Adan Beach, Okinawa (アダンビーチ 沖縄)

Beautiful, and a bit quirky, beach in northeast Okinawa Island

Driving south down the coast on northeast Okinawa Island we spotted, and made a brief stop at, Adan Beach (アダンビーチ), located in the Kunigami District of Okinawa. We're about 8 km south of Cape Hedo (the northernmost point of Okinawa) here and the beach is just off the main road in these parts, Route 70. Not that there’s much traffic on the road and we were the only people at Adan Beach. As is often the case in this part of Okinawa. In the fine weather Adan Beach appeared as bit of a paradise. The turquoise waters were clear close to the sands, dotted with occasional specks of reef and rock. Further out, past the edge of the reef, the ocean turned to a rich blue. The relatively thin strip of sand looked untrodden and very inviting. That said, in the water it does look to be a bit reefy and rocky so paddlers and swimmers will have to tread carefully. This is probably not a low tide swimming spot, if it's even a safe swimming spot at all. That said, the reef will probably provide protection from any strong currents. But don't take my word for it. The beach itself is fronted by a gentle, grassy bluff with wooden stepping providing access to the sand. The other side of the bluff is a tatty car park, although fairly spacious, that makes you wonder if the place has been abandoned, although it’s hard to imagine that this area ever sees much in the way of traffic anyway, despite its beauty. Up on the bluff we did see a ferocious looking sign (in Japanese) that seems to be saying something along the lines of Adan Beach not being managed by the local government and so one should swim at one’s own peril, i.e, should something happen, no one’s coming to the rescue, unless you happen to be here when others are around. Anyway, I can’t be sure so I’ve put a picture of the sign in the review for you to check for yourselves. There’s also some form of beach house at Adan Beach. It looked shut (or abandoned) during our visit but it has phone numbers displayed on a sign so is presumably some kind of business. It wasn't doing any business during our visit. Anyway, what was great about Adan Beach was just this, it seemed unused. This is one of the great joys of driving the northeast of Okinawa - few people around and magnificent scenery, like Adan Beach, all to yourself. I’m almost reluctant to write a review about it! One curiosity about Adan Beach that this traveler in Okinawa enjoyed were the two bright orange chairs looking like they’d come straight out of the funky 1970s sitting on the bluff with a plumb view of the beach. I don’t know who put them there, but well played to that person! If you’re looking for a beautiful beach in Okinawa with no one around and bit of quirk, check out Adan Beach I say.