Few foreign visitors go to the beaches near Tokyo and experience Japan’s beach culture. However, a trip to the seaside, especially in July and August, the height of summer, is a great way to see a very different side of the country.
Only an hour or so from the capital, you can be in an oceanside vacation town. These beach towns are places where people come to relax and show their best sides.
You’ll see the Japanese at their friendliest and the country at its most beautiful. As well as wonderful beaches, you’ll find photogenic towns, surprising attractions, and great food. Here, then, are some of the best beaches near Tokyo.
Zushi Beach, Hayama
Zushi Beach, Hayama
Being the closest natural beach to Tokyo, it’s surprising that Zushi is not even busier than it is. It benefits from being the first train station after Kamakura, the place where most beach-goers leave the train for Kamakura Beach.
The beach is about 90 minutes from central Tokyo, including the 15-minute walk from the station. You’ll pass plenty of restaurants and shops along the way to enjoy during your visit.
At about a half-mile in length, Zushi can soak up lots of visitors. The first half, where the “beach houses” or bars are, is congested with rented sun loungers but the far end is more open.
Photographers might not like the dark sand but that’s typical of beaches in this volcanic region. The shallow water makes Zushi popular with families, while windsurfers and paddle-boarders love the gentle waves.
Isshiki Beach, Hayama
Isshiki Beach, Hayama
A ten-minute bus ride from Zushi, Hayama’s Isshiki Beach is less crowded and more photogenic. Sheltered, with gentle waves, it has lifeguards and stand-up paddle boarding schools.
Hayama is a prosperous resort town, built up on the reputation of Isshiki Kaigan—Isshiki Beach—and its closeness to Tokyo. The half-mile-long beach has crystal-clear water and a view of Mt. Fuji across the sea on good days.
Isshiki Beach, Hayama
The best part of the beach is in front of the Imperial Villa, the traditional winter home of the Japanese Emperor. Visit Hayama Shiosai Park to see its traditional Japanese garden and marine specimens from Emperor Hirohito’s collection.
Another attraction here is Hayama’s Museum of Modern Art, just beside the beach bus stop. With rotating exhibitions, there is always much to see and the superb restaurant has breathtaking Pacific views.
Isshiki forms a pairing with Morito Beach, a 30-minute walk to the north. Morito’s dramatic rocks are perfect for snorkeling and there’s a scenic Shinto shrine to visit.
Enoshima Beach, Kanagawa
Enoshima Beach, Kanagawa
Ask anyone in Tokyo for a beach recommendation nearby and Enoshima will be among the first to come up. Even the one-hour train ride has scenic views, helping make it one of the best day trips from Tokyo.
You’ll find two long, sandy mainland beaches, facing scenic Enoshima Island. The beaches will be crowded on holiday weekends but that’s part of the fun.
Enoshima Aquarium
Walk the boardwalk enjoying some snacks, or visit the vast Aquarium. Enoshima’s restaurants are famous for shirasu, or whitebait, a local delicacy.
The beach itself is busy with swimming, surfing, and watersports. In contrast, Enoshima Island has several shrines, caves, an onsen, and an observation tower with a botanic garden to discover.
Miura Beach, Kanagawa
Miura Beach, Kanagawa
Miura Beach is a six-minute walk from Miurakaigan Station, itself 70 minutes from Tokyo. This southeastern side of the Miura Peninsula is much quieter than the west, which has popular beaches such as Isshiki and Zushi.
One reason for this is that Miura Beach is on Tokyo Bay, which isn’t always pristine enough for swimming. This beach makes up for that with plenty of other attractions, from stand-up paddle boarding to windsurfing.
There are also plentiful restaurants and always interesting shopping. You can rent a bike to explore the area or even gallop a horse along the sand.
If you are visiting during spring in Japan, look out for Miurakaigan’s cherry blossom festival. The town has planted thousands of trees since the 1990s as part of a revitalization project.
