Tripping: Uchibo

This weekend we rented a car and drove to Futtsu City in Uchibo (the Tokyo Bay side of the Boso Peninsula) in Chiba. It was a repeat of many trips we've taken in the past, most recently three years ago when Shuma was just a hiccuping little otter in my tummy. We went to most of the same places and stayed at one of the minshukus we used last time, and it was neat to compare the two trips.

It's not a long drive but Shuma is newly out of diapers and we needed a bathroom break, so we stopped at Umi Hotaru, a rest stop in the middle of the bay. It's a cool concept, built just where the Tokyo Aqualine changes from a tunnel to a bridge- right in the middle of the bay! But it's also kind of a tourist trap, so we let the boy stretch his legs a bit and then got back on the road.

After eating some local seafood for lunch (clams and anago eel, no pictures because Shuma was being Shuma) we checked into our beachside minshuku, Kinkaitei (see more about this cute inn in this post). Then we hit the shore. Shinmaiko beach is nothing special but we aren't picky- it was the first time for us to be on a beach in Japan as a family.

I'd like to do some before and after comparisons, starting with beach pictures:

A picture of me contemplating my future family, three years ago.

Me, taking a picture of my present family (nobody took a picture of Shuma and I in the water, sniff).

Next, compare how we spent our time lounging on Kinkaitei's many comfy chairs and hammocks:

Hideaki on our room's little balcony, relaxing pre-baby.

Me on a hammock, not relaxing at all. Relaxing is hard to do when there is a monkey-child swinging in front of your face.

But I love my monkey child, and hammocks are as good for hugs and tickles as they are for chilling out.

Dinner was on the inn's deck, facing the sunset. All the fishies and veggies shown above plus rice and soup, and Shuma got a lovely kid's plate, which he tore into before we'd even finished sitting down. He also had most of my soup and all of those pickles (Hideaki's too).

The next day we drove down the coast to a different beach, stopping for coffee and ice cream at Michi no Eki Tomiura Biwa Club, a rest stop with a nice little cafe and pretty grounds.

Another comparison:

Hideaki sitting on the bridge behind the rest stop, all by himself.

Hideaki sitting on the bridge, small child running on the bridge. He's nearly three so if he's not sitting he's usually running.

Shuma, just before getting in trouble for picking a marigold.

This area is famous for its biwa (loquat) and this place sells all kinds of biwa products (we like the biwa soft-serve ice cream) and has a giant steel loquat in front. I've inherited an inability to resist giant novelty statuary from my father, so here are some more comparison shots:

Giant belly on a giant loquat.

Little boy on giant loquat (medium-large belly behind giant loquat).

Next door are two shops selling local seafood. Shuma wanted to touch all of these drying fish and squid, and those tiny fish on the far end were being grilled and offered as samples. He wouldn't stop eating them so we bought a bag to appease him, and now they are sitting forlornly in the fridge as he won't go near them.

Bellies full of ice cream and tiny dried fish, we drove to Haraoka Beach. We'd been here on the last trip and thought it would be perfect for little kids. It's not crowded, the other bathers are mostly families, and there's a toilet and life guards but just one umi no ie (beach hut). And best of all, the water is very shallow and the sand is fine- ideal both for sandcastle building and toddler swimming.

It turns out that the shallow water is only at low tide though. We enjoyed a few hours of endless shallow water and soft sand, which meant we could relax a bit with Shuma, and then the tide came in and we had to watch him more carefully as the water was deep and the sand mixed with ouchy seashells and rocks. Next trip we will find out the tide tables and time our visit a bit better.

But we still had a great time. The umi no ie was actually a good one, with ice cold draught beer (seriously, it stayed cold till the last sip, amazing on such a hot day) and the best fries I've had in ages. And this beach does have play music, but at low level and from a single speaker (other beaches here often blast music from speakers spread out on the beach, I've never really understood why).

Shuma is a bit better in the water than he used to be, and is now actually fun to be with (sometimes). He still has no fear of the deep so needs to be watched like a hawk, but he's learning. Out of the water, he still has a long way to go. Hideaki and I are both Sancastle Champions (of an imaginary contest) and used to enjoy spending hours building our special "glorp" style sandcastles (free-form structures using just water and sand, no tools). The technique was perfected by my father, passed on to me, and I look watching the lagacy continue through my own son. But he is so much better and destroying them than creating them.

Now, let's compare:

Me building a magnificent sandcastle in peace. It will remain standing for several glorious hours until the encroaching waves gently lap away at it, returning the sand to the clams and crabs and other creatures of the sea.

Me having my almost-finished masterpiece ruined by a creature of the land. Not just knocked down in a few places, but utterly, completely destroyed.

And with an unseemly amount of glee.

Does this look like a future Sandcastle Champion? Future hooligan more like.

More pictures from the trip here.

Comments

[jsh panda]

A very beautiful account, the dinner at deck is a masterful snap.

[joeinvegas]

Three year old monkey boy, running and climbing and eating and smashing things flat. Someday he will appreciate the building up part, but not yet.

[Caroline]

It's great to see new posts from you! I love to discover more about Japan, such a fascinating place.
You have the cutest little monkey child, he is adorable!

[David]

First time at a beach as a family? Don't you count the beaches in Thailand?
I never went to the beach in Chiba. Instead, we drove all the way from the bottom of Ibaraki, through a bit of Chiba, across Tokyo and into Kanagawa to get to Kamakura. Once we got there though, it was so nice I didn't want to leave.

[Amy]

Thanks Jsh, the dinner itself was masterful!

Joe, I can't wait for that day.

Thanks Caroline!

Oops David, I forgot to add the "in Japan" part. Fixed it, thanks! In my experience the beaches in Chiba are way nicer than in Kanagawa, but of course Kamakura is a very special place.

[Erika]

Shuma = Godzilla! Rawwwwwwwrrrrr! :D

[suzy]

That looks like a great break, even if it was less relaxing than pre-children. We have an almost 3 year old here too, so I can totally relate to the running / lack of sense in deep water / sandcastle destruction.

[Beatriz]

Hello!! I was going to write to you last July after taking a trip to Chiba and stayed at the beachside minshuku, Kinkaitei. It was so nice, so cool, I felt like we're not in Japan, jaja. Thank you so much for all the info, we had a great time. Two or three years ago when you posted we try to go but it was booked. So this year we finally went. we didn't stay in that beach. we went more south. the sand is no clean but in the other hand there were so few people. we're planning to go again this sunday but since the weather is not good we will not stay over night. Thank you for sharing and I hope you keep writing as I enjoy this blog.

[Amy]

Beatriz, I'm so glad you liked it! It is a very cool place, if only it was on a nicer beach. Definitely the beaches to the south are nicer, and there are some great ones. We've been trying to find one for over a decade that we came upon- not an official named beach, but just gorgeous. Big sand cliffs and no facilities, so no people. We found it once and have never been able to locate it again.

The beach I mentioned in this post, Haraoka, is pretty good. It doesn't look great in the pictures but at low tide it's great, and not too many people. Just one Umi-no-Ie, and it's not a rip-off- very good fries and the coldest beer I've ever had on a beach. Of course it's probably already been packed up for the year.