ll know you are heading in the right direction. There is a minshuku named Umemoto on the point where you can stay. It is a 20-yard walk to the beach.

This spot works best on a south swell during typhoon season.

Shingu

Around the corner of the peninsula, Shingu’s rivermouth has a lot of waves. Be warned, the currents can be nasty. A couple of locals told me that during big swells, the shorebreak is reported to be similar to Waimea’s. This place seems to pick up any swell well but is reportedly best in October and November after the sandbar is settled.

Shingu has many restaurants and things to do at night (relatively). If you go by train, you can walk to the beach from the station, which is a little far but doable. There is a stretch of trees next to the beach. If you see a forest, then you’re there. Head for the rivermouth.

If you are driving, it takes 5 hours from Osaka (at night) along the coast, but there is an over-the-mountain road that goes through Nara Prefecture that takes only 4 hours.

Mie Prefecture 

Mie Prefecture is further north from Shingu. The main place to surf is Ise. Ise is an old Japanese shrine part of a large national park. It’s a great place to visit if you are into traditional Japanese culture. The best thing about surfing Ise is that is clean. The water is extremely clear. The spots around Ise seem to be popular with the longboard scene. You’ll see a lot of families on the beach watching Mom and Dad surf. Ise is accessible by car or by Kintetsu train from either Osaka or Nagoya.

More info here: https://www.angelfire.com/sports/surfjapan/japan.html

Shikoku

Shikoku is arguably the best place to surf in Japan. The combination of swell, beach conditions, food, access and community support make Shikoku my favorite place to surf. Tokushima and Kochi Prefectures have many good surf spots.

Tokushima Prefecture

Tokushima is the first surf location on the island of Shikoku. As you move south, the coast turns to face the Pacific. The first notable spot is Kaifu.

Kaifu breaks on the river mouth of the Kaifu River. When all the conditions line up it is considered a world-class wave. One problem is that the authorities have been “adjusting” the river upstream and the spot doesn’t get as much sand as it used to get. They are also setting up needless concrete pylons near the break at the entrance of the river. The rights are best but sometimes the lefts are equally good. When it’s working then there are tons of great barrels. Boards get snapped left and right. One thing to note is that when it is on, the line up is full of pros and expert locals making it difficult to get waves. There is also a highly recommended okonomiyaki restaurant near the break.

Kochi Prefecture 

Kochi Prefecture is the main surf prefecture on Shikoku.

Ikumi

Located just over the border from Tokushima Prefecture, Ikumi is a long beach fed by a creek. There is surf year round but it is a great place to surf in summer. Left and right peaks. This is where Hold Out usually holds it surf contests. There are surfer run restaurants and inns at the beach. Kannora is the last station on the JR train line that runs from Tokushima City. By car, it takes about 4 hours from Osaka to Ikumi (at night).

Ozaki

About 45 minutes south of Ikumi, Ozaki is a hard breaking reef break. The locals have spray painted a warning (written in English) on the wall saying that it is a shallow reef and surf at your own risk.

Shina

Continuing south and almost at the end of Cape Muruto, Shina is a left reef break with a deep channel. Sometimes there is a right on the other side of the channel too. This is my favorite spot in Japan. It takes size to break, but when it does, it is an excellent wave.

Kochi coastline

Following the coast, there are many other spots to choose from. On the other side of the island, near the city of Nakamura, is the river mouth of the Shimantogawa River. This is one of the most beautiful rivers in Japan. Also, amazingly, it is reportedly the only one that is not dammed. This river brings a lot of sand to the coast and I think the beach breaks around the town are excellent. The water is also very clean. To get to Nakamura it takes about 4 hours from Kochi City by JR train. It takes me about 8 hours by car from Osaka. There are a variety of breaks near Nakamura and along the cape. If there is no swell there is plenty to do like kayaking (the river) or fishing. I found the locals to be really friendly and the food to be excellent.

Kyushu 

The main thing I know about Kyushu is that the ramen is excellent but there is also a lot of surf too. As the transportation is more developed than Shikoku, it comparably easier to get around if you don’t have a car. There are a lot of good breaks near Miyazaki City and in the Nichinan and Osumi areas. In Miyazaki, there is also a wave pool at the Seagaia resort that is supposed to be quite good (as far as wave pools go).

Okinawa Prefecture

People with time should visit Okinawa Prefecture. Okinawa’s climate is subtropical, and there are a lot of top-quality reef breaks. The main islands are accessible by air or ferry, while the smaller islands are accessible by ferry only.

Better information is available on the excellent Okinawa surf website, Mensoresurfing. 

Please let me know if you have any comments, additions or feedback.