Although there are still plenty of days when temperatures exceed 30°C during the day, now that September is here, the colors of the evening sky seem to be gradually taking on an autumnal hue.
- It was too hot to go to the beach this summer…
- It’s hard to take part in marine activities because I have a disability…
There’s good news for people like that.
On September 21, when the sea is still warm and both the water and beach are more comfortable than at the height of summer, the Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival 2025 will be held at Sami West Beach.
We spoke with Fujiwara Tomoki, a para-surfing athlete with a passionate desire to see “not only people with disabilities, but also local residents take part!” about what inspired him to organize the event.
Para surfing
Surfing for people with disabilities. Fujiwara uses a wheelchair in his daily life.
The information presented was current when this article was published in September 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is the Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival 2025?
The “Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival” is an event where people with and without disabilities can enjoy marine activities together. It has been held every year since 2022.
The first festival (2022) was held at Shibukawa Beach in Tamano City.
Last year (2024), it was held on Shiraishi-jima Island in the Kasaoka Islands. In 2025, it will be held at Sami West Beach in Kurashiki City on Sunday, September 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There will be three marine activities to enjoy on the day:
- Canoeing
- SUP (stand-up paddleboarding)
- Swimming
Mobility chairs that allow users to enter the water while remaining in their wheelchairs and stable two-person canoes will be available. Medical professionals and experienced instructors will support people with disabilities as they take part in marine activities.
Mats will be laid out so wheelchairs can move smoothly across the sand, with their placement informed by the perspective of a para-surfing athlete. Preparations will also make it easier for wheelchair users to reach the beach.
Despite the extensive support available, the beach festival is free to attend. Insurance is also provided, covering participants in case anything happens.
To be covered by the insurance, you must register to participate through the Google Form by noon on Thursday, September 18.
See the image below for details.
Interview with the organizer
We spoke with Fujiwara Tomoki, a para-surfing athlete and organizer of the Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival 2025.
What inspired you to start the Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival?
Fujiwara (surname only)
I usually go para surfing, and in 2017 I competed in the world championships, which were held in the United States for the first time.
In the United States, at every beach I visited, the paths from the parking lot to the beach were designed to make wheelchair access easy, and lifeguards supported people of all abilities in marine activities.
In Japan, there are no places where mats are laid out on the sand for wheelchair users, so the environment isn’t one where many people with disabilities can easily enjoy marine activities.
I want to create an environment in Japan where people can enjoy marine activities regardless of whether they have a disability. To do that, I first wanted to improve the conditions at beaches in Okayama Prefecture, where I live, so I planned the first Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival in 2020.
However, it was canceled that year due to measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The first event was held in 2022 at Shibukawa Beach in Tamano City.
Last year (2024), it was held on Shiraishi-jima Island in the Kasaoka Islands, and this year we’re holding it in Kurashiki City, where I was born and raised.
What kind of feedback have you received from participants at the three previous events?
Fujiwara
People with disabilities, especially wheelchair users, don’t even consider the beach as a place to go when deciding where to spend time outside. It’s difficult to get close to the beach in a wheelchair, so they give up before they even try.
I’m very happy that so many people with disabilities and their families have discovered the joy of marine activities for the first time through the event and enjoyed themselves.
Research is progressing, particularly in the Mediterranean region, into the benefits of thalassotherapy (marine therapy) for some people with intellectual disabilities. I hope people with disabilities can enjoy marine activities, too.
But if someone has never been in the sea, you can’t tell whether the therapies mentioned above would be beneficial for them. That’s why I believe people with disabilities need an opportunity to try going to the beach.
I hope the Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival will give people that opportunity.
Since it’s “inclusive,” can people without disabilities take part, too?
Fujiwara
Of course!
More than anyone, I want people without disabilities to come to this event.
In previous years, many people with disabilities took part, along with their family members and friends. We’ve already received registrations this year from people without disabilities, too.
I have a physical disability and use a wheelchair, but I don’t really like people with disabilities sticking together on their own. People without disabilities simply don’t know how to interact with people with disabilities. When they actually spend time with me, they’re sometimes surprised to see that I can do things like this! They also realize, “Oh, he can’t do that!” and offer subtle support.
We also hope that, in the near future, seeing people with disabilities taking part in marine activities will become normal.
To make that happen, local people who regularly use the beach and those who manage it need to see people with disabilities like us taking part in marine activities. That’s why we planned an event that people with and without disabilities can enjoy together, rather than one just for people with disabilities.
People without disabilities can try canoeing and SUP, too, and of course they can be covered by insurance, so please come along.
What kind of day would you like participants to have?
Fujiwara
Sami Beach is accessible by car, and this year there’s no set schedule. So I hope everyone will enjoy the marine activities in their own way.
I’d like people with disabilities to first have the experience of getting into the sea. For people without disabilities, I hope that while they’re enjoying themselves, they’ll look over and experience the sight of people with disabilities taking part in marine activities.
And I’d like people who manage and operate beaches, such as government officials, to learn what kinds of support are needed to create an environment where people with disabilities can enjoy marine activities alongside everyone else.
I hope the Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival 2025 will help make beaches in Kurashiki enjoyable for everyone, regardless of whether they have a disability.
What are your hopes for the future?
Fujiwara
First, I want to visit beaches throughout Okayama Prefecture and promote inclusive beach environments.
I hope that, little by little, beaches that have hosted the Inclusive Beach Festival will become places that people with disabilities can enjoy, too.
Of course, we’ll also help improve the environment whenever needed.
I hope our event can be a catalyst for changing the beach environment.
Do you have a message for our readers?
Fujiwara
Sea temperatures reflect what they were one to two months earlier, so even though the weather is a little cooler than it is when the swimming season opens in July, the water is still warm and comfortable for swimming.
Whether you have a disability or not, please come and enjoy the marine activities.
We look forward to seeing you there.
From the Writer
I attended last year’s Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival, held on Shiraishi-jima Island.
At first, many people with disabilities and their families tentatively touched the seawater. By the afternoon, I saw many of them floating happily in the sea in amphibious wheelchairs.
That wasn’t all. What left the strongest impression on me was seeing the families of people with disabilities enjoying marine activities to their hearts’ content alongside the volunteers.
At events for people with disabilities, accompanying family members sometimes have little chance to enjoy themselves because they’re focused on providing support and assistance. At this event, medical professionals and experienced instructors provide support, so families can feel at ease leaving it to them.
Why not take the first step toward making Kurashiki’s beaches inclusive—and experience it for yourself as you enjoy one last swim of 2025?
Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival 2025 details
| Name | Okayama Inclusive Beach Festival 2025 |
|---|---|
| Date | September 21, 2025 (Sunday) |
| Location | Kurosaki, Tamashima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation fee (tax included) | Participation and activity fees are both free |
| Website | Okayama Universal Beach Project |
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