Spectacular View of Chichibugahama Beach

Located in the western part of Kagawa prefecture, Chichibugahama is a beautiful one kilometer long beach that has been selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Sunset Beaches.

I used to chase the sunset on the tidelands beyond Chichibugahama before, but when did it happen? I started to notice a large influx of cars with license plates of various other prefectures and large tourist buses with groups of foreign tourists on this beach. To accommodate the increased visitors, a large parking lot was set up on the beach. Resort style stores and cafes were built one after another. Chichibugahama, which used to be quiet, is now bustling with couples, groups and families every day. On some days you might even wonder, "Is this Shonan?".

Not only in summer but also in winter when the freezing north wind bellows, youngsters put their bare feet into the tidal pool without regard to getting chilblains or frostbite...for what? This is what everyone wants to do! They want to take pictures in their own favorite poses beside the tidal pool which gets created on the beach at low tide. Here, using the tidal pool as a mirror, you can take beautiful reflection photos like you can at the famous Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia.

Who could've imagined that this beach would become like this in only a few years? Gaining popularity is welcome of course, but I wonder if I'm the only one who misses the rustic old beach which retained the vestiges of a good old fishing town with salt pans.