Summer in Japan will never be complete without fireworks (花火, hanabi), festivals, Bon Odori dances, yukata and the beach.
I will try to complete each one this summer starting off with the beach.
Let me take you to a small town in Chiba, a 2.5-hour train ride from Shinjuku, Tokyo. The name of this town is Onjuku. It's a quiet town, and the vibes are totally different from that of Tokyo. I already introduced a little bit of this town in this post.
I was actually complaining because the beach is too far from Tokyo. Even though Chiba prefecture is just beside Tokyo, still the train ride time going to the beach is like that of a bullet train going to Osaka. There are other beaches that are just an hour train ride away from Tokyo but we chose the far one. I just completely hope the beach is totally worth it.
And indeed, the beach is so splendid!
After arriving in Onjuku Station, we decided to go to the nearest convenience store to buy drinks and snacks that we would be bringing to the beach. It's my first time being here but I felt like we were just circling around. I'm good at directions but I wasn't the one leading the way, I only followed. It was sunny and hot so I didn't like the idea of walking all over the place.
In the end we reached the convenience store. Some bought their lunch there and bring it to the shore but I didn't like this idea too. On the way to the store I saw some restaurants so I suggested to have lunch there.
Because of that, our group was divided. 3 of us were left having lunch in the restaurant across the convenience store while the rest went to the beach to secure the spot.
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We had lunch in a homey restaurant. They had tatami floors and we were seated in the western style dining, the table and chairs. We were their first customer for the day and after few moments later, another group came and chose to be seated outside.
The food was so good! The menu options were limited but it's understandable. The portions were big, or at least it was more than enough for me.
After lunch, we rejoined the rest of the group on the beach. There were a lot of people but since the beach is too wide, it's just fine.
Onjuku Chuo Beach (御宿町 中央海水浴場) is named after its town. Maybe because it's located in the central part of the town? 😅 (Chuo in Japanese means central by the way) The sea I think is already the Pacific Ocean. I'm not sure on this but I do think it is. After all, there are no more islands blocking the ocean.
The waves were too strong on the other side so that place was reserved for surfers. We actually passed by some surfers on our way to the beach. On our side, it's for swimming. There were lifeguards on duty so it seems it's safe to swim.
I didn't regret eating in the restaurant because my friends who decided to eat at the beach weren't able to properly enjoy their food. Why? Because from time to time, the wind would carry the sand and so our things would be covered by sand. Imagine eating soba (Japanese noodles) with sand? Crunchy. 😂
While it's so hot, even the sand was hot, the water was cold. It was even colder around 3:30PM. We enjoyed a lot riding the waves, but I think we would enjoy more if we had some board like the rest of the beachgoers.
The water was not that deep, but because of the big waves, it would become deep sometimes.
Around 3PM, the people guarding the beach put up a flag saying it's dangerous to swim on some areas. The lifeguards were on high alert because at this time, the waves were too strong.
I really enjoy watching people because I like to observe how people act in various situations and in various places. In the animes and movies I have watched, the Japanese people really likes to ナンパ (pick up girls) in the beach. So I was so curious if they would do that here. Well, there were, but I didn't took a photo of them.
I saw this guy riding the waves. He's so good at it! I was taking a video/photo of the waves when he came into my frame. Lucky me to get this shot!
There were some stores nearby where you could rent the parasol, board, folding beach bed and many more. Heard you could also do shower there but I never did.
It's getting late in the afternoon and soon, there was an announcement made that the lifeguards' duty would end at 5PM so swim at your own risk beyond 5PM. Many people were also preparing to go home.
Since our travel time's too long back to Tokyo, we needed to leave before sundown. Bye Onjuku Beach!
I noticed their lamp posts have camels on them. The 2 camels with people riding on them were actually a symbol of the town.
A day well spent. 😌
Now we'll just catch the train back home.
Even the town is too far from Tokyo, I would gladly come back. I want to explore the other parts of the town. Although I know it's just a small town, I think there's more to see.
Til next beachin'!
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.