Nagata Inakahama Beach

Nagata Inakahama on Yakushima's northwest coast is a kilometer-long arc of golden sand that functions as one of the most significant loggerhead sea turtle nesting sites in the North Pacific. Between May and July, females haul themselves ashore after dark to lay eggs in the warm sand. Organized nighttime tours operate under strict protocols designed to keep the turtles undisturbed, and guides position visitors carefully so the nesting mothers are never blocked or approached too closely. By late summer, hatchlings emerge and scramble toward the ocean. Outside of turtle season, the beach is backed by Yakushima's forested mountains and washed by the clear currents of the East China Sea, making it a fine destination in its own right.