Hirizo Beach — Attraction in Minamiizu

If Okinawa isn’t possible then best try for Hirizo Beach. I can guarantee you that Hirizo Beach will be crowded so its best to come very very very early! The beach surface itself is filled with stones but you can still mount tents here, which is essential especially if the sun is at its full tilt. The water itself is clear and clean. Its low tide in the afternoon. There’s an abundant range of tropical fishes which you cant touch or catch as there’s plain-clothes staff keeping tabs with visitors. There’s also some exotic crabs if you’re lucky whilst squid and eels are very common sight as you get further to the middle bit. It might be crowded but if you’re not a fluent swimmer then this beach will give you more confidence to roam around deep waters (in terms of snorkelling). Also, be careful as I did see a STONEFISH right on the bottom. This beach isn’t as rocky but its wearing marine shoes is still highly recommended. If you’re not a good swimmer then get yourself a life jacket and it will cost you ¥1000 for the...

Best snorkeling spot/water I've been to so far in East Japan. Water is so-so at first but once you go out for another 15 meters, it's absolutely amazing. Huge variety of fish of diff. sizes, lots of coral, etc.

ADVICE: Set your destination to NAKAGI PORT; park, board the ferry and rent equipment from there Copy the boat schedule; tide rises quickly you should plan to leave by 3 PM If too full/boats cancelled, you can also try "Mera" port which will take you to "Yagawahama" (30 mins away)

BEWARE: -Boats may be cancelled depending on wave conditions; check website at 7 AM Parking usually fills up by 9-10 AM; everyone parks illegally but will be ticketed Snorkeling only - not a beach location You will need water shoes since its all painful rocks and sea...

The snorkeling area is nice as it's an enclosed area surrounded mostly by rocks. You need to get quite a bit out to be deep enough to swim. You will definitely need some shoes for the water as there's sea urchins and sharp rocks that I would not suggest walking barefoot on. Once you're further out though, the water and marine life is really nice.

Biggest negative is how crowded it is and having to arrive super early in the morning for parking. Most cars started waiting as early as 3am to get a parking spot. Then there's a lot of waiting until the boats start running at 8am with a huge queue of people waiting to board it. After arriving at the beach, everyone sets up their massive tents so it's a bit of a pain to walk and get...