Chiba

Shidashita — known locally as 'Shida' — is Japan's most famous surf beach, located on the Chiba coast about 90 minutes from Tokyo, and hosted surfing at the 2020 Olympics. It's an open beach break with shifting sandbars that works across a wide range of conditions, from summer typhoon swells out of the east and southeast to winter northeast wind swells, with waves typically best from knee-high to slightly overhead. Offshore winds from the west or southwest are common in the mornings, and the spot picks up swell year-round, making it one of Japan's most reliable breaks. Crowds are the main challenge — weekends with swell draw hundreds of surfers from Tokyo, though weekdays are more manageable. Longboarding is not permitted, and the standard of surfing is high, with many of Japan's top competitive surfers calling Shida home. August tends to be the most consistent month for clean, surfable waves.