Southern Beach, Chigasaki
Southern Beach, Chigasaki
About an hour from Tokyo by train, Chigasaki’s Southern Beach is known as the birthplace of Japanese surfing. Japan’s first surf shop opened here in 1967, but the sport was introduced much earlier by American servicemen after WWII.
It’s slightly odd, therefore, that the beach is named for J-pop group Southern All Stars, who have a Chigasaki-born lead singer. A landmark is a large letter C, a popular spot for photos.
The beach is dark sand, which can be very hot in August. You can rent everything you might need at various beach houses, from parasols to boogie boards.
Eboshi Rock
In summer, the beach is very busy but quietens down considerably out of season. It remains a scenic spot to take in the view of the shark-finned Eboshi Rock, with Mt. Fuji behind.
Twinned with Honolulu, Chigasaki has a real “Aloha” vibe in summer. Don’t miss its interesting City Art Museum, set in a pine forest, and the views from the long boardwalk in Chigasaki Park.
Odaiba Beach, Minato City
Odaiba Beach, Minato City
Japan is full of surreal experiences and seeing the Statue of Liberty at Odaiba Seaside Park is certainly among them. The 30-feet-tall replica is a favorite of photographers, especially with the Rainbow Bridge as a background.
The park sits on Tokyo Bay, with great views of the Japanese city from its artificial white sand beach. While you can’t swim, as the waters of Tokyo Bay aren’t clean enough, the beach is still popular for volleyball, paddle boarding, and windsurfing.
Odaiba has many more activities, including several major shopping malls. Don’t miss the recreated Showa-era street on the 4th floor of Decks Tokyo Beach, with its quaint retro shops and video games.
A scenic way to reach Odaiba is by the water bus from Asakusa. Sailing down the Sumida River, you pass several major sights, including the Tokyo Skytree.
Onjuku Beach, Chiba
Onjuku Beach, Chiba
The eastern side of Chiba’s Boso Peninsula has some beautiful beaches facing the Pacific Ocean. A 90-minute train ride on the Wakashio Express to Isumi city leaves you a ten-minute walk from Onjuku Beach.
Onjuku is famous for its connection to a Japanese children’s song, Tsuki no Sabaku. The song is about a prince and princess riding camels under the desert moon.
If you weren’t raised on Japanese nursery rhymes, that will mean nothing to you. To learn a lot more, visit the Tsuki no Sabaku Memorial Museum, with its sculpture of two camels outside—and a great souvenir shop.
The mile-long beach is almost as famous for its surfing and plenty of surf shops offer lessons. You’ll also want to taste some of the local seafood specialties: abalone, alfonsino, and spiny lobster.
Kujukuri Beach, Kujukuri
Kujukuri Beach, Kujukuri
At almost 40 miles, Chiba’s Kujukuri Beach is the second-longest beach in Japan. Only two hours from Tokyo, its linked chain of six named beaches make up a popular swimming, fishing, and surfing destination.
Younger Japanese associate Kujukuri with a popular song by girl-band Mi-Ke about a break-up on the beach. Older Japanese link it to Kotaro Takamura, a Walt Whitman-like figure who modernized and romanticized Japanese poetry.
There is a simple memorial near the Sunrise Kujukuri hotel to Takamura’s wife, Chieko. He wrote a long series of touching, often sensual poems about their courtship and life together.
You can understand the romance of Kujukuri when you take a walk alongside the endless Pacific waves past its dunes and pine trees. Japan’s shorelines are usually rocky and this is a rare place to find solitude in such expanses of nature.
Haraoka Beach, Minamiboso
Haraoka Beach, Minamiboso
Haraoka beach is a narrow, sandy beach that has the great attraction of being relatively quiet. Only 90 minutes from Tokyo, it sits on the southeast shore of Tokyo Bay, where the water is crystal clear.
The beach is best known for its picturesque wooden pier which has long been popular for fishing. In more recent times, it’s become a hotspot on social media for the amazing views of Mt. Fuji.
