Onjuku Beach & Town
A fishing port and surf town on the Pacific coast of the Boso Peninsula with genuinely good swimming beaches, fresh local lobster (ise-ebi), and an arts community that moved here from Tokyo. The mural-covered old town streets and the fishing harbour where lobster boats return at dawn give it an authenticity missing from better-known beaches.
Half day
Free
Beach: always open; facilities and restaurants: May–Oct peak
July–August (beach), October–April (lobster season)
Onjuku Station on JR Sotobo Line (approx. 90 min from Tokyo)
Location
Why Visit
- 1
Ise-ebi (Japanese spiny lobster) caught locally in season (October–April) — grilled at harbour restaurants
- 2
Dawn at the fishing harbour: lobster boats return as the Pacific turns orange
- 3
The arts murals throughout the old town are commissioned from Tokyo and international artists
Local Tips
One of the finest swimming beaches within 2 hours of Tokyo — the Pacific swell creates good bodyboarding conditions. The backstreet izakayas of Onjuku town serve excellent local sashimi and fried iwashi (sardines). The headland walk to the lighthouse gives views south along the Katsu-ura Coast. Combine with Katsuura morning market for an early start.
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