Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach (Tokyo 2020) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surf’s up... sort of. Let’s be real with you. The next couple of weeks at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach (Tokyo 2020) are gonna test your patience. This stretch is a mixed bag, and we’ve got a rough start before things clean up.

First off, the water is sitting at 82°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. It's like a bathtub out there, so you can get away with just boardshorts.

The opening days are a write-off. The first few days are looking at some solid swell, but the wind is all over the place. You’re looking at fresh cross-onshore breezes and lumpy conditions. On the 4th, we’ve got a big 12 ft southeast groundswell with a 16-second period, but it’s messy. The wave energy is strong too, hitting 6322, but it doesn't matter if it's chopped up. The 5th is much the same, just more of the same wind. Don’t even bother paddling out unless you want a fight with the chop.

The weekend is not much better. The 6th sees the swell drop to 8 ft, but it's still lumpy and onshore. It's marginal at best. The 7th and 8th are poor, with onshore winds and the swell period dropping right off to 8-9 seconds. That’s short-period wind slop. The energy drops to 553, which is weak. It’s just messy.

The start of the second week is still a struggle. The 10th and 11th have a lot of wind and poor conditions. The 11th brings another 10 ft swell, but it's from the ENE with onshore wind, so it’s gonna be a mess. If you’re into it, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those days.

Finally, things start to turn around. The first real standout is the morning of Wednesday the 12th. We’ve got a clean 7 ft east swell with a 12-second period and a light, cross-offshore wind from the SSW. The conditions are looking excellent. The combined energy is only moderate at 1095, but the clean face is what you want. The swell direction is east, but the optimum for this spot is SE, so it’s a bit off-angle. Still, it's the best we've seen.

After that, there are a few more mediocre days. The 13th and 14th are marginal with cross and onshore winds.

Then, we get another true standout. The morning of Sunday the 16th looks excellent. A clean 8 ft east-southeast swell with a 10-second period, light cross-offshore southerly wind. Another one of those days where the ocean finally gets its act together. Again, the energy is moderate at 2244, but the quality makes up for it.

The 17th also holds some promise with clean conditions and a 7 ft swell in the morning, but the afternoon looks more marginal.

So, here’s the plan. The first week and a half is mostly a wash. There’s a long gap where it’s just not worth the effort. But keep an eye on the 12th and, especially, the morning of the 16th. Those are the days where you want to be in the water. They are a long way out, so treat them as promising but less certain. It’s Tsurigasaki, so expect some crowds if it’s good. It’s a beach break, so that long-period groundswell can get a bit straight, but when it’s clean, it’s a fun one. After a blank run like this, it tends not to stay poor for long.

Stay patient, keep your board waxed, and be ready for those standout windows.

Rusty.

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