An American atmosphere
There is a US military base nearby, so there are a great many foreign visitors. It feels like being at a resort abroad.
BeachCentral Okinawa (Chatan)
Araha Beach
Take it easy in the shade of the beachside park
Being a beach in town it does not feel remote, but the beachside park has plenty of shelters and tree shade, so it is an easy place to spend time.
Clarity
2/5
Colour
3/5
Views
3/5
Shade
5/5
Facilities
5/5
Unspoilt
2/5
Highlights
Pavilions and tree shade to relax in
There are around eleven pavilions facing the beach, and in front of the beach is a green park with a great many large trees. Sitting on a pavilion bench, or spreading a mat under a tree and lying down, you can take your time without watching the clock or the people around you.
A park to play in
Behind the ship monument in front of the beach there is playground equipment of the assault-course kind. As you can see at the bottom right of the photograph, there are slides and animal rides as well. Children love it.
Basketball courts
There are three half courts that adults can enjoy too, and two single hoops. The courts can be used until 9 p.m., which suggests the floodlights in the middle of the photograph come on at night. If I could be a student again, I would come here on a trip with friends and play basketball beside the sea after dark.
Good to Know
Water clarity and gradation
The sand is fine and easily stirred up in the water, so the clarity is a little below average. Floating litter and seaweed are cleared away thoroughly. The gradation is about average for an Okinawan beach: on a clear day the clear blue at the water's edge, the emerald green inshore and the deep blue further out lie in distinct bands.
Shade
As mentioned among the things to recommend, the many pavilions and the shade under the large trees are where the people of the town come to relax.
The view from the beach
Three rock outcrops rise out of the water at Araha. The photograph at the top of the page shows the left-hand side as you face the sea, and this one the right. The horizon is long and the beach feels open. It sits in the middle of a town, so factories and buildings creep into the edge of the view, but they are far enough away not to close it in.
Toilets, showers and foot rinse
The toilets and the foot rinse are open all year; the showers only in summer (April to November).
The shower rooms
The showers are coin-operated.
Restaurant and café (summer)
In summer a parlour opens next to the management building. Prices are reasonable — curry rice ¥600, beer ¥450, shaved ice ¥250. Order a drink and the shaved ice is ¥50 cheaper.
Restaurant and café (winter)
The parlour closes in winter, but the vending machine sells pot noodles all year round. Presumably they are there for anyone who has braved the sea in the cold — you can feel the kindness of whoever runs the beach. In any case Araha is in the middle of Chatan town, so there are plenty of places to eat within walking distance.
Restaurant and café (recommended)
Of all the places to eat in Chatan, the restaurant Grapachina, at the entrance to the beachside park, is one I would recommend. Lunch is ¥1,300 (including tax) for a pizza or pasta dish with a buffet, free drinks and a dessert. The buffet runs to a range of salads, meat dishes and vegetable dishes and two Asian-scented curries. It is not only the variety — every dish is carefully made, and the buffet has more presence than the pizza or pasta it comes with.
Barbecues
A set with tent, chairs, table and equipment costs ¥7,500 if you order the food as well and ¥8,500 if you do not. If you bring your own tent, chairs and table you use the bring-your-own area, but the ¥4,000 equipment hire is still required. For the full barbecue menu see the official website. From April 2017 it appears to change to ¥5,000 per plot (whether equipment hire is included is not clear).
Equipment hire
Parasols, chairs and the like can be hired in summer only. At ¥800 for a parasol and ¥350 for a chair, they are cheaper than at other beaches.
Marine activities
In summer you can sign up for marine activities at the counter beside the beach. In winter you have to book by telephone.
The marine activity menu
These are the activities you can sign up for at the counter and do straight away. The prices are about average. The offer for barbecue customers is very good value — ¥5,000 for one dragon boat run carrying up to ten people. Book online or by telephone in advance and there is much more to choose from.
Snorkelling
Snorkelling inside the jellyfish net is not allowed, and swimming outside the net is forbidden. In winter the lifeguards leave and the jellyfish net is taken down, so snorkelling becomes possible, but there are no fish unless you swim the long way out to the reef edge. It is not a beach that suits snorkelling.
Beach yoga
You can practise yoga on the beach at Araha all year round. The scent of the sea breeze, the sound of the waves, the warmth of the sun, the gradations of the sea, the changing sky — yoga is a way of taking in the nature of Okinawa with your whole body. Book beach yoga here.
Note
It is a beach in the middle of a town, so there is nothing remote about it. Turn off the main road into the side streets and you are there at once. Beside the beach is a residential district. Think of it as a beach inside a town park.
At low tide the swimming area becomes narrow. The distance from the jellyfish-net floats to the water's edge is about 5 m at the closest point and only about 20 m at the furthest, and even at the deepest the water comes up no higher than an adult's hips.
Information
View on Google Maps →
Last checked: September 2016
In Japanese (for maps, taxis and car navigation): アラハビーチ 沖縄県中頭郡北谷町北谷2-21
Morning and evening yoga
at Araha Beach
We run beach yoga here too. Check availability and book in a few steps.