Cape Taibusa
Some 15 minutes south along the coast by bike, even less by taxi, is Cape Taibusa. This lovely headland is a nature park with its own tiny beaches and subtropical forest.
Criss-crossed by paths, the park is noted as a place for shinryoku, or forest therapy. Wander through it to discover a hidden cove or come eye-to-eye with a shy lizard.
Yuigahama Beach, Kamakura
Yuigahama Beach, Kamakura
Only an hour from Tokyo by train, Yuigahama is a popular beach just south of historic Kamakura town. It is crowded in summer but the long stretch of sand and long boardwalks make it one of the best beaches near Tokyo.
There are around 20 beach houses that sell Japanese food and drink, rent sun umbrellas, and have showers. These temporary huts are a feature of Japan’s public beaches, but disappear after the July-August season.
The beach is good for both swimming and surfing, although surfers avoid the crowds of high season. They have a reserved area on quieter Zaimokuza Beach, across a creek to the south.
Kamakura City was once Japan’s feudal capital and has several famous temples, one with a 13th-century Great Buddha. One of the best day-trips from Tokyo, its quirkiest shrine is the popular Zeniarai Benten where you can wash money to bring prosperity.
Atami Beach, Atami
Atami Beach, Atami
Atami is a popular hot spring resort town with a lovely beach and views of Sagami Bay. Nowadays, it’s only a 50-minute train ride from Tokyo, although visitors have been coming here for centuries to enjoy the mineral-rich waters.
Around the man-made beach, a typical Japanese seaside resort grew up in the postwar Showa period. The Instagram-friendly traces of that era can still be seen in many buildings.
Atami Castle is a leading example: although it looks ancient, it dates only to 1959. That means there are elevators to whisk you up for the breathtaking view.
Other attractions include the MOA Museum of Art with its collection of Japanese and East Asian art. Another must-see is Kinomiya Shrine, famed for its 2,000-year-old camphor trees.
Lake Ashi
Atami is only 13 miles from Mt. Hakone and Lake Ashi—one of the world’s most beautiful lakes. Don’t rush off, though, without first trying one of Atami’s incredible custard puddings.
Oarai Sun Beach, Ibaraki
Oarai Sun Beach, Ibaraki
Under two hours from central Tokyo, Oarai Sun Beach is a long, wide, sandy beach that seldom feels crowded. There are lots of activities from surfing to a popular barbecue area.
The local authorities have made an effort to make the beach universally accessible. You will find a wheelchair service for use both on the sand and into the water.
They also organize many events during the season, from T-Shirt design competitions to anime displays. Oarai is the setting for a famous anime and you’ll see lots of cut-outs of the characters in local shops.
Aqua World, an aquarium famous for its sharks, and the 150-year-old Tsukinoi sake brewery are two local highlights. Photographers also love the wave-lashed setting of Isosaki Shrine’s torii.
Beach Etiquette in Japan
Atami Beach, Atami
Japan’s public beaches are only open for swimming from July through August, when lifeguards are on duty. The official start of the season is the third Monday of July, a national holiday called Umi No Hi—“Marine Day”.
During the season, most public beaches have bans on littering, loud music, smoking, and drinking alcohol other than in “beach houses”. These are summer-only structures that supply drinks, food, rental equipment, lockers, restrooms, changing facilities, and showers.
Other rules ask that larger tattoos should be hidden with a rash vest or leggings. Many Japanese cover up anyway, as they take sun damage very seriously, but it’s fine to wear a skimpy swim costume nonetheless.
Yuigahama Beach, Kamakura
Outside July and August, most Japanese won’t go swimming in the sea. You’ll often see signs saying it is prohibited, usually for safety reasons.
Of course, you can swim outside prohibited areas at other times of the year but expect cold water and often, rough waves. That’s the kind of weather that brings out the surfers, so look to them for advice on local conditions.
While there are no beach houses out of season, there are still plentiful restaurants and bars near each beach for food and drink. The beauty of nature and the charms of quaint resort towns remain a constant.
Read: Three Days in Tokyo
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