Tropical Beach
👋 Haisai! I’m CULT.
Today, I’d like to tell you about a tropical beach that’s perfect to visit when driving around Okinawa with a rental car. Typically, tourists collect their rental cars and head north, but while there is Naminoue Beach in the city, the Tomari Bridge obstructs the horizon, which can feel a bit stifling. This beach is the first one where you can see the horizon as soon as you leave the city. It’s conveniently located next to the wide Route 58, making it easily accessible, and it has commercial facilities, so you can stop by comfortably before continuing your journey.
📌 Location and Opening Hours
As shown on the map, Tropical Beach is located in Ginowan City, where the southern region of Okinawa ends and the central region begins. I’ll provide information on the opening hours and operating times while you look at the photo below [Google Map]
Opening hours vary depending on the season, so please make sure to check them carefully before visiting. Lifeguards are present during opening hours, and in Okinawa Prefecture, swimming in areas without lifeguards is strongly prohibited. If you swim in an area without a lifeguard or in an unauthorised location and an accident occurs, insurance will not cover it even if you are insured.
Therefore, please ensure you enjoy swimming safely during the times when lifeguards are overseeing your safety. 🛟
🏖️ Facilities at Tropical Beach
Tropical Beach offers free parking, but if you visit on a weekend afternoon, you might find it already full and may need to park in a nearby paid parking lot. If you go at a slightly off-peak time or early, you can find a convenient spot to park.
Vending machines are basically everywhere. You might notice some Westerners around, as there’s a US Marine Corps camp nearby, so you’ll often see military personnel. The beach itself also has a lot of Western visitors.
These tent-style benches are available for a fee. Although I couldn’t confirm the exact price, such benches in Okinawa typically rent for between 2,000 and 3,000 yen per day. Here are the other rental prices (per day):
Parasol 1,000 yen / Sunbed 1,000 yen / Swimming tube 500 yen / Children’s life jacket free of charge
In the central part of the beach, there are commercial facilities. Here, you can find essentials for swimming, and there’s a kiosk where you can order simple meals or ice cream. The opening hours are the same as the timetable mentioned above. If you’re planning a barbecue party, you can inquire here.
And there are coin lockers available as well. They also serve as changing rooms. While these are commonly found at most beaches in Okinawa, the facilities here are better maintained.
There is also a coin-operated shower, but what makes Tropical Beach unique is that it offers hot water showers as well. Hot water shower facilities are usually not common. However, since the cold water showers aren’t too chilly, I don’t think it’s necessary to insist on hot water. It costs 100 yen for 3 minutes of water.
You can use the foot bath for free.
Even if you’re not swimming, if you just want to dip your feet up to your ankles in the sea, this is essential. If you get into the car with sand on your shoes or feet, those grains of sand will be rolling around inside the car until the end of your trip. It’s quite bothersome and not good for your skin, so after dipping your feet in the seawater, I recommend rinsing them with fresh water.
🏖️ The View of Tropical Beach
This is Tropical Beach. It was the end of June, and the tide was low, so the sea had receded significantly. This makes it even safer, especially if you’re travelling with children. The blue buoys you see in the photo are jellyfish prevention nets and mark the lifeguard’s safety control area. If you get stung by a jellyfish or an accident occurs outside that line, insurance won’t cover it.
As I always say, safety first, safety second, the most important thing is your safety 🙏
I climbed up onto the breakwater to capture the view of Tropic Beach. Watching the sunset from the breakwater is also a nice option. Typically, in summer, the sun hovers near the horizon around 7 PM. If you happen to be travelling north or south along Route 58 around this time, consider stopping by the breakwater to enjoy the sunset. You can enjoy a more open and refreshing view of the sunset compared to the American Village Sunset Beach.
What an adorable signpost! Where are you from? I came from Prague, Czech Republic, which is quite similar to Paris, France. I travelled from about 8,500 km away 🤗
When you’re by the sea, you simply must gaze at the stunning horizon, don’t you think? In eastern Okinawa, you can easily enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean’s horizon, but the western side has a few more restrictions. This is because, historically, the western sea of Okinawa has been prone to tsunamis due to earthquakes, leading to the installation of numerous tsunami prevention breakwaters. However, Tropical Beach is located slightly outside the tsunami impact zone, so when you look at the horizon, the breakwaters are less visible, which is a unique feature.
If you turn your gaze, you can also see the American Village. It’s approximately 4km away in a straight line. I’ll upload more about the Sunset Beach at the American Village soon!
When travelling from the south to the north of Okinawa, or vice versa, I often recommend taking Route 58 instead of the highway. Why not stop by Tropical Beach along Route 58 and enjoy the summer? It’s very accessible, and if there’s no parking available, you can simply head straight to Araha Beach. Although, Araha Beach does have less parking space. Okinawa has numerous beaches, which will give you plenty of options, and I’ll be introducing all of them to you!
I’ll leave it here for now and will return with more Okinawa travel information. Matayasai 👋
