Shirahama Ohama Beach, Shimoda
About the Shirahama Ohama Camera
Shirahama Ohama is the largest beach on the Izu peninsula, a long crescent of white sand on the Pacific coast just north of Shimoda. The water is clear enough that the colour shift from shore to deep is visible from the camera on a bright day.
It is a surf beach as much as a swimming one. The exposure picks up swell through most of the year, so there are usually boards in the water even outside the summer season, and the camera is a practical way to read the conditions before setting out. At the northern end stands Shirahama Shrine, one of the oldest on Izu, with a torii on the rocks above the water.
Shimoda itself is where Japan's closure to the outside world ended: the Treaty of Shimoda was signed at Ryosen-ji in 1854, after Perry's squadron anchored in the bay. The town is reached by the Izukyu line from Tokyo, and buses run from Izukyu-Shimoda Station to the beach.
Highlights & Nearby
- •Watch for: surf conditions through the year, summer crowds on the sand, the shrine torii on the northern rocks
- •Nearby: Shirahama Shrine, Shimoda town and port, Ryosen-ji, Cape Tsumeki
- •Note: the largest beach on the Izu peninsula; swell runs well outside the summer season
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Shirahama Ohama camera live?
Yes. It streams the beach continuously.
Is this the same Shirahama as the one in Wakayama?
No. Both names mean 'white beach', but this one is in Shimoda on the Izu peninsula in Shizuoka; the other is in Wakayama, several hundred kilometres west.
Can you surf here outside summer?
Yes. The beach is exposed enough to pick up swell through most of the year, which is why boards are usually in the water off-season.
How do you reach the beach?
By the Izukyu line to Izukyu-Shimoda Station, then a local bus.
