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Kochi Prefecture has the longest coastline in Japan exposed to the central Pacific Ocean and the powerful Kuroshio current welling from the equator and swirling up past the shores of the northwestern rim nations. As a result, Kochi's coast is studded with sandy bays rising from the large continental shelf that is the Tosa Bay. Furthermore contributing to the wave action, weather in the summer and shoulder months also comes from the east or southeast, meaning that swells hit Kochi at a perfect angle to create some beautiful left and right breaks that are long and smooth. These conditions combine to give Kochi some of the best waves in all of Japan - sufficient that big city surfing nuts in Kobe and Osaka will drive all night to get to their favorite beach. Yet, the beauty of Kochi's eastern beaches is that they are just far enough away that during weekdays you will still have plenty of room to grab a wave without 10 other people to compete with for it. Weekends? Well... they do get busy.

In the evenings, you can drive to nearby towns for restaurants, and bars (non-alcoholic brews for the driver). The local hotels are generally a bit basic, but in any case you're here for the surfing, right? If you really do need a luxury ocean-view resort, we do have one arranged across the other side of Muroto peninsula. It's a bit of a drive, but then Kochi is one of the nicest prefectures in Japan to drive in. With a population of just below 700,000 and a land area of approximately 7,100 km2 , many of the roads are low-traffic and it's not unusual to drive some of the mountain roads for many minutes before meeting oncoming traffic.

Tour itinerary

Day 1
Arriving at Kochi Airport, your first port of call is to claim your rental car. Although your vendors will speak little English, we will prepare all the logistics for you, and provide you with the rental details you will need. Note that Google Maps works perfectly well for Kochi roads, in English, so make sure that you have a working cell phone. If you need a local SIM, we can supply this to you. After signing the rental documents and stowing your luggage, you will drive to our local partner to pick up your rental board(s), then it's time to hit the road for the longish drive 100 km around the Muroto Peninsula and north to the Toyocho/Ikumi area. Much of this drive will be along the coastline and beaches you will visit on subsequent days, so you can check out the general surf conditions along the way. If you're eager to get out and try the water, find a parking area near each of the beaches we have tagged for you, and follow the locals. Most of the designated parking areas also have a store, cafe, and most importantly, public toilets.
After you finish your first surfing session, stay at either a local hotel or guest house. 
The Toyocho area is a countryside location, but there are some good Japanese restaurants and cafes within 10-15 minutes drive.

Day 2
Depending on the wind and swell conditions, today you have a choice of staying all day surfing at Ikumi beach, or moving north to the Shishikui beach, which is just inside Tokushima prefecture. If you choose either location, be sure to head back to Toyocho's Umi-no-eki for a delicious katsuo-no-tataki lunch. Fresh supplies arrive mid-morning and the locals know this — be there before 12 noon to be in with the best chance. That said, they have created a selection of high-carb-but-healthy dishes for hungry surfers to munch over.

But if the surf is not working, you may want to head out in the morning and move south down the coast to Ozaki beach (at the Ozaki rivermouth). From there, because you will be staying at hotels in the Aki or Yasuda area, you could head back around the Muroto peninsular to check out the Yasuda rivermouth sand bar, and the Monobe rivermouth sand bar. The best known of these is Monobe, which gets the southerly swells during the summer months. The basic idea of course is that if the winds are easterlies, try the eastern side of Muroto peninsular, and if southerlies, be at Yasuda or Monobe. 
Since you will probably want to get the morning swells before the wind kicks up, we have chosen locations not far from Monobe river mouth.
In the afternoon if the surf has dropped and you're already on the western side of Muroto, one very worthwhile place to visit is the world's only authorized replica of Monet's Garden, called the Kitagawa village "Monet's Garden" Marmottan. Whether you're a Monet fan, an artist, or you just like beautiful water lilies, ponds, and wisteria trellises, the gardens at Kitagawa are an inspiration. They also have a nice cafe and souvenir shop, so it's a great place to while away an afternoon.

Day 3
Because of the proximity of the Monobe area to the airport, you have plenty of time for an early morning surf, then it's time to pack up and do the short drive back to Kochi Airport. (Please note you should leave 1 hour for airport check-in and 1.5 hours for the rental returns – the latter we can also take care of as an additional service).