MapJapanMiyakojimaMiyakojima (Maehama Beach)Miyakojima

Miyakojima (Maehama Beach)

Okinawa Prefecture · Hirara / Miyakojima City

also known as Yonaha Maehama Beach, Sanitu Beach, Maehama Beach, Maipama Beach, 前浜, 与那覇前浜ビーチ

Part of Miyakojima →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

not for beginnersmedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Oct–Apr

Months riders and schools name

How windy

8 to 10 kt

Character: mixed · cross-shore

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

29 °C in summerMaehama is a long white-sand beach facing Kurima Island, with very clear water and enough depth for hydrofoil boards

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Mar

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

15 min

Miyako Airport (MMY)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Miyakojima (Maehama Beach) has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it, and none other in Miyakojima. straight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Katsuren Peninsula (Okinawa main island)
Sanitsu Beach / Sanitsu-hama, Miyakojima: flat, very shallow, sandy-bottom training venue for N-SE winds, but tide dependentno page yet
Nishihama, Miyakojima: beautiful quieter beach used in SW-N winds, excellent flat-water conditions on suitable lower tides, but tide/booties considerations applyno page yet
Takano Beach, Miyakojima: used in N-SE winds; coral/rocks and beach-width/tide issues, booties recommendedno page yet
Toguchinohama, Irabu Island: SE-SW wind, wave-oriented venue, also covered by local watercraft ordinance/priority-area rulesno page yet
Nagakita Coast / Taiyo Bokujo area: referenced by M-air as suitable for surf-wing conditionsno page yet

The spot

Venue status

Yonaha Maehama is a working kite venue on Miyakojima and has hosted kite/wing/windsurf foil racing off the sand, but it is not the island's easy shallow learner lagoon. It works in SE to SSW winds, rides at any tide, and has the clarity and the depth that foilers want; it is also deep and choppy, and the current runs fast enough that ground lost downwind is hard to win back.

Season

The island's reliable season is mid-October to early March, when the Mi-nishi seasonal wind settles into the N-E sector, which is exactly why a winter trip usually means choosing among several island beaches rather than riding Maehama every day.

Beach and facilities

The beach itself is a 7 km white-sand landmark facing Kurima Island, with parking and beach facilities and plenty of swimmers, so a summer session means sharing water with marine-leisure traffic.

Regulations

Since 2023 the local watercraft rules have reached Maehama, and from 2025 the city-designated April-November accident-prevention area requires permission for the craft and launch activity it covers.

Before you ride

Talk to M-air or the Miyakojima Sailing Association before you ride here, and if you are still learning, do it with instruction or with people who can come and get you.

The wind

locals call it Mi-nishi winter monsoon / seasonal northerly-to-easterly wind; Kaachibai early-summer southerly after the rainy season

Direction

cross-shore

Dominant direction

NNE from December through March, swinging to S in April and May, SSW in June and July, S again in August, and NE from September through November.Maehama's own working window, SE through SSW, therefore lines up with April to August - which is both the lighter half of the year and the half covered by the watercraft permit season.Winter reliability on this island usually means riding somewhere other than Maehama.

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

7-12 sq m in the stronger winter season; 12 sq m or larger/light-wind gear in early summer and marginal summer conditions

Character

mixed

Average strength

8-10 kt as a measured monthly mean at the island station; rideable days sit well above that

Typical strength

Monthly mean wind at the island station across the 1991-2020 record runs 4.0 to 5.3 m/s, roughly 8 to 10 kt: strongest in October and December at 5.3, weakest in May at 4.0. Means include the calm hours, so rideable winter days run well above them, commonly 12-23 kt. The early-summer southerly averages about 5-8 m/s and mid-summer often sits at 2-5 m/s outside tropical systems.

Mid-October to early March is the most stable season, with riding possible on roughly 50-80% of days. April-June is changeable and rainy-season affected. July-mid September is often light unless a tropical system helps.

Mid-October to early March is the reliable stretch, when the seasonal NNE-to-NE flow is stable and roughly half to four-fifths of days are rideable. Those are also the windiest months on the long record - October and December average 5.3 m/s against May's 4.0. But the winter direction is not Maehama's direction, so a winter trip usually means choosing among Sanitsu, Nishihama, Takano and Toguchinohama and saving Maehama for days the wind swings south.

