Last checked: October 20, 2026
Want to catch fish while floating in the sea? On Amami Oshima, you can. You snorkel on the surface, spot a fish and lower a line right in front of it.
The tour runs from Kuninao Beach in Yamato Village. Kids can join from age 5, and the rods, snorkel sets and life jackets come with the ticket. We built this guide from the KKday listing, the village’s pages, the bus timetables and Japan Meteorological Agency data. We haven’t been there ourselves, and we flag what we couldn’t confirm.
KYUSHU REGION
Kuninao Beach, Amami Oshima (Kagoshima)
From Amami Airport: About 70–90 minutes by car
From Naze: About 25 minutes on the village bus
At a Glance
- Price: from about US$56 per person on KKday (as of October 20, 2026)
- Group: 2 to 8 people at this rate
- Length: 2 hours, starting at 10:00 or 13:00
- Ages: 5 and up
- Included: guide, experience fee, fishing gear, snorkel set, life jacket and tax
- Free cancellation: up to 1 day before
- Languages: KKday lists English, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Mandarin
Prices and available dates vary. Check the booking page before you book.
What Swim Fishing Is
Float and look
You drift on the surface in a life jacket with a snorkel set and watch for fish below.
Drop the line
When you spot a fish, you lower the line in front of it.
Let staff handle the messy part
The operator says staff put on the bait and take the fish off the hook.
The operator calls it a summer game that local kids play. The target is a wrasse (family Labridae) about 10 cm long that locals call kusabi. We couldn’t confirm the exact species, so we won’t guess.
One reviewer says the rods are bamboo poles with three hooks, and the fish bite often. The listing doesn’t say what bait the staff use.
I can’t swim well. Is this still okay?
Yes. KKday says the tour welcomes people who aren’t confident swimmers and children, and everyone wears a life jacket. Follow the guide’s instructions in the water.
Who Should Book, and Who Should Skip
✅ Great if you…
- are traveling with a child aged 5 or older. One reviewer’s 5-year-old caught 4 fish while snorkeling for the first time
- want snorkeling and fishing in one trip without bringing gear
- aren’t a confident swimmer. Everyone wears a life jacket
⚠️ Think twice if you…
- want a big fish. The target is a wrasse about 10 cm long
- chill easily. One reviewer was cold within an hour on a sunny day at the end of August
- get seasick. One reviewing family said everyone felt a little sick from the waves
- have a child under 5. The minimum age is 5
Which Months Can You Go?
KKday’s calendar changes, so here is exactly what it showed when we checked.
| Period | What KKday showed on October 20, 2026 |
|---|---|
| October 22–31, 2026 | Dates open, at 10:00 and 13:00 every day |
| November 2026–July 2027 | No dates selectable yet |
| August 2027 onward | Not confirmed |
Source: KKday listing, checked October 2026.
That doesn’t mean the tour stops in November. KKday may simply not have opened later dates yet. The operator’s page lists a program period through December 31, 2030, but it doesn’t say which months it runs. The reviews we saw came from September 2025 and from July and August 2026.
Before you book flights, check your dates on KKday first. When we checked, the open dates ended on October 31.
What the Two Hours Look Like
10:00–12:00
Morning trip
Meet at the tent on Kuninao Beach for a 10:00 start. The operator says it ends at 12:00
13:00–15:00
Afternoon trip
Meet at the same tent at 13:00. The operator says it ends at 15:00
KKday lists the meeting point as the Kuninao Beach Temporary Tent, 85-1 Kuninao, Yamato-son, Oshima-gun, Kagoshima 894-3101. The operator’s page puts it next to the Kuninao Sea Turtle Park (国直ウミガメ公園). We couldn’t confirm the minute-by-minute order of the session. After you book, you can ask KKday for details.
Water Temperature and What to Wear
The table shows two averages for 1991–2020 from Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) data. One is the daily high air temperature in Naze. The other is the sea surface temperature off northwest Amami.
| Month | Air, daily high | Sea, about |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17.7°C | 22°C |
| February | 18.3°C | 21°C |
| March | 20.4°C | 21°C |
| April | 23.1°C | 22°C |
| May | 26.2°C | 24°C |
| June | 29.4°C | 26°C |
| July | 32.3°C | 29°C |
| August | 32.0°C | 29°C |
| September | 30.4°C | 28°C |
| October | 27.0°C | 27°C |
| November | 23.5°C | 25°C |
| December | 19.6°C | 23°C |
Source: JMA climate normals for Naze and JMA coastal sea temperature normals, checked October 2026. We averaged the sea temperatures by month.
