If you love finding sea glass, especially smooth chunks of ice blues, greens and pinks, as well as rare bonfire glass – pieces fused together and embedded with ash or sand – them this little beach on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa is for you!
Where is Okinawa?
Okinawa Prefecture is in southern Japan, just a two and a half hour flight from Tokyo. The prefecture consists of 160 tropical islands – some uninhabited – and reaches south so close to Taiwan that it’s only a 30 minute flight from stunning Ishigaki Island and the amazing Club Med Kabira.
Its capital, Naha, is on Okinawa Island, the largest in the prefecture, and the capital of the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom. Okinawa was occupied by the US military following World War II and whilst returned to the Japanese government in 1972 the US military still has a presence with more than 26,000 troops stationed on the island. Some of the best things to do in Naha include visiting castles, exploring its Main Street, watching traditional dance and learning traditional coral art.
After five days exploring Naha we hired a car and took off in search of Sea Glass Beach.
Getting to Sea Glass Beach
It’s actually not too hard to find given that google maps knows how to direct you straight to it! Just search for Sea Glass Beach and follow the super easy directions north to Henoko. It’s pretty easy, and you’ll end up going down a sandy track to a a dirt parking area with a short walk down to the beach!
There isn’t accommodation at Henoko, so we stayed around 30 minutes away in Nago. We stayed at a little guesthouse, the Shirahamo Hotel, run by a fascinating Japanese-French woman for only $88 per night. The Mr Kinjo chain is also really good value with clean, secure rooms.
You can find such a diverse range of accommodation here from guest-houses to beach front resorts. Find where to stay in Nago here AND read about the best things to do in Okinawa here, like going to the Pineapple Farm, the beach and the amazing hydrangea fields.
About sea glass
Sea glass is pretty special. It’s formed after years of being tossed and pummelled in the ocean, with the the discarded shards becoming smooth and frosty from rolling in the sand. Bonfire glass occurs from a heat event – burning rubbish on the beach, a bonfire or a building fire – which causes pieces of glass to mesh together and become embedded with ash and sand. The glass looks bubbly, and can be a beautiful, swirling mixture of different colours and textures with dark sections and flecks held within.
Eyes down we traced the shoreline and the high tide mark finding a few pieces of blue and green glass. It wasn’t a lot but it was enough to satisfy Emmie, although the real prize, the bonfire glass eluded us.
Sea Glass Beach
It was late in the afternoon when we turned off onto the dirt road. Driving past little patches of farmland and tall golden grass we popped out at a dirt patch with a trail leading down to the beach. We parked and wandered down.
The gorgeous beach was deserted, blue water sparkling and a curved line of rocks and shells showing the high tide mark. Within seconds Emmie had pounced on an ice blue piece of glass, its milky colour and soft curves evidence of its time being pounded and swirled by the ocean.
As the sun set and the light began to fade we returned to the car and drove to our guesthouse, already excited to return for the morning for a new tide and washed up secrets of the ocean.
As we approached the beach the next day we could see it sparkling. Overnight a carpet of glass and shells had covered the sand, and the spaces between the rocks were stuffed with shells and round flat rocks and shards and chunks of glass…blues, green, whites and browns, and the first discovery by Emmie of her bonfire glass.
The piece was beautiful, white glass fused with a swirling blue and speckled with ash.
Soon enough a family of five wandered down the pathway, bringing little baskets and searching for blue glass. A US marine wife arrived with her daughter, hunting for flat stones for kids to paint in art class. Emmie ran off with the kids and I continued to comb the beach, finding tiny gems and beautiful mashups of green, blue and white.
After a few cooling swims in the stunning blue water it was time to go.What an adventure, and it was now time to explore more on Okinawa!
Other info:
There is so much to do in Okinawa – read about the best things to do with kids in Naha, Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture’s islands are amazing and tropical – read our review of Ishigkai and Taketomi Islands.
Stay at Club Med Kabira in Ishigaki
Ski at Club Med Tomamu in Sapporo
And if you’re feeling nervous about travelling check out our comprehensive family travel safety guide HOLIDAY SAFE: The complete guide to staying safe when traveling with kids It has everything you need to know about traveling safely on our family holiday or extended trip.