Beach sights in Japan
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Nami-no-ue beach
Nami-no-ue beach, near the Naminoue-gu shrine, is a small city beach where you can relax without leaving town. It comes complete with lifeguards, jellyfish/shark nets, showers and toilets.
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Katsura-hama Beach
Katsura-hama is a popular beach 13km south of central Kōchi at the point where Kōchi's harbour empties out into the bay. Unfortunately, strong currents prohibit swimming. Just before you get to the beach itself is Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum, where the exhibits are dedicated to the life of a local hero who was instrumental in bringing about the Meiji Restoration in the 1860s. Born in Kōchi in 1835, Ryōma brought about the alliance between the Satsuma (modern Kagoshima) and Chōshū (Yamaguchi) domains that eventually brought down the Tokugawa shogunate. He was killed in Kyoto in 1867, aged 32.
There is an aquarium on the beach, and a small shrine on the hillside. B…
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Yonaha-Maehama
On the southwest coast, beautiful Yonaha-Maehama is a 6km stretch of white sand that attracts a lot of families and young folks due to its shallow waters. It's a lovely beach, but it can get crowded and the presence of the occasional jet-ski is a drawback. It's just before the Kurima-Ōhashi Bridge, on the north side.
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Sunset Beach
At the north end of the island, on the west coast, you will find another long strip of sand with a bit of offshore reef. As the name implies, this is a good spot to watch the sun set into the East China Sea.
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Sunayama
Just 4km north of Hirara you will find this excellent little beach, which lies at the bottom of a large sand dune (hence the name 'Sand Mountain Beach'). A cool stone arch at one side of the beach provides a bit of shade.
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Sukuji Beach
On the opposite side of the peninsula is a shallow beach that is good for families with children.
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Shirara-hama
Shirara-hama, the town's main beach, is famous for its white sand. If it reminds you of Australia, don't be surprised – the town had to import sand from Down Under after the original stuff washed away. This place is packed during July and August, but in the low season it can actually be quite pleasant. The beach is hard to miss, as it dominates the western side of town.
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Nagata Inaka-hama
On the island's northwest coast in the village of Nagata is a beautiful stretch of yellow sand where sea turtles lay their eggs from May to July. It's beside the Inaka-hama bus stop, served by Nagata-bound buses from Miyanoura.
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Nagahama Beach
If you've had a look at the crowds at Yoneha-Maehama and decided you want something quieter, head across the Kurima-Ōhashi and drive to the northwest coast of Kurima-jima (来間島), where you will find the brilliant (and usually uncrowded) Nagahama.
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Kabira-wan
Just west of Yonehara is the equally famous Kabira-wan, a sheltered bay with white-sand shores and a couple of interesting clumplike islands offshore. This is more of a wading beach than a swimming beach and it's usually busy with boat traffic, which detracts somewhat from its beauty.
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Issō-kaisuiyokujō
Another fine beach, located on the north coast of the island, about midway between Miyanoura and Nagata. It's a short walk from the Yahazu bus stop (served by any Nagata-bound bus from Miyanoura).
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Ida-no-hama
From Shirahama (白浜), at the western end of the north coast road, there are four daily boats to the isolated settlement of Funauki (船浮; ¥500). Once there, it's a mere 10-minute walk on to the absolutely gorgeous Ida-no-hama.
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