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Kobukei

Surf spot · Japan

Is it worth the trip?

42Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 7 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 30 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 smushy
Energy
363kJ
Wind
NNE 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 36 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
604kJ
Wind
NNE 13 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 64 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
758kJ
Wind
NNE 1 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 71 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
771kJ
Wind
NNW 5 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 19 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
151kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 shollow
Energy
94kJ
Wind
NNE 6 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 11 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
92kJ
Wind
NNE 12 kn
Temp
17°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 248, fair
  2. Tue 330, too small
  3. Wed 436, too small
  4. Thu 564, good
  5. Fri 671, good
  6. Sat 719, too small
  7. Sun 813, too small
  8. Mon 911, too small
  9. Tue 1017, too small
  10. Wed 1150, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Nov–Dec2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Kobukei, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov48, fair5 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)369kJwind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore25°C
Tue 3Nov30, too small4 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.)363kJwind from the north-north-east, 7 knots20°C
Wed 4Nov36, too small6 ft10 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)604kJwind from the north-north-east, 13 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov64, good6 ft10 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)758kJwind from the north-north-east, 1 knot23°C
Fri 6Nov71, good7 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)771kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots23°C
Sat 7Nov19, too small3 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)151kJwind from the north, 5 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov13, too small2 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)94kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov11, too small3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the north-north-east, 12 knots17°C
Tue 10Nov17, too small3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)105kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots17°C
Wed 11Nov50, fair6 ft8 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)377kJwind from the north, 9 knots16°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 12:56 +0.5 mLow 18:44 +0.1 mHigh 23:38 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 06:46 −0.6 mHigh 14:03 +0.6 mLow 20:13 −0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 01:35 +0.4 mLow 08:06 −0.5 mHigh 14:53 +0.6 mLow 21:11 −0.3 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.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Kobukei

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (102°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (282°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 19°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 November and December, with about 2 good days in 7; in June, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Nichinan. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

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$1,330–US$2,540 each

about US$1,330–US$2,540 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to FUK, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$690–US$1,430
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$107–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$208–US$348
Food7 days eating outabout US$234–US$442
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,330–US$2,540

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

Closest

Nichinan

about 20 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$80/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Nichinan · Booking.com

About Nichinan its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest town: Nichinan, 10 km (about 20 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 30h 55m

About 30h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → FUK, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 4h 25m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.