Skip to navigation Skip to main content

About Kanagawa

The prefectural capital city of Yokohama is less than 30 minutes from Shibuya station and shows a different side of Kanto’s urban landscape.
Yokohama is a city of diverse districts; The futuristic seafront of Minato Mirai 21 is full of international shops and restaurants while further along at Motomachi-Chukagai is Japan’s largest Chinatown. You will need to have your stretchy pants for a visit to the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum, a food theme park of nine restaurants selling ramen from different regions of Japan. If you have not had your fill of noodles yet then there’s also the Yokohama Cup Noodles museum.
Although Yokohama is famous, when talking about Kanagawa prefecture, the prefecture itself is large. It stretches form the Tokyo bay to Shizuoka prefecture to the west. With beautiful popular beaches, such as Shonan, Zushi, Chigasaki, to the famous hot spa “Onesen” areas, such as Hakone area.

Diving here is popular. There are many reasons for its popularity, but one major reason would be its location from Tokyo. The Miura peninsula, the local station near the diving areas are less than an hour away from Yokohama station. The Hayama, Kamakura diving areas are the same. By car, it is an hour or two away from Tokyo. The local marine life are abundant as well. With many different sub currents flowing in to and from the Tokyo bay, many small size marine creatures are seen in all the diving spots. Many nudibranchs and endemic types of fishes.

Local Areas

Kanagawa Area Map

Areas in Kanagawa

Jogashima

Intersections for Sea currents(Tokyo Bay, Sagami Bay and the Black current)

The East side is the Tokyo Bay, with many nudibranch. With the right condition, you may be lucky to see over 30 types of nudibranch in this area. Due to the currents, you can see many large school of fishes as well. The underwater terrain is also diverse as well. You can enjoy diving along side large cracks(100m long 10m deep) and dynamic drop offs during your diving. There is a very shallow beach diving point where you can enjoy the long dive with the macro marine life.

Diving Site (Jogashima)

What you can see

All year round:
-Variety of nudibranch
-Variety of Shrinps and Crabs
-Variety of Macro marine life
-high-crowned seahorse (Hippocampus coronatus)
-School of Japanese horse mackerel (Trachurus japonicus)
-School of Japanese amberjack (Serial quinqueradiata)
 

Shops in the area

World Tour Planners CO.,LTD 株式会社ワールドツアープランナーズ

  • Minato-ward, Tokyo
  • Japanese, English
  • CashCredit Card
  • City
  • PADI
  • Shop link

Pinnacle Diving Company ピナクルダイビングカンパニー

  • Kanagawa, Kanagawa
  • English
  • CashCredit Card
  • City
  • NAUI
  • Shop link

Tokyo Divers トウキョウ ダイバーズ

  • Shizuoka Izu, Tokyo
  • English, Japanese
  • CashCredit Card
  • City
  • PADI, Others
  • Shop link

Hayama

Macro heaven near Tokyo

Only 1hour drive from the center of Tokyo, hayama is a popular diving destination for the Tokyo region divers. You can enjoy beech diving in a relatively shallow waters. The maximum depth is around 15m.  This diving sight is not just popular because of the distance from central Tokyo,
Hayama is a "Natural monument designated area",with lush seaweed forest. It's wide range of nudibranch lures many underwater photographer from all around the region. 
After diving, there are many restaurants and cafe around the diving area to relax and look back on you day of diving.

Diving Site (Hayama)

What you can see

All year round:
-Variety of nudibranch
-Variety of Shrinps and Crabs
-Variety of Macro marine life
-Whitegirdled goby(Pterogobius zonoleucus)
-high-crowned seahorse (Hippocampus coronatus)
-Lined dragonet(Synchiropus lineolatus)
-Dragon moray(Muraena pardalis)
-Variety of frog fish

December to May:
-Liparis punctatus
-Lethotremus awae.

Shops in the area

Nana DIVING SHOP ダイビングショップNANA 

  • Hayama, Kanagawa
  • Japanese
  • Cash
  • Resort
  • PADI
  • Shop link

Enoshima-Eboshi iwa

Just 1hour train ride from Shinjuku station (Center of Tokyo)

Shonan sea shore, located in Kanagawa prefecture is a famous marine resort for Tokyo and Kanagawa  residents. The city is filled with restaurants and marine activity facilities to entertain any Ocean lover around the world. The diving here is also exciting for marine life lovers.
There are different diving sites in this area offering many underwater scenery. From ocean floor are covered by seaweed with rock pillars  to the sawtooth shaped underwater rock formation, you will see abundance of marine life all around this ar

Diving Site (Enoshima/Eboshi iwa)

What you can see

All year round:
-Variety of nudibranch
-Variety of Shrimps and Crabs
-Variety of Macro marine life

During Summer to Autumn seasons:
-Variety of tropical marine life from the south

During the Winter season:
-Whitegirdled goby(Pterogobius zonoleucus)
-Lethotremus awae

Shops in the area

Fukuura

Located next to the east coast Izu peninsula by Manazuru, Fukuura is a unique diving area offering protection from harsh winter winds. When all diving points on the east coast of Izu are closed due to unfavorable wind condition, Fukuura may be open.
The easy access from Tokyo by train is another factor that makes Fukuura popular. 

Diving Site(Fukuura)

Mitohama

A secret hideaway diving spot for local divers. Mitohama, with it's marina,restorants, hotel and it's coconut trees, looks more like a oversea resort rather than small local village. You can enjoy both beach and boat diving from nudibranch to schools of large fishes to entertain you.

Diving Site(Mitohama)

Hayakawa

An easy access from central Tokyo, you can night dive and still head back to Tokyo. Night diving is possible every night(Need to inquire).
From Spring to Summer, many variety of nudibranch can be seen. Also large schools of fishes are also seen here, mainly in the summer to autumn season.

Diving Site(Hayakawa)

Shops in the area

Tokyo Divers トウキョウ ダイバーズ

  • Shizuoka Izu, Tokyo
  • English, Japanese
  • CashCredit Card
  • City
  • PADI, Others
  • Shop link

Nebukawa

An unique diving point with sunken train platforms from the big earthquake 80 years ago. The underwater environment are filled with macro creatures. Frogfishes(Various) through out the year ,Short-bodied pipe fish(Solenostomus cyanopterus) from summer to autumn season and Lethotremus awae, in the winter season.

Diving Site(Nebukawa)

Iwa

Located between Odawara and Atami, Iwa is a diving area popular to the local divers. There is one beach point max. depth of 14m to  and 4 boat points max. depth of 30m. You can enjoy both large school of fishes and the Macro creatures found in this location. In the winter time, you can see the tiny Lethotremus awae, a favorite for the Japanese divers.

Diving Site(Iwa)