Off-season patterns

April to mid-June is changeable and rainy-season affected; mid-July to mid-September is often 2-5 m/s unless a tropical system is close. Kites of 7-12 m are normal in January and February; late June to early July wants 12 m and up.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

15 ktJan23°
14 ktFeb23°
13 ktMar23°
12 ktApr24°
11 ktMay26°
12 ktJun28°
12 ktJul29°
12 ktAug29°
13 ktSep28°
15 ktOct27°
15 ktNov26°
16 ktDec24°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr).

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (~30-yr modeled reanalysis (exact span not shown on page)), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	15.1 kt	N	20 °C	23.3 °C
Feb	14.4 kt	N	20.6 °C	22.8 °C
Mar	13.2 kt	N	22.2 °C	22.8 °C
Apr	12.1 kt	S	25 °C	24.4 °C
May	11 kt	S	27.2 °C	26.1 °C
Jun	12 kt	S	30 °C	27.8 °C
Jul	11.9 kt	S	31.1 °C	28.9 °C
Aug	11.6 kt	S	31.1 °C	28.9 °C
Sep	12.9 kt	E	29.4 °C	28.3 °C
Oct	14.6 kt	E/N	27.2 °C	27.2 °C
Nov	15.4 kt	E	24.4 °C	25.6 °C
Dec	15.7 kt	N	21.7 °C	24.4 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · ~30-yr modeled reanalysis (exact span not shown on page)

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

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Hirara · WeatherSpark (MERRA-2 reanalysis climatology) · ~30-yr modeled reanalysis (exact span not shown on page)

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

None at Maehama. Sanitsu, on the same island, is the wide standing-depth flat-water beginner beach.

Tides

Rideable at any tide at Maehama, which is what sets it apart from several other island beaches.The Hirara gauge predicts 2026 levels between about -0.33 m and +2.15 m above datum, a typical day moving 1.37 m and the biggest springs about 2.2 m.Water sits below 1.0 m for roughly 45 percent of hours across the year and below 0.4 m for about 9 percent - the swing that makes Sanitsu, Nishihama, Takano and Toguchinohama tide-critical while Maehama stays usable.

Temperature

29 °C summer · 23 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 23–29 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or thin sun protection in summer; shorty or 3/2 in the colder windy winter months, with warmth needs varying by wind chill

Currents

Fast tidal flow across the beach, enough that ground lost downwind is hard to win back. It is a main reason a beach this calm-looking is not the island's beginner venue, and it is why deep water plus current, rather than any reef, is the hazard to plan for here.

Conditions

Maehama is a long white-sand beach facing Kurima Island, with very clear water and enough depth for hydrofoil boards. The surface is slightly choppy rather than lagoon-flat. Kurima shelters it visually, and it still rides as a deep, current-affected beach rather than the island's main training flat.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

Maehama is hard for a beginner: deep and choppy, with current fast enough to matter. Learn with a school or a guide, and expect to be sent to Sanitsu for flat, shallow training water.

The scene

What riders come here for

intermediatefreerideflat wateradvancedhydrofoilclear watertravel

Who it suitsbeginner

Small kite community on a famous resort beach. Local kiters are few and nobody is guaranteed to be on the sand on a given day, while summer fills the beach with tourists, with swimmers and with marine-leisure businesses. Winter trips feel like a kite trip rather than a beach holiday.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

A rescue boat and an AED are maintained by the local sailing association at Yonaha, with annual rescue training, but that is club infrastructure rather than a service on call for visitors.

No lifeguard patrol covers kiters. Sea accidents go to 118, the Coast Guard emergency number; 119 for ambulance.

The kite community here is small and nobody may be on the beach on a given day, so if you ride alone, leave your launch point and return time with someone before you go.

Launch

Very long open white-sand beach with two commonly used access and launch ends, the fishing-port side and the Tokyu hotel side, picked by wind direction and by how crowded each one is. Parking, toilets, showers, shops: all at or near the beach. Do not spread gear across paths, parking areas or anywhere it blocks people or vehicles.

Hazards riders report 12 reported

Wind

strong gusty fronts in winter
Do not ride in bad weather, poor visibility, thunder, too much wind, no-wind drift risk, or during a tsunami, earthquake or military alert.

