Nagahama Coast lies in Yomitan Village, in the central part of Okinawa’s main island.
The shallows are designated as a harvesting area for aasa (sea lettuce), so it is not really suited to swimming.
What it does offer instead is water full of sea life and a strong sense of the natural world.
Nagahama Coast ratings
*Ratings are the subjective assessment of the Okinawa Bookmark editor, compared with other beaches in Okinawa Prefecture.
Nagahama Coast essentials
| Swimming season | None in particular |
| Hours | None in particular |
| Swimming fee | Free |
| Safety net | None |
| Lifeguard | None |
| Shower room | None |
| Lockers | None |
| Swim gear rental | None |
| Activities | None |
| Shop | None |
| Restroom | None |
| Official website | None |
Because Nagahama Coast in Yomitan Village is designated as an aasa harvesting area, it is not well suited to swimming or water activities.
Further out you will sometimes see people fishing from boats.
What Makes It Worth Visiting
The aasa harvesting area
The steel rods standing in the water appear to be used for harvesting aasa.
The shallows are full of life
You will find plenty of small fish and sea cucumbers in the shallows.
The shallows are slippery underfoot, so please take care when walking.
The view changes with the tide
At high tide it looks like the photo above, with the steel rods used for harvesting aasa completely hidden.
At low tide the water pulls back far enough that you can walk out towards the open sea.
Beautiful sand
The sand is so fine and soft that it is hard to believe it formed naturally.
A lovely view from the Nagahama heights
Looking down on Nagahama Coast from the heights above is a lovely sight too.
Nagahama Coast YouTube Short
Here is a YouTube Short of Nagahama Coast. Do take a look!
Access and parking
| Access | About 60 minutes by car from Naha Airport |
| Address | Nagahama, Yomitan Village, Nakagami District, Okinawa |
| Activities | None |
| Parking | None |
| Restroom | None |
Nagahama Coast has no dedicated parking, but there is space to pull in near the footbridge, and a few cars were parked there.
Around Nagahama Coast
Activities in Yomitan Village
Yomitan Village offers a variety of marine activities.
You can book diving, snorkeling, SUP and more.
If you would like to try diving or snorkeling, why not take a look at the activities available in Yomitan Village?
Grandistyle Okinawa Yomitan Hotel & Resort
Grandistyle Okinawa Yomitan Hotel & Resort is a resort hotel where the wide pool looks out over the Okinawan sea.
It also has a restaurant and a café lounge, so there is plenty to enjoy without leaving the property.
A rental car is the way to go in Okinawa
For sightseeing on Okinawa’s main island, a rental car is by far the best option.
The places worth visiting are scattered across the island, from Shuri Castle in Naha to the beautiful beaches up north and American Village in Chatan, and with a car you can work through them at your own pace. Local buses are infrequent and rarely run to schedule, so having a rental car makes an enormous difference to how much you get out of the trip.
Cars fill up quickly in the peak season, so we recommend booking early once your travel dates are set. One important note for overseas visitors: to drive in Japan you must obtain an International Driving Permit (Geneva Convention) in your home country before you depart, and remember that traffic in Japan drives on the left.
Summary
In this article we introduced Nagahama Coast.
At Nagahama Coast we saw people quietly watching the sea, and others flying drones to film it.
It is not a place for swimming, but there are other ways to enjoy it.
Thank you for reading to the end.
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