Hokkaido is blessed with waves all year round. For those willing to brave the sub zero temperatures with the proper gear, Sea of Japan is where to head. For most people, the warmer summer months offer the best opportunity to get wet. The ocean temperature hovers around 20-22 for summer, with plenty of protected bays and beaches, it’s a perfect place and time to learn how to surf.

For the more experienced surfer typhoon season is no doubt the best time to score. From August through to October storm fronts ripping up the Pacific bring lines of swell to the beachies and pointbreaks of Hokkaido. When the winds and swell align there is no place you’d rather be.