O-arai
Surf spot · Japan
Is it worth the trip?
29Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 6 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 842kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 357kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 247kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Mon 9 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 238, too small
- Tue 319, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 532, poor
- Fri 656, fair
- Sat 725, too small
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 109, too small
- Wed 1118, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 38, too small | 5 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 299kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, poor | 9 ft7 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 842kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 56, fair | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 357kJ | offshorewind from the west, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 25, too small | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 18, too small | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 234kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 12°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 02:56 −0.6 mHigh 11:24 +0.3 mLow 15:34 +0.2 mHigh 19:53 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:15 −0.5 mHigh 12:12 +0.3 mLow 17:43 +0.0 mHigh 22:26 +0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:35 −0.4 mHigh 12:45 +0.3 mLow 18:49 −0.1 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
O-arai on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About O-arai
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (104°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (284°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 25°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ōarai, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,290–US$2,470 each
about US$1,290–US$2,470 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to NRT, estimated from distance and season, 4 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$658–US$1,360 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$349 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$235–US$443 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,470 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Ōarai
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 45 places to stay
about US$81/nightcountry average
About Ōarai its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$81 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 18h 40m
About 18h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NRT, direct, then 1h 25m by road
Flights ORD → NRT on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.