KiteInsider
Photo
Windsurfing at Yonaha-Maehama Beach, the kite/windsport spot itself"KIMG0450windsurfing in maehama" by Chazz Daniel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Country

Japan

Six spots split into two different trips: a Tokyo commuter belt — Chigasaki and Enoshima on the Shonan coast, Miurakaigan on the Miura Peninsula, Motosuka Beach on Chiba's Kujukuri sands — reachable by train for a weekend among surfers and windsurfers, and the subtropical south, where Miyakojima's Maehama Beach and the Katsuren Peninsula causeway near Uruma City ride turquoise water most of the year with typhoon season as the tradeoff.

Read more

Miyakojima peaks October through April; Katsuren works nearly year-round. It suits Tokyo-based riders topping up on weekends and travelers building a separate island trip, not one holiday combining both halves.

Seasonevery monthsomewhere in the country
How we count
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer
Best forWaves3

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan39
  2. Feb49
  3. Mar35
  4. Apr37
  5. May31
  6. Jun, no figure—
  7. Jul, no figure—
  8. Aug24
  9. Sep32
  10. Oct31
  11. Nov47
  12. Dec35

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Windiest single town in any month: Shonan Coast, 49% of days in February, from the Chigasaki series.

How this is modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Which place is yours

Grouped by region, the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

Kanagawa Prefecture

Shonan Coast Local favourite2 spots · 2 schools · August to Mayadvanced buzzing scene no car needed gear rental mid-range Miura Peninsula1 spot · 2 schools · March to Junechoppy beginner-friendly quiet car needed gear rental mid to high

Okinawa Prefecture

Miyakojima Local favourite1 spot · 3 schools · October to Apriladvanced quiet car helps gear rental mid-range Okinawa (Uruma City) Under the radar1 spot · 1 school · every monthbeginner-friendly buzzing scene car needed gear rental mid-range

Other places

Chiba Local favourite1 spot · 2 schools · July to Septemberwaves advanced quiet car helps gear rental mid-range

By region

The country's regions, the most spots first

Kanagawa Prefecture3 spots · 2 placesOkinawa Prefecture2 spots · 2 places

Best for

Pages that pick the places in Japan for one kind of riding

Waves in Japan3 places

Destinations

All 5 places, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

ChibaMiura PeninsulaMiyakojimaOkinawa (Uruma City)Shonan Coast

Visa & entry

EU passportVisa-free entry for tourism, 90 days; some EU nationals (Austria, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein) among those eligible to apply for an extension up to a maximum stay of 6 months.
US passportVisa-free entry for tourism, 90 days.
UK passportVisa-free entry for tourism, 90 days; UK nationals also among those eligible to apply for an extension up to 6 months maximum.
Entry or eco taxesSayonara/International Tourist Tax JPY 3,000 per departure (2026), raised from the JPY 1,000 rate in force since Jan 2019
Digital nomad visaJapan launched a Digital Nomad visa in 2024, a 6-month stay with no extension or renewal at launch; unconfirmed for 2026 rules.
Tax residency daysJapanese tax residency reportedly hinges on a 1-year-plus 'jusho' domicile test rather than a simple day-count; unconfirmed.

Money

CurrencyJapanese Yen (JPY)
Card acceptanceJapan remains largely cash-dependent outside major chains/cities; many smaller shops, traditional restaurants, and rural venues (relevant to Chiba/Miura/Miyakojima kite spots) may be cash-only.
ATMs and fees7-Eleven (Seven Bank) ATMs are reportedly the most reliable for foreign cards; unconfirmed.
Paying by phonePayPay and other QR-payment apps are widely used domestically; foreigner onboarding is unconfirmed.
TippingNo tipping culture; tipping is not expected or customary in restaurants, taxis, or hotels - service charges typically included.
Cash tipsNot customary; attempting to tip can cause confusion. Unconfirmed.

SIM & internet

Operators, best coast coverage first
  • NTT Docomo
  • KDDI (au)
  • SoftBank
  • Rakuten Mobile
ID needed for a SIMJapan generally requires passport ID for SIM purchase or rental; unconfirmed.
StarlinkPartial signal: KDDI (au) announced a partnership with SpaceX/Starlink (2022) to extend connectivity via ~1,200 remote mobile towers - this describes a carrier-backhaul partnership, not confirmation of direct consumer Starlink licensing/availability in Japan.
NotesAirport eSIM or pocket-wifi rental is the commonly reported tourist solution; unconfirmed.

Insurance

Is kiting covered?Kitesurfing is commonly classified as an excluded 'extreme or adventure sport' by basic travel-insurance policies industry-wide; unconfirmed.
RecommendedSpecialist kite/watersports rider or a policy explicitly listing kitesurfing as covered.
Healthcare and evacuationJapan has high-standard but potentially expensive private medical care; evacuation coverage is recommended. Unconfirmed.

Health

VaccinesNo special vaccines required for Japan; routine vaccinations are enough. Unconfirmed.
Mosquito-borne diseasesJapan has had localized dengue transmission concerns historically, Tokyo in 2014; the current status is unconfirmed.
Tap waterGenerally safe to drink across Japan; unconfirmed.
Emergency numbers110 (police), 119 (fire/ambulance), 118 (Japan Coast Guard).

Driving

International driving permitContradictory accounts.Japan is said to recognize the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP, but it also runs a licence-conversion (gaimen kirikae) system for residents, and for short-term visitors it is generally only the Geneva Convention (1949) style IDP that is accepted.This is a well-known travel trap: UK, Ireland and Germany issued Vienna-style IDPs are reportedly NOT accepted in Japan.Check with the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) before renting a car.
Road safetyLeft-side driving.

Regulation

Drone rulesJapan reportedly has strict national drone laws, including registration and no-fly zones; unconfirmed.
Protected areasThe Miyakojima and Okinawa reef areas likely have marine protected zones; unconfirmed.

Calendar & costs

School holidaysGolden Week (late April to early May) and Obon (mid-August) are the major domestic travel price-spike periods; unconfirmed.
CurrencyJPYSee Money

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Japan

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Checked so far for Japan:ANA (All Nippon Airways)JAL (Japan Airlines)

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Where records disagree

  • IDP requirement: Wikipedia's International Driving Permit article lists Japan as recognizing the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP. Wikipedia's Driving licence in Japan article does not confirm this and instead frames foreign-license use around a license-conversion process, and widespread third-party travel-blog/kite-trip-report consensus is that Japan actually requires a 1949 Geneva Convention-style IDP (meaning IDPs issued by Vienna-only countries like the UK, Ireland, and Germany are often reported as not accepted). Unresolved - confirm with JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) before driving.

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 6 open questions
  • Resolve the IDP convention contradiction above via JAF's official page (jaf.or.jp) before publishing final driving guidance.
  • Confirm ANA and JAL kitesurf/sports-equipment baggage fees and size limits.
  • Confirm Japan Digital Nomad visa 2026 status, income threshold, and renewal rules.
  • Confirm eSIM/tourist SIM options and ID requirements for Chiba/Miura/Okinawa/Miyakojima kite trips.
  • Confirm drone rules and marine protected area rules near Miyakojima/Okinawa.
  • What do a beer, a meal, a coffee and rent cost in Japan?

Last updated September 2026