Which main-island beaches can you ride to?

How do the beaches compare for a rider?

Beach	Route	Showers	Parking	Swim season	In winter
Emerald Beach	Motobu Peninsula loop	Free	Free; 5 bicycle-only spaces at the park's South Gate	April to October, netted, with lifeguards and a nurse	No swim service; the beach stays open on the park's Wednesday partial days
Kouri Beach	Kouri-jima and Yagaji loop	Paid, at Kouri Fureai Hiroba	About 150 car spaces at Fureai Hiroba	Summer swim area; dates unpublished	Faces south, out of the north wind
Tinu Beach	Kouri-jima and Yagaji loop	None listed	About 20 car spaces	None	Faces north into the wind
Zanpa Beach	Chatan seawall to Cape Zanpa	¥200 a time	Free	1 April to 31 October; netted in August 2026	Beach house open 9:00–17:00; food stand shut
Toguchi Beach	Chatan seawall to Cape Zanpa	Yes	Free	No lifeguards listed	Park and restaurant open; faces west
Araha Beach	2.7 km south of the Chatan start	In the beach building	Araha Park car park	10 April to 31 October 2026, lifesavers; netted in August 2026	Unsupervised; café across the road on weekends
Azama Sun Sun	Nanjo coast and the Niraikanai Bridge	Yes, with lockers	¥500 a car, ¥100 a motorbike	Netted; ran to 8 November in 2026	Marine activities all year; faces the north-east wind
Mibaru Beach	Nanjo coast and the Niraikanai Bridge	Yes	¥500 a day	No season published	Glass-bottom boats all year; faces south

The netting for Zanpa and Araha comes from Okinawa Prefecture's list of beaches that reported by 14 August 2026, which shows a habu-kurage net, a warning sign and vinegar at both (Okinawa Prefecture).

What's on the Motobu side?

Emerald Beach is the one with full summer service. It lies inside Ocean Expo Park, and our Motobu Peninsula loop from Nago runs past the park. Three spits of coral sand stick out into the lagoon, and you may swim only at the one called Asobi-no-hama, behind a jellyfish net with lifeguards and a nurse on duty (Ocean Expo Park). Showers are free, and the park bans snorkels on this beach. In 2026 the swimming hours ran 8:30–17:00 from 1 July to 31 October. Every car park in the park is free, and the South Gate car park keeps five spaces for bicycles only (Ocean Expo Park). From 1 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 the park trials a partial opening every Wednesday, and Emerald Beach stays open on those days along with the aquarium (Ocean Expo Park). Just past the park, the Bise fukugi lanes run about 1 km through the village under old windbreak trees, and the shade is welcome on a bike.

On Kouri-jima our loop runs 18.6 km with 165 m of climbing by our route data, and it starts at the Yagaji end of the 1,960 m Kouri Bridge. Kouri Beach lies at the island end, with about 300 m of sand west of the bridge and a swim area marked out in summer (Nakijin Village). Kouri Beach faces south across the channel to Yagaji, so on a north-wind day it sits in the lee of the island. Tinu Beach is Heart Rock's beach on the north shore. The Nakijin tourism association lists it as free and open all year with parking for about 20 cars (Nakijin Village). It faces straight into the winter wind, so treat it as a photo stop and keep off the rocks when the swell is up.

What's on the ride from Chatan to Cape Zanpa?

Two beaches sit right on the line and a third lies a short spin south of the start. Our Chatan to Cape Zanpa ride starts at the Chatan Town Information Center in Mihama, which rents e-assist bikes from ¥1,500 for the first hour up to ¥4,500 for the day. Chatan's own cycling guide sends beginners 2.7 km south on the flat past Sunset Beach to Araha. Its 600 m of sand had lifesavers from 10 April to 31 October in 2026 (Chatan). YAN CAFE faces the beach and opens on winter weekends from 9:00 to 17:30.

Heading north, Toguchi Beach sits at the mouth of the Hija River inside Tomari-gusuku Park. US troops came ashore along this coast on 1 April 1945. Today the park has showers, toilets, a playground and free parking, and its shallow water suits small children; bring your own mask, since nobody lends snorkel gear there (Yomitan). Zanpa Beach is Yomitan village's managed beach just south of Cape Zanpa. Its swim season runs from 1 April to 31 October, showers and lockers cost ¥200 each and parking is free (Yomitan). The beach house keeps 9:00–17:00 hours from November to March.

What's on the Nanjo coast?

Mibaru and Azama Sun Sun both sit on our Nanjo coast loop, which starts at the Ojima bridge in Tamagusuku and runs counter-clockwise. Mibaru is a long natural beach so shallow that you can walk out to the reef at big low tides. The Mibaru Marine Center sends glass-bottom boats over the coral all year, from 8:30 to 17:00 outside May to September, and Nanjo's winter guide recommends them (Nanjo). Parking costs ¥500 a day. Hama-no-Ya opens at 8:00 on the sand just west.

Azama Sun Sun opened in April 2000 beside Azama port, where the Kudaka boats leave, and it swims inside a jellyfish net in season. The 2026 season ran to 8 November after a typhoon-heavy summer cut swimming days, and outside July and August swimming runs 10:00–17:00 (Azama Sun Sun Beach). Cars pay ¥500 and motorbikes ¥100 (Azama Sun Sun Beach). Marine activities carry on in winter with wetsuits for hire at ¥1,500. The beach faces east toward Kudaka, so the north-east wind reaches it, and the operator posts each morning whether activities are on. The Niraikanai Bridge drops off the hill above toward this stretch of coast.

Can you swim at these beaches in winter?

You can, unsupervised, and the south- and west-facing beaches suit it best. Every published swim season on this list had ended by 8 November 2026. By our averages of JMA's daily sea-surface normals, February water runs 21.5 °C at the point north-west of the main island and 22.2 °C off its south coast (JMA, north; JMA, south). Nago's February wind averages 3.8 m/s from the north-north-east (JMA, Nago). Naha's averages 5.2 m/s from due north (JMA, Naha). That puts Kouri Beach and Mibaru in the lee, with the west-facing sand at Emerald, Zanpa, Toguchi and Araha side-on to it. Tinu and Azama take it full on.

Okinawa's rewritten water-safety ordinance has applied since 1 April 2026. Its Article 25 tells swimmers to stay out when the weather or the waves put them at risk and after drinking, and to wear a life jacket or a wetsuit when they swim (Okinawa Prefecture ordinance). The prefecture's habu-kurage alert runs through the summer, from 1 June to 30 September in 2026 (Okinawa Prefecture). For a sting, pour plenty of vinegar on it before you pull the tentacles off.

Where do you leave the bike?

Emerald Beach is the only one of the eight with bicycle spaces in its official listing, at the South Gate car park. Everywhere else you lock up in the car park. At Kouri Beach that means Kouri Fureai Hiroba, a few minutes' walk up the road. Azama Sun Sun prices parking for motorbikes and lists no rate for bicycles. Carry a lock long enough to reach a fence, because none of these beaches publishes a rack count.

Quick answers

Which Okinawa beaches can you cycle to from Chatan?

Araha Beach lies 2.7 km south of the Chatan Town Information Center on a flat seafront route, and Toguchi Beach and Zanpa Beach in Yomitan sit on the ride north to Cape Zanpa. The information center rents e-assist bikes from ¥1,500 for the first hour.

Is there bike parking at Emerald Beach?

Yes. Ocean Expo Park keeps five bicycle-only spaces at its South Gate car park, and all parking in the park is free. Emerald Beach is a walk along the seaside promenade from there.

Can you swim at Emerald Beach in winter?

No swimming service runs at Emerald Beach in winter. Its netted, lifeguarded season runs from April to October. The beach stays open on the park's Wednesday partial-opening days until 31 March 2027.

Which main-island beaches are sheltered from the winter wind?

Kouri Beach on Kouri-jima and Mibaru Beach in Nanjo both face south, so the north-north-east winter wind blows from behind them. Tinu Beach on Kouri's north shore and Azama Sun Sun Beach in Nanjo face into it.