by Laura Rountree
The first time I located my new home-to-be on a map of Japan, I was thrilled to see that one side of the prefecture included a nice chunk of the Japanese Alps, and the other side formed a nice U-shaped bay on the Sea of Japan. Mountains and beaches, what more can you ask for?
While experiences in Toyama’s elevated regions–from admiring the breathtaking view from an Unazuki onsen to ruining your Sunday morning at a crazy Toga festival–can be the stuff of legend, Toyama’s beaches don’t seem to get as much love. It’s understandable–unless you’ve been landlocked your whole life, you’ve probably seen better. But the last time I checked, it was 33 degrees outside, and if it were any more humid, we would be under water. So maybe you need to save your unblemished white sand fantasies for winter holidays, lower that bar, grab your flip flops–or thongