Hello,
I am currently living and working in Tokyo and am looking for suggestions on where to go for a 3 week break in August
All I really would like is a nice beach (or river) where I can relax and read a few books as well as have a swim to cool off from the heat.
I have been looking at Okinawa but from what I have read it is a bit of a pain to access the island without a car and I do not have an international lisence. Any knowledge on this would be smashing.
Would probably be staying in an air BnB and looking to be doing this on the cheap and I am also looking to stay in the country not travel abroad
Any suggestions at all would be great.
Edit: thank you for all the comments! Have been googling place names intently and went from having no ideas to having plenty. For those saying just go to Thailand I do understand where you are coming from and appreciate it but I have spent enough time SE Asia over the last 10 years, a beach in Japan is good with me!
tl;dr beaches in Japan you like
16 comments
Koh Samui, Thailand. As it’s considerably cheaper than Japan, you wouldn’t need to stay in an airbnb, but a proper hotel or bungalow with the mod cons and bacon and eggs for breakfast every morning. You may also appreciate the laid-back vibe after Tokyo.
Shimoda in Izu
Could try one of the islands off Tokyo.
[https://www.koho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/2017/07/11.html](https://www.koho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/2017/07/11.html)
Lots to choose from. I’ve personally been to Niijima （新島）(stayed a few nights) and Shikinejima （式根島）(just went for the day for diving).
I don’t have a driving license and just rented an electric bicycle while I was in Niijima for like 2,000 yen per day. No idea if that’s cheap or not but there were only two places renting them out and the price was like 100 yen difference so it is what it is.
Island is definitely small enough to traverse by (electric) bicycle. Definitely go electric because there are a lot of hills and you don’t want to be exhausted all the time.
My fiance also went to Hachijojima （八丈島）for diving and said it was good, but bear in mind that it’s 3x the size of Niijima (70sqkm ish versus Niijima’s 22sqkm).
I can vouch first hand for the gorgeous beaches on Niijima, only thing is whether you can find somewhere that has an entire 3-week opening (or you could hop between different bits of accommodation I guess).
The Okinawa main island might be inconvenient without a car, but have you taken a look at some of the smaller islands like Ishigakijima or Miyakojima?
Also, Kozushima is very small and peaceful with beautiful beaches. It is about a 45 min flight from Chofu, or a 3 hour trip by hydrofoil from Takeshiba pier. You might run out of things to do if you have 3 weeks, but you could hop around the different Izu islands.
I’ve been to two places in Okinawa.
Terrace Busena on the main island (in Nago, north of Naha) was pretty easy to access without a car. We took the airport limousine bus from Naha, and then pretty much everything you need was within the resort.
Also went to Haimurubushi way down south. Flew into Ishigaki, then took a ferry to the island. All the resorts run free shuttles from the ferry terminal to the resorts. This place had a lot of the rooms/restaurant/beaches/etc. spread out, but they give you a free golf cart to drive around (don’t need a license).
Both of these places were nice, but probably a bit expensive if you’re looking to stay for an extended period. There are definitely places in Okinawa where you would want a car, but there is some reasonable amount of public transit in a lot of places. It could be a hassle if you are tight on time, but if you’re going for an extended period and give yourself time on transit days, it could work. Also, a lot of the remote islands are so small that even taking a taxi on the way in and out wouldn’t be too expensive, and you can do thinks like short term bike rentals to get around.
I know you said you want to stay domestic, but (unless you got a visa issue or something tying you to here) from your remit, you’d definitely have a much better, significantly cheaper, more beautiful and more convenient experience somewhere like Hua Hin (or anywhere on the gulf coast) in Thailand than in Okinawa.
Can you ride a scooter? That could do it for Okinawa or other islands, and you’ll have a blast exploring. The license is pretty easy to get if needed.
Also bike (bicycle) is an option if you’re the sporty kind.
Any of the beaches along the Limousine Bus or Okinawa Airport Shuttle Spots are absolutely lovely and supported by the finest in 24/7 convenience stores; you can get back and forth between there and Naha for less than $20 bucks one-way.
Kawasu in Izu will scratch your itch as well; you can cover a ton of ground hanging out at the white sand beach one station up, or delving into into the wasabi rich rivers north of you. Imaihama-Kaigan has some hotels where I take my family, and I go drinking in a hole /cave in the mountain, called “Cave Bar”; it’s lovely.
I love the Bandai area in Fukushima. We like to stay at Yumori in Tsuchiyu onsen town or camp out at lake Inawashiro.
I just spent one month in Okinawa and one thing to mention is the transport without a car really adds up!
Just go to Thailand
You could try the Kerama islands. They’re just off the coast of the main island of Okinawa and there’s a pretty regular ferry from Naha so you wouldn’t need to drive. I had a great time at Zamami a few years back.
Would you not consider outside of Japan? I personally think SEA beaches are unbeatable and it’s much much cheaper
Have you thought about Awajishima, Hyogo, or Wakayama. Do you want to move around a bit.?
Ogasawara Islands ftw. Beautiful, incredibly remote needing a ferry back and forth and technically still in Tokyo prefecture.
Come on over to Hakuba. Not a beach but we have lakes and rivers for rafting, and mountains for hiking, biking or climbing. A large portion of the population are transplants which makes for a very chill vibe in the village.