Can I go in October or in winter?
The sea averages about 27°C in October and about 21°C in February. That’s the weather side only. Whether KKday sells winter dates is a separate question, so check the calendar.
The reviewer who got cold in an hour went at the end of August, when the sea averages 29°C. We’d bring a rash guard, and a wetsuit if you own one, because we couldn’t confirm that the operator rents them. The cold is a bigger risk in the cooler months.
Eating Your Catch
KKday says only that you can enjoy the fish deep-fried. It doesn’t say whether cooking is included, who does it, or where.
Reviewers describe a few outcomes:
- One family had the fish grilled with salt at Bee Lunch next door. The reviewer says it’s hard to cook many fish when the restaurant is busy
- One family had the fish scaled and cleaned, then ate it at a nearby cafe
- One group couldn’t get the fish cooked at their hotel and says to find a place first
Can my hotel cook the fish for me?
One reviewer’s hotel couldn’t. Ask your hotel before you go.
After you book, we’d message the operator through KKday and ask where your fish can be fried. Do it before the day, so you aren’t hunting for a restaurant with a bag of fish.
How to Get to Kuninao Beach
Kuninao is about 70–90 minutes from Amami Airport by car. KKday says 70 minutes, and the village says about an hour and a half, so plan on 90. From Naze Port, the village says it takes about 35 minutes.
Plan A: Rent a car at the airport
Fourteen rental companies operate at the airport, including Toyota Rent a Car, Nippon Rent-A-Car, Times Car and ORIX. If you’ve reserved, go to the rental car pickup area. A Geneva Convention International Driving Permit works for visitors, according to the National Police Agency. Check the Google Maps route from the airport before you set out: it goes along Route 58 and Prefectural Road 79.
We’d rent a car if you land in the morning and want the 13:00 trip on a weekend. No bus fits that day.
Plan B: Stay in Naze, then take the village bus
Naze is the main town. The village’s direct bus runs from West Court-mae (ウエストコート前) to Kuninao and is open to visitors.
Weekdays 8:00
Bus from West Court-mae
It arrives at Kuninao at 8:25, in time for the 10:00 trip
Weekends and holidays 8:40
Bus from West Court-mae
It arrives at 9:05, also in time for the 10:00 trip
¥700 fare
Adult fare between Naze and Kuninao for non-residents
Children in elementary or junior high school pay ¥300, and younger children ride free
Source: Yamato Village direct bus timetable and fare table, checked October 2026.
We’d book this plan if you want the 10:00 trip. The first bus from the airport reaches West Court-mae too late for it, so sleep in Naze the night before.
Plan C: Weekdays only, airport to the 13:00 trip
9:50 airport bus
The Shimabus airport line leaves Amami Airport at 9:50
10:46 West Court-mae
The bus arrives
The trip takes about 56 minutes
11:10 village bus
Board the direct bus here
It reaches Kuninao at 11:35
Source: Shimabus timetable (from October 1, 2026) and Yamato Village bus timetable, checked October 2026.
On weekends this doesn’t work. The weekend bus leaves West Court-mae at 13:13 and arrives at 13:38, after the trip has started. The airport bus takes contactless credit card payments, according to the timetable. We couldn’t confirm the fare from the airport to Naze.
Getting back
Weekday 16:25
Last bus from Kuninao
It reaches West Court-mae at 16:50, and the 17:01 airport bus arrives at the airport at 17:52
Weekend 15:35
Last bus from Kuninao
It reaches West Court-mae at 16:00, and the 16:12 airport bus arrives at 17:06
Source: Yamato Village bus timetable and Shimabus timetable, checked October 2026.
We’d book your flight home for the next day. In the airport’s November timetable, flights to Tokyo Haneda (14:25) and Osaka Itami (12:05) leave before the last bus arrives. The Fukuoka flight (18:20) is possible on paper, but with little room to spare.
⚠️ No change on the village bus — The bus has no money changer. Bring coins and bills so you can pay the exact fare
- Tell the driver your stop — Say “Kuninao” when you board. The village asks passengers to name their stop
- No getting off in Naze — Buses going from Naze to Yamato Village don’t let you off inside Naze
Flights and ferries
Direct flights reach Amami Airport from six airports:
- Tokyo Haneda: JAL, about 2 hours 20 minutes
- Tokyo Narita: Peach, about 2 hours 55 minutes
- Osaka Itami: JAL, about 1 hour 50 minutes
- Osaka Kansai: Peach, about 1 hour 45 minutes
- Fukuoka: JAC, about 1 hour 20 minutes
- Kagoshima: JAC and Skymark, about 1 hour
A ferry from Kagoshima New Port leaves at 18:00 and reaches Naze at 5:00 the next morning. The village says the bus stop 中央病院前 is about a 10-minute walk from Naze Port.
