Japan’s Indoor Beach: Where The Surf is Always Up
The world’s one and only indoor beach can be found in Japan’s Ocean Dome about 1,200 miles south of Tokyo in Miyazaki, on Japan’s southernmost Kyushu Island.
Here, the water is always blue and salt-free, waves are perfectly timed, sharks are elsewhere, and its never too hot, or cold, to take a dip.
Japan’s Ocean Dome even has its own marble sand and a volcano that spits fake flames every hour, on the hour. Shores are sanitized; permitting surfers to drip-dry in the perfect climate, which never varies, day and night, every day of the year.
The Ocean Dome also boasts the world’s largest retractable roof.
The beach sits inside a vast dome that measures 300 x 100 meters (984 feet x 328 feet). The heated ocean sends 13,500 tons of salt-free water sweeping across 600 tons of polished marble chips that comprise a long shoreline.
The world’s largest artificial sea washes over the world’s biggest indoor beach, fringed with artificial fish and fauna.
Bogus parrots ruffle their feathers and squawk at tourists from the rainforest that has no rain.
There are no bugs here or sun burns either.
But like most things in life, entrance into this paradise costs. Visitors pay with payment tokens that are computer-coded plastic tags. Admission runs about US $50 for adults, with rides running $5-10 more. Add $10 more for two hours with a boogie board, or $5 for two hours of inner tube rental.
Visitors are offered many diversions in the form of shopping centers tennis courts and golf courses. On the other side of the beach is the plastic rainforest, where guests can travel among holographic sea pirates, demons and dinosaurs.
Who could ask for anything more?
(Link)
By MDeeDubroff on 31-03-2009
Comment by Angely
March 31st, 2009 at 7:57 pm
wow.
Comment by Mike
March 31st, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I’m pretty positive Ocean Dome has been shut down for a few years…. Unless they re-opened?
Comment by slayersremix
March 31st, 2009 at 10:02 pm
OMG I’d love to go there.
Comment by MDeeDubroff
April 1st, 2009 at 5:03 am
Thanks you all for your comments and Mike, I don’t know anything about the beach being closed, but I will check on it. If I have more info, I will let you know.
Comment by jake
April 1st, 2009 at 6:30 pm
wow, i wanna go to japan. so cool
Comment by resabambino
April 1st, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Dang, I wanna go. It seems nice and fun
Comment by Michelle
April 1st, 2009 at 8:40 pm
The Ocean Dome closed back in 2007. Here’s the link to their website. http://www.seagaia.co.jp/english/guidance/news/20070807.html
Comment by Mike.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Ouran High School Host Club anyone?? This EXACT indoor beach dome was depicted in the OHSHC… including the rain forest. Pretty awesome. I wanna visit Japan….
Comment by Charles
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:54 am
I went there like a long time ago! 8 years ago maybe…
It was the best ocean ever lol.
By looking at the Japanese Wikipedia,
it said that it closed in September 30, 2007.
Comment by Raoul Jubi
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:08 am
So damn cool!…..wow!
Comment by Put It On A Tshirt
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:55 pm
That is way cool – I want to go.
Comment by Sean
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I live on the island of Tasmania. On the west coast I can visit a beach that’s ninety miles long with superb surf, the purest air in the world and there will not be a soul in sight.
I’ll take that any day to being stuck in a crowd on a fake beach, being ripped off in plastic-land.
Comment by quatzalcoatl
April 4th, 2009 at 4:39 am
It’s not the only indoor beach. There is one in Germany too, it’s called Tropical Islands and its even bigger.
Comment by micar sorkijn
April 4th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
try to find this thing on google earth and be surprised.
Comment by Kate
April 4th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I have a story: a guy dies and he wakes up next to the most beautiful river he’s ever seen, the water’s clear and refreshing, the grass is green but its not too damp and there’s no bugs, the sun is shining but not too hot so you could stay out in it all day. There’s his trusty fishing rod (he loved to fish) waiting for him and almost the moment he puts his rod in the river he catches the biggest fish of his life! he does the same thing and a fish almost exactly the same bites and he catches another one. The man is so happy he puts his rod in again and exactly the same thing happens, “wow is this what heaven is like for everyone?!” he asks, a voice comes gently back “what makes you think this is heaven?”
just made me think,
Comment by sadik
April 7th, 2009 at 1:35 am
Its reallt occum
Comment by Raghuvir Rathod
April 7th, 2009 at 2:07 am
Wow!! Amazing beach. I want to go and enjoy life with friends……
Comment by sagar
April 7th, 2009 at 2:19 am
WOW!its amazing
Comment by saitokthx
April 7th, 2009 at 11:59 am
that’s the first destination on my to-do list in japan
Comment by rampageguy
April 7th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
If you had friends you wouldn’t be on here alone at 2am…………
Comment by lemon
April 7th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
i been here ’tis uuber ^^
Comment by treetop
April 7th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I LOVE this place! anY One been here b4? i woUld love to hear anything you know about this place, i tRaveled to many places in my tIme and this place looks COol as hell ^^
Comment by erynn
April 7th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I could ask for more.
How about a real beach.
Does no one care that companies and new age ideas are completely brainwashing people into thinking absolute perfection is obtainable? And besides that they are degrading what mother nature has given us. This is ridiculous. And I’m glad it was shut down.
Comment by Pinky
April 8th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I was in Miyazaki years ago. It has beautiful palm trees, a balmy climate and it seems insane to me that they built an indoor beach in this lovely spot. Very Japanese: imitate nature, make sure it’s crowded, make it trendy and charge a lot. I’m not a hater: I loved living in Japan, but this is an example of yet_another_commercial_something the world does not need. Visit Miyazaki and instead, enjoy the weather, the good Japanese food, the sense of history and make some local friends.
Comment by Rob
April 9th, 2009 at 9:17 am
lol what an artificial, suffocating and claustophobia triggering, crowded, plastic waste of money. And all the while people litter and destroy the real beauty and serenity found on natural beaches. I shudder at our future sometimes, but at the face that this never survived gives me hope yet.
Comment by blufindr
April 9th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Amen to that (I’m an Australian, too. Melbourne
). Natural beaches, climate, and wildlife beats artificial crap any day of the week.
Comment by Tura
April 13th, 2009 at 8:37 am
… so it’s not news anymore (I remember it was in TV program about it ages ago) nor is it even the only one, there is at least the one in Germany that seems to be still open (Tropical Islands).
And as for the ‘oh a natural one is so much better oh how fake’ – is it better to go to your local fake beach paradise on a cold winter weekend or fly somewhere for the real thing?
Comment by Brett Borders
April 13th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I lived near this place when I was in Japan. Yes, it closed a few years back. Yes, the place sucked and very over-priced, over supervised… and very close to a nice beach that ROCKED for surfing year round (although it was a bit cold in the winter.)
Comment by Judy Blackford
April 15th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
looks beauiful and seem fun, would like to go there.
Comment by mitz
April 21st, 2009 at 8:56 am
hwoooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww!! xD
Comment by vaniesa40891
April 29th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I think this indoor beach was built primarily to benefit those beach lovers who want to have a great time in the beach without worrying about the rain and avoiding the seasons that spoil a good time in the beach.
Is this still open? I’ve been wanting to go there. I was amazed when I read this in a children book when I was still in grade school(now I’m in college). (n_n)v
Comment by TXGirl
May 7th, 2009 at 12:00 am
For all of those who are saying the outdoor beach is better, you obviously haven't swam in the Gulf of Mexico. I would rather swim in a fake beach any day because of:
A. No sunburn
B. No jellyfish stings or shark bites
C. No litter and dirty needles
D. No stepping on crabs and getting pinched
I love to look at the ocean, but I hate to swim in it. It scares the crap out of me. I agree that this fake ocean is a huge waste of resources and for that reason, I'm kinda glad it was shut down… but I would rather swim in it.
Comment by rebbekha
May 29th, 2009 at 3:20 am
woow i guess everyone iz pretty mixed bout this lolz
Comment by molly
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Okay, glad I'm not the only one who thought that.
Comment by gretwad
September 6th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
i dont get it… at all. can you explain it?
Comment by Lo in ND
September 8th, 2009 at 2:37 am
I wanna come visit – lol – do you have a spare room? the best I have to offer you in return is a very cold, sulfer lake and buffalo…
Comment by Lo in ND
September 8th, 2009 at 2:41 am
I agree about the gulf – ewww and double ewww after the hurricane. It is beautiful to look at from a hotel but I prefer the hotel pool to swim in…
Comment by Lo in ND
September 8th, 2009 at 2:42 am
It's beautiful looking and looks like it's fun, but probably just once, to say you'd been, but that pretty high dollar to swim in a fancy pool…
Comment by Misa
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Wow, I always wanted to go to Japan, and now I want to go even more!! XD
I love Japan!!!!!!!
Comment by Misa
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Wow, I always wanted to go to Japan, and now I want to go even more!!!!!!! XD
I just love Japan!!!!!!
sorry if I wrote this two times it looks like they took comment off!!!