Crowds and zones

Heavy summer overlap with swimmers, tourists, marine-leisure operators and personal watercraft
April-November regulated watercraft/launch zones at Yonaha Maehama and Toguchinohama

Waves and currents

reef sections at other island beaches at low tide
Fast current and deep water at Maehama.
Some nearby Miyakojima spots expose coral, stones or rock shelves at low tide and may require booties

Protected areas and rules

Unauthorised entry to the designated April-November area at Maehama or Toguchinohama carries a fine of up to 200,000 yen.

Other

day-to-day condition variability requiring flexibility
Choppy water at Maehama despite the clear sandy setting
Local fishing rights and fishing-work areas around Miyakojima; riders are asked to avoid restricted/working areas and contact locals before riding
Typhoon and tropical low influence in summer-autumn

Rules & access

1 min read

Designated areas and penalties

2025 onward: Miyakojima City designates Yonaha Maehama and Toguchinohama as personal-watercraft accident-prevention priority areas from 1 April to 30 November each year. Entering the designated area without permission is prohibited. Penalties run to six months' imprisonment or a 500,000 yen fine for dangerous operation, and up to a 200,000 yen fine for unauthorised entry.

The ordinance text names jet skis and similar personal watercraft, not kiteboards; locally it is nonetheless treated as covering kiteboarding at Maehama, and a city use permit is expected for riding there between April and November. The application is a downloadable form plus a copy of photo ID such as a driving licence, emailed to the city tourism facilities office at kanko.shisetsu@city.miyakojima.lg.jp - processed on weekdays, so applications sent over a weekend wait. City office: 0980-73-2690, fax 0980-73-2692.

Local contact

Separately, visiting kiters, including returning ones, are asked to make contact locally before arriving: riding areas are restricted in places to keep clear of working fishing grounds, and rules differ beach to beach.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Treat Miyakojima as several spots, not one. Check wind and tide, then pick your beach with local advice: Maehama, Sanitsu, Nishihama, Takano, Toguchinohama.
For Maehama itself, look for SE to SSW wind rather than the classic winter N-E flow that drives most sessions on this island.
Message the local shop or the sailing association before the trip and again before you launch; riders who turn up unannounced can be turned away when the rules or the conditions require it.
Do not make Maehama your first solo session. Deep water, chop, fast current; the island's shallow training beach is Sanitsu.
If your dates fall between 1 April and 30 November, settle the permit by email before you fly: kanko.shisetsu@city.miyakojima.lg.jp, or 0980-73-2690. It is handled on weekdays, so a weekend application waits.
Keep inflated kites and lines off the beach paths, the parking spaces and the shopfronts; the sand is shared with a resort beach.

Getting there

Airport

Miyako Airport (MMY); Shimojishima Airport (SHI) is another island airport option

Route

Yonaha Maehama is reached by car or taxi: about 15 minutes on ordinary roads from Miyako Airport and about 35 minutes from Shimojishima Airport. Miyakojima itself is reached from mainland Japan by air.

Transfer

15 min

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Hirara business hotels sit about 15-20 minutes by car from Maehama; beach and resort accommodation around Yonaha and Shimoji is closer. Guest House Miyakojima is the usual pick for kiters who want daily condition updates and somewhere sensible to keep gear.

No-wind days

Snorkeling, SUP, diving, beach time, parasailing/motor-paraglider tandem activities, island sightseeing, Kurima Bridge/Kurima Island, Higashi-Hennazaki Cape and other Miyako beaches.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Maehama?

Mid-October to early March is the island's most stable season overall, though Maehama itself favors SE to SSW wind rather than the winter N-E flow used elsewhere.

Is Maehama suitable for beginners?

No; local guidance says Maehama is difficult for beginners because of its deep water, chop and fast current, directing them instead to nearby Sanitsu beach.

What is the wind like?

SE to SSW winds suit Maehama specifically, with speeds reported around 12-23 knots depending on season.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

A 2025 Miyakojima City ordinance requires a city use permit to kite at Maehama from April 1 to November 30 under its watercraft accident-prevention zoning.

What hazards should riders know about?

Fast current and choppy water are reported at Maehama despite its clear, sandy setting.

The bigger pictureEverything about Miyakojima

Last updated: August 2026