Where to Stay
For the 10:00 trip, we’d sleep in Naze the night before. The 8:00 weekday bus and the 8:40 weekend bus both start there.
Klook lists hotels in Naze, including Hotel Sundays Amami and Amami Port Tower Hotel. Klook had no hotels in Yamato Village when we searched. When you search “Amami,” check each listing’s location, because the results included a hotel in Osaka.
You can also stay in Kuninao itself and walk to the beach. The village lists four places: 民宿さんごビーチ, 民宿中村荘, 民宿てるぼーず and ゲストハウス フクギの宿 (a whole-house rental). We couldn’t confirm whether Klook lists them, so you’d book each directly.
Booking, Cancellation and Weather
KKday confirms your booking 1 day after you order it. Book before your trip rather than on arrival.
Cancellation
KKday’s cancellation policy (as of October 2026):
KKday refunds to your original payment method within 15 days.
Weather
⚠️ The tour may not run in bad weather — KKday says it may not be held. The listing doesn’t spell out the refund, so ask KKday before you book
- Typhoon season — Amami gets 1.3 typhoon approaches in an average September, 1.1 in August and 0.7 in October. From November through March the average is 0 (JMA). One August reviewer said the tour ran despite typhoon worries
What’s Included
Included, according to KKday:
- Guide and experience fee
- Equipment rental, including the fishing gear and snorkel set
- Life jackets, free
- Consumption tax
We couldn’t confirm:
- Cooking your fish
- Wetsuit rental
- Showers and changing rooms
- The bait
What to Bring
🎒 Your packing list
- ☐ Swimwear, a rash guard or other clothing that can get wet
- ☐ A change of clothes
- ☐ Sun protection
- ☐ Drinking water. KKday warns about dehydration
- ☐ A towel. It’s not on KKday’s list, but you’ll be wet and we couldn’t confirm showers
Facilities at Kuninao Beach
The parking lot and public toilets are next to Kuninao Sea Turtle Park, according to the village’s tourism site. We couldn’t confirm showers, changing rooms or a shop on the beach.
Bee Lunch (ビーランチ) sits next to the park and is open about 11:00–20:00, with irregular closing days. The cafe 喫茶工房てるぼーず is at Kuninao 73 and opens at 8:30 and stays open until dark. The village site says the hamlet has minshuku and eateries, but one guesthouse page says there are no shops. Buy drinks before you leave town.
Payment: you pay for the tour on KKday. Pay the village bus in cash. We couldn’t confirm what Bee Lunch and the cafe accept.
Rules
Catching fish with the tour’s rod is the whole point. Taking things by hand is different. Leave sazae (turban shells), sea urchins, octopus, spiny lobsters and sea cucumbers where they are. Local fishing cooperatives hold rights to many of them in Amami’s waters, and Kagoshima Prefecture bans taking sea cucumbers without a permit. For the full picture on rules and licenses, read our guide: Do you need a fishing license in Japan?
FAQ
QCan a child who can’t swim join?
Yes, from age 5. KKday says the tour welcomes children, and everyone wears a life jacket.
QDoes the tour run in English?
KKday lists English among five languages. We couldn’t confirm how much English the guides speak, so message KKday before you go if that matters.
QCan I take the fish home?
We couldn’t confirm. The listing sets no rule, though reviewers ate their fish at a restaurant, a cafe or at dinner. Ask your guide.
QWhat if it rains?
It may be canceled. KKday says the tour may not be held in bad weather. Ask KKday about refunds.
QCan I get there without a car?
Yes, by bus. Stay in Naze for the 10:00 trip, or take the weekday airport bus for the 13:00 trip.
QWhich months can I go?
KKday showed dates from October 22 to 31, 2026, when we checked on October 20, 2026. Later dates weren’t open yet, so check the calendar.
Ready to Book?
Hooked on the idea? If you have a child aged 5 or older and a calm streak for small fish, this two-hour trip fits an Amami stay. Check your dates first, plan the bus, and message KKday about cooking.
