Cooling off with a Dip – Summer Swimming in Hiroshima

Jun 28, 2019

Cooling off with a Dip – Summer Swimming in Hiroshima

Let’s face it – there are few things more refreshing on a hot summer’s day than leaping into cool outdoor water. If you live in Hiroshima prefecture, you will find several lovely beaches filled with golden sand and looking out towards the Seto Inland Sea, plus purpose-built outdoor water facilities for all the family. Here are some suggestions on where to head if you fancy an outdoor summer swim in the area.

Tsutsumigaura Beach

This is a bit of a journey as it’s over on the east side of Miyajima Island and 4.5 km from the public pier, so you’ll need to either walk, drive or get a taxi. However, it’s easily one of the best beaches in Hiroshima. The beach is part of a larger nature park that consists of camping facilities, cabins and sports facilities such as tennis courts. Swimmers can access the beach during the summer season. It’s a 700-meter-long golden sand beach that curves around in a kind of crescent/boomerang shape. The waters are fairly shallow, which makes it suitable for children and inexperienced swimmers. There are also boat cruise and fishing trips accessible from the beach.

Address: Miyajimacho, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima 739-0588

Chuo Koen Family Pool

Opened in 1979, this central facility lies next to the Green Arena Prefectural Museum. It’s a summer resource that is open for business every July and August, consisting of a standard 50-meter pool, a loop pool and a small children’s paddling pool. It’s perfect if you want a bit of family fun and have young children that need cooling off. However, it’s not so great if you’re in the mood for a serious swim as it tends to get pretty packed with screaming youngsters. You can check how busy the 1,000-capacity facility is on the pool’s website (updated roughly every two hours). There are on-site café facilities and you can rent inflatable rings for 100 yen, or bring your own. Entry is 790 yen for adults and 340 yen for children and over-65s.

Website: http://www.midoriikimono.jp/pool_top.html

Setoda Sunset Beach

Another idyllic beach in Hiroshima but again you have to journey out a bit to the city of Onomichi. The reward is an 800-meter-long white sand beach where you can swim in the Seto Inland Sea, sunbathe or even indulge in a bit of water-sports shenanigans such as kayaking or stand-up paddling (SUP). One of the best things about this beach is that, as the name might suggest, it’s a fantastic place to watch a sunset. You won’t even need to worry about heading back home immediately afterwards either as there are nearby camping facilities.

Website: http://www.onomichi-sunset-beach.jp/

Chupea Waterpark

For full-on aqua fun, head along to Chupea Waterpark in Hatsukaichi City. Opened every July to September, this all-ages waterpark has attractions including a giant waterslide, a wave pool and a mini whale-shaped slide for younger kids. On top of this, there are kids activities next to the pool including trampolining, a climbing wall and fun newspaper-making (the site is linked to the Chugoku Shimbun local paper). For adults, there is a golf course right next to the facility. Full-price entrance is 2,000 yen (increased to 2,200 yen at weekends).

Website: https://chupea-park.jp/

Photo by Hugh Cann