Kawana Beach is one of the holy places for snorkeling and diving, located in eastern Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. This beach is a boulder-strewn beach.
Let’s take a look at the highlights of Kawana Beach!
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What makes Kawana Beach attractive
The most attractive thing about Kawana Beach is the clarity of the water. The water is among the clearest in all of Japan.
It is a snorkel paradise where you can admire colorful fish such as butterfly fish. You can see sea turtles if you are lucky!
It is also home to a variety of nudibranchs and shrimps, making it a great place for micro divers.
The beach is small, with a length of about 300 meters. You can spend a relaxing time here as not many people know the place.
Since the beach and seashore are covered with boulders, we recommend wearing marine shoes to prevent injuries and falls.
Restaurants and Resting Places
There are several Japanese restaurants scattered around Kawana Beach. One of the best is the adjacent “Amanokoya Kaijo-tei”. You can enjoy kaisen-don (seafood rice bowl) and set menus that use plenty of fresh local fish from Izu.
Changing rooms and restrooms are located at Kawana Irukka-hama Park, next to Kawana Beach.
Nearby Sightseeing Spots
There are a number of day-trip hot spring facilities around Ito Station, the neighbor of Kawana Station. Why not go a little further and relax your body after a long day of snorkeling in a hot spring? It takes about 20 minutes from Irukahama by bus bound for Ito Station.
Near the Kawana Hotel introduced earlier is the Kawana Stained Glass Museum. In addition to exhibits of beautiful stained glass works, antique pipe organs and music box concerts in churches and chapels are held regularly, so be sure to check it out.
Location
From Tokyo Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train (about 40 minutes) or the Ueno Tokyo Line to Atami Station (about 90 minutes), then transfer to the Ito Line for about 30 minutes to the nearest station, which is Kawana Station.
The distance from Kawana Station to the beach is about 1.2 km, so it is accessible on foot, but we recommend taking a bus, especially on the way back, as the road is very steep. The nearest bus stop to Kawana Beach is “Irukuhama”.
See Also
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