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During the warm spring season in Oarai Town, visitors can enjoy gathering shellfish on the natural sandy shore, which has abundant marine resources.
During the warm spring season in Oarai Town, visitors can enjoy gathering shellfish at Oarai Sun Beach, which has abundant natural marine resources. Oarai Sun Beach is not a tourist spot or shellfish gathering facility where there is a manager and you have to pay an admission fee, but a natural sandy shore where many marine creatures inhabit. We hope you will follow the rules and enjoy gathering shellfish while appreciating the abundant sea and respecting its resources. We recommend wearing clothes that can get wet. Don’t forget to take precautions to protect yourself from the sun and prevent heat stroke.
Spring, from mid-April to late June, one hour before and after low tide, especially before and after spring tide
*See [JMA tide table]for low tide times and water levels.
*The times are estimates. Since it is not a shellfish gathering facility, there is no set period for the event.
The shellfishing site in Oarai is not meant to be a shellfish gathering facility for tourists.
In Oarai Town, shellfish can only be gathered at the 1st Sun Beach and the 2nd Sun Beach (Ibaraki Port Oarai Port area west sediment control embankment to the Onuki district coastal jetty). Sun Beach is not a shellfish gathering facility, but a natural sandy shore with many natural shellfish. To protect the resources, regulations govern the quantity of shellfish that can be harvested, and the size and tools permissible for harvesting. Please have fun while following the rules.
*The site is at the water’s edge, so please wear clothes that you don’t mind getting wet.
*Please bring a hat for sun protection.
*Shellfish gathering is only allowed at the 1st and 2nd Sun Beach (west breakwater to Onuki district coastal jetty) (red area in the map). *Areas other than those where shellfish gathering is allowed (e.g., shores south of the 2nd Sun Beach) are protected areas (no fishing areas) and you cannot harvest any shellfish. If you harvest shellfish in violation of the restrictions, it will be an infringement of fishing rights or a violation of fisheries-related laws and regulations. In such cases, you may be punished under the Ibaraki Prefecture Fisheries Adjustment Regulations and other laws and regulations.
*See the [Ibaraki Prefecture Fisheries Policy Division] for more information.
The maximum allowed is “one kilogram per person per day!”
*A shellfish (hard clam) measuring three centimeters weighs approximately 10 g. The weight of 100 pieces is roughly one kilogram.
Ibaraki Prefecture is working to increase resources by releasing large numbers of young hard clams. Fishermen are also actively managing resources by releasing small shellfish back into the water and limiting operating hours.
We ask that everyone who enjoys gathering shellfish also follow the rules in order to preserve the sea’s resources.
Please use the parking lot adjacent to Oarai Sun Beach.
| Parking | 5,000 spaces (50 spaces for the handicapped) |
|---|---|
| Parking fee | Charged at certain times of the year.Click here for details > *Currently being planned |
We recommend staying at an accommodation in Oarai after shellfish gathering.
How about soothing your tired body after a day of fun by soaking in a relaxing hot spring and enjoying some fresh, delicious food? It’s a great way to satisfy both your mind and body.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and answers.
Please check before contacting us by phone.
Oarai Town’s shellfish gathering sites are not operated as shellfish gathering facilities.
Ordinances of Ibaraki Prefecture specify “The 1st Sun Beach” and “The 2nd Sun Beach” in Oarai Town as places where shellfish gathering is permitted. In addition, there are detailed regulations governing the tools that may be used, the amount that may be collected, and the size of the shellfish that may be harvested. Please enjoy gathering shellfish freely, observing these rules. Please read this page for more details.
The shellfish gathering sites in this area do not operate as shellfish gathering facilities, so there is no charge (parking fees, etc., may apply). Since they are natural sandy shore, there is no guarantee that you will be able to find shellfish. Please understand beforehand.
It is possible that you may not be able to harvest them because they are natural shellfish. We do not scatter shellfish like managed “shellfish gathering facilities.” Please come as casually as if you come to play by the water, taking into consideration that you may not be able to catch shellfish.
Good harvest time is from mid-April to the end of June. The most suitable time is about an hour before and after low tide on a spring tide day. See [JMA tide table] for the time of low tide and the tide level.
Asari clams and razor clams are found in tidal flats within areas such as Tokyo Bay. Since Oarai is an open sea, they do not inhabit here. Inhabitants are pelagic shellfish such as “hard clam” and “sakhalin surf clam.”
The amount of tides varies from day to day. Spring tide is the time when the difference between high and low tides is the greatest at or near the new moon and the full moon.
The time of day when the tide is at its lowest level. The time varies from day to day. See [JMA tide table] for the time of low tide and the tide level.
It is not impossible. However, since many people do shellfish gathering during Golden Week holidays and summer vacation, the probability of shellfish being in the shallows is quite low.
In addition, hard clams are generally in season from spring to early summer. Bivalves spawn in the summer and release nutrients from their bodies as eggs, so they lose their flavor. Therefore, out-of-season shellfish gathering is not recommended.
For information on the criteria for shellfish gathering availability written on other websites, please inquire with the person who created such websites.
In some cases, the name and phone number of Oarai Tourism Association is used as the contact information for inquiries. However, the Association does not permit websites or blogs that provide information that is not verified to be true or accurate to post information about the Association. Thank you for your understanding.
Sand removal is required. Please soak them in the seawater for a day to remove the sand.
Fill a styrofoam container or bucket with some seawater and place the shellfish in it to take home. Please note that there is a limit of one kilogram per person per day for shellfish gathering in Oarai, so be sure to observe this limit.
There are no showers except when Oarai Sun Beach is open. Please understand this beforehand.
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