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This guide has been put together with the aid of material from Beach Combing, a free of charge guide to surfing in Japan. Although only available in Japanese, this guide can be picked up at surf shops and provides invaluable graphical information about break types, location and swell conditions. If you can understand Japanese it also has a lot of surf forecast telephone services, including Surf Patrol's number. Below I have translated the information about each area from Hokkaido to Kinki on the Pacific coast and located the main breaks, as well as the spot to go to during big swells. The Swell % means how much of each swell that spot gets. Some beaches have links to live surfcams or surf reports. There are also tons of spots on the Japan Sea coast, although they are not as consistent and usually work during the winter, so are for hard nuts only.
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Click on an area to see the full guide
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| Hokkaido
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| Hokkaido, the
most northerly surf area in
Japan, has various kinds of waves (beach, reef, rivermouth). Compared with Honshu, you can surf on
empty beaches, but it's so cold that the surf season is much shorter. However,
in summer and early autumn the water is tolerable, and you can enjoy surfing on the Pacific ocean side. The main surfing areas are Otaru, Muroran and Hakodate.
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| Tohoku (Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima)
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| Almost all low pressures
pass by close to this area of Japan, and build out in the ocean. Because of
this there are
waves almost every day. Especially in winter, low pressures building in the Hokkaido area
directly hit this area and it there are often big waves everyday. In the area near Hachinohe,
almost all spots face East, so it's difficult to find places sheltered from the wind.
Kanehama beach break and Kadonohama reef are the main breaks, but there are many
more surf points along the long beaches which aren't busy. Sendai has a long surfing history and Sendai "shinko", city and surrounding areas are famous for their excellent surf breaks. The "shinko" area has small fun waves up to overhead, and it is famous for a big wedgey wave at the beach break. In winter the waves are usually small because of the sheltering Ojika peninsula, so from spring to autumn is the best season. In Fukushima the long beach line from south to north faces the Pacific ocean and catches all the swell. There are almost constant waves throughout the year. Water temp in winter is very cold. The varied coastline has reef and beach breaks, so lots of variety to choose from. Access from Tokyo is very easy, so sometimes bad etiquette or crowding leads to problems in the water. Toyoma and Futamigaura catch all the swell but have illegal parking and garbage problems. Locals around here are more territorial than further north. |
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| Ibaraki
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| Northern Ibaraki, including
Hitachi and Takahagi, gets waves all year round as it is open to the ocean. You can enjoy
not only beach breaks, but also reef breaks which are rare in Ibaraki. But because of the
straight coastline facing directly into the ocean, it is easily affected by the wind. Morning and
evening are best for offshores, in winter all day is fine. Easy access from nearby cities
has increased the number of visitors, bringing parking problems. Also large numbers of
longboarders cause bad vibes, especially at the reef points. Regular swell from the East and easy highway access make Ibaraki one of the best surfing areas in Kanto. Along the coast there's a lot of variety. Ajugaura has a lot of history and Oarai is known for its powerful breaks. Onuki is mellow and good for beginners. Namisaki also has easy waves. Negative points are strong currents that often mess up the waves and the area's exposure to wind. |
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| Chiba
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| Because it faces the Pacific
Ocean, Chiba gets constant waves. It is also very popular due to good access from the cities.
The Kujukuri coastline is curved so is surfable from a north-east round to a south west
wind. East or south swells are fine here, as well as a north wrap-around swell. Most spots
are beachbreaks so the shape of the sandbanks is important. Iokka and Katagai, with their
tetrapods and Taito, with its breakwall, have more consistent banks. Ichinomiya has
shifting banks and therefore is less consistently good. It sometimes closes out along the
coast, and a low pressure from the west creates onshore easterlies. Southern Chiba has constant waves and the varied shape of the coastline harbours many kinds of breaks, with warm water throughout the year. Many Shonan surfers come here by ferry or Aqualine (bridge). Mostly beachbreaks are on offer but there are some classic reef points in the typhoon season. Any swell direction is OK, but on the southern coast, a south swell is best. You can find an offshore point in any wind from N to SW. On a big swell the area sometimes closes out. |
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| Shonan
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| Because it is deep inside the Sagami Bay, if low pressures are too far to the NE or SW, they don't reach the Shonan beaches, and so swells are short-lived. However Sagami Bay serves to clean up messy ocean swells. Generally speaking there are 3 areas: Zushi / Kamakura reef breaks, Fujisawa / Chigasaki beach breaks and the Saisho area. |
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Izu Islands (Niijima)
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| Niijima is divided into the western and eastern coasts. On the eastern coast, the long white sand beach break sometimes has nice sand bars with really powerful tubes, almost unreal. Sandbars are usually good from Feb. April to May is the best time. In the north there is an excellent point, but strong currents reserve it for experts only. On the western coast there are some popular spots, but it doesn't get so much swell. During a big east to south typhoon swell it is worth checking. |
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| Izu Peninsula
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| This area mainly consists of the beach breaks around Shimoda city, with white sand and beautiful water. Because of its jagged coastline, every point has different ideal conditions. It's a very popular area due to its scenic location and sightseeing spots, so a lot of city surfers visit here. In summer, there are no-surfing areas cordoned off by the lifeguards, and the beaches get very busy. There is often antagonism between locals and visitors. |
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| Tokai (Shizuoka/Aichi)
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| On the Omaezaki
side you can enjoy reefs and rivermouth waves, because it faces the ocean.
The Shizunami side is behind Omaezaki and on the West side of Suruga bay, so
during the winter westerly winds are offshore. There are some good rivermouths in north Suruga bay and in Shizuoka City.
The Hamamatsu area consists of beach breaks and river mouths and you can enjoy constant surf except in winter. Because of the straight coastline and exposure to wind, as well as a unique fast current, the sand banks shift quickly and the best spot keeps moving, so you have to check the spot often and surfing in the morning or late afternoon is necessary in summer. In Irago there are constant waves throughout the year except in winter. Almost all spots are beach breaks, and because of the current along the beachline, the sand banks shift a lot, but sometimes offer up A frame peaks. |
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| Kinki (Mie, Wakayama)
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| In the Kinki area
Mie is one of the most famous places and has a long history. The most
popular beach is Kounohama, which faces East and isn't closed for swimmers
in summer. The varied coastline offers beaches open to Southern swells too,
so in Mie waves are possible from early Spring to Autumn. In winter, the
strong west monsoon winds blow swell flat so there are only small waves.
Wakayama has two main surf areas, Isonoura in the North and Nanki, which is mainly reef breaks. The Isonoura beach breaks are in Osaka bay and are well-known, but only work in a big south or south-east swell. In Nanki, most breaks are reef, so during typhoons the waves are great but mainly for experts only.
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Kugenuma
Beach surf check 
