Okoshiki Coast

Okoshikitidal flatsAriake SeasunsetUto

Kumamoto · Uto

32.6630°N, 130.5454°E

The Ariake Sea has one of the largest tidal ranges in Japan, and when it goes out at Okoshiki it leaves several kilometres of sand ribbed into crescent-shaped ridges by the wind and the current. The water left in the troughs takes the colour of the sky — blue at midday, violet at dusk, orange at sunset, gold under a full moon.

It is on the national lists of both best beaches and best sunsets. The photograph everyone wants requires the low tide and the sunset to coincide, with the tide under fifty centimetres in the hour around sunset, and that happens on roughly ten days a year, concentrated between late February and early April. On those days photographers arrive from across Japan. The rest of the year it is a fine empty coast with a viewpoint above it.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

Open at all times | Best around sunset on low-tide days

Closed: Open year-round

Entrance Fee

Free | Free parking for about 50 vehicles

Best Season

Late February–early April on published low-tide sunset days

Visit Duration

60–90 minutes

Getting There

Access Information

Shimo-Amita-machi, Uto, on the north shore of the Uto peninsula. Car recommended. Free to visit, with a viewing platform above the shore and a car park for about 50 vehicles. The best conditions occur when a tide below 50 cm coincides with the hour around sunset, which happens on roughly ten days a year, concentrated from late February to early April; the city publishes the dates. It is listed among Japan's 100 Best Beaches and 100 Best Sunsets.

Insider Guide

Premium

**Roughly ten days a year.** Low tide under fifty centimetres coinciding with sunset. The city publishes the dates and photographers plan around them. **Late February to early April.** That is when the good days cluster. Outside that window the alignment does not occur. **Go to the viewpoint, not the beach.** The crescent pattern only resolves from the platform on the hill above. From sand level it is invisible. **Arrive early on a listed day.** Fifty parking spaces against photographers coming from across the country. Two hours before sunset is not excessive. **The rest of the year is still worth it.** An empty coast on the Ariake with a big tidal flat and a good sunset, just without the pattern.

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