How is the surf in Japan?

I was wondering how the surf is in Japan? I can only make one trip this year and I am thinking about going either to Japan or Hawaii. Where should I go?

If you want to surf, it's definitely Hawaii than Japan. Waves are bigger, the sea is more beautiful and the climate is much milder. But people do surf in Japan in places like Chiba and Shonan if you were in Tokyo area. It would be extremely cold in winter though.

yo !!!

scuse me but my english is very bad and i don't know if you could help me....

i am a french bodyboarder/surfer and i search a web site (forum) on the japan'surf, to know if it's possible to come one year to work and surf in japan...

the WWOOfing is possible in japan as new zeland or hawai ???

my answer is not for only the waves but for the japan's cultur too....i like it a lot !!!

thanks....and good surf everybody !!!

o..O

I suppose French people can get a "working-holiday visa", so you can stay and work here for 1 yr. You should contact JP embassy in your country.
Woofing Japan may be a sponsor of this site.
http://www.wwoofjapan.com/

ok !! thx a lot !!

i'm going to see that immediatly !!!

o..O

There's a place called nijima, a small island near from Tokyo. You can reach it by ferry,maybe... At Nijima, the WCT japanese leg is held every year, I think in August. There are good waves over there!

Hi!
Does anyone know what the sea temps are like in Japan in summer and winter? im from england and used to quite cold winters and only want to take 1 wetsuit if possible (preferably a 3mm). if i need to i'll take 2 but only if the surf is cold and worth the effort in winter.
thanks for any advice
leeroy

People in Hawaii are VERY prejudice, so be carefull.

If you want some decent waves around Osaka follow the typhoons around and wait for them to whip some things up, otherwise your pretty much going to have to settle for 2-3 metre waves at the very best.

The waves are mostly small in Japan. I remember after a typhoon, one expat guy went to Kamakura to body surf and said the waves were "huge". I said how big, and he said 2 metres..... I laughed.

In southern Australia the waves are sometimes 5 metres+

Leeroy, where are you going to stay in Japan?
Could you tell me the mean sea surface temperature in your beach in winter?
I imagine that beaches in England would not be that cold even in winter.

I'm not sure where i'll be in japan but gather that its colder up to the north than the south.

Our sea temperatures are around 6-9 degrees in winter and we wear 5mm suits with boots, gloves and hood (some people dont wear hoods but i hate ice-cream headaches).

or maybe 3-5 degree warmer than your beach

According to my friend, you should bring, at least, 2 wetsuits if you're going to enjoy surfing in Japan all year around.
a semi-dry suit or 5mm fullsuit for winter.

2 wetsuits would be too bulky for a guy staying in Japan just for 1 or 2 yrs.
Instead of surfing, how about doing winter sports like snowboarding or skiing in winter from Dec to Feb?

I met someone here in New York who does and she said the best serfing is in Ibaragi. If you look at the map of Japan it is a long stretch of straight land were the Pacific smacks right into Japan.

I lived in Kagoshima, Southern Kyushu for 2 years and surfed better waves in Japan than I ever got during my times in Indo, Europe or Australia, you just have to be patient and know the breaks.

During Typhoon season, (May-Sept) i regulaly scored triple overhead waves along the Miyazaki / Kagoshima coast, often on semi secret reefs with only two or three of us in the water. Get down to Tanegashima for more world class action and pure paradise!

hello !

Japan has many good break !Especially,Japanease river mouth break is good wave.
My favorite point is "Kaifu" in Shikoku. It has very long barrel.
You should go to Shikoku!

Hawaii is paradise for many people. Surf is great, food is awesome, and people are friendly. It's a must do if you haven't been there before.

Hawaii has waves for everyone. Beginners through advanced. Having lived there, it's a great place to surf and hang out.