Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 176kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 335kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 410kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 270kJ
- Wind
- NW 12 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 279, good
- Tue 369, good
- Wed 468, good
- Thu 562, good
- Fri 656, fair
- Sat 760, good
- Sun 831, too small
- Mon 933, too small
- Tue 1064, good
- Wed 1165, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Oct–Nov2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 79, good | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 229kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 69, good | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 176kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 68, good | 5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 335kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 62, good | 5 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 410kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 270kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 60, good | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 1 knot, offshore | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 65, good | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 214kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 16°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:20 −0.7 mHigh 12:52 +0.5 mLow 18:44 +0.0 mHigh 23:40 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:48 −0.6 mHigh 13:58 +0.5 mLow 20:05 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:34 +0.4 mLow 08:05 −0.5 mHigh 14:46 +0.6 mLow 21:00 −0.4 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Oct–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Irinomatsubara on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Irinomatsubara
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (139°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (319°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 91). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 28°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually October and November, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Irino. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 24°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,320–US$2,520 each
about US$1,320–US$2,520 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to HIJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$683–US$1,410 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$348 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$234–US$442 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,320–US$2,520 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
5 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Irino its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Shimoda on Booking.com
17 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Yoshino on Booking.com
59 min by car · 1 place to stay
Nearest town: Irino, 3 km (about 5 min by car)
About US$80 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 29h 50m
About 29h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HIJ, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 3h 05m by road
Flights ORD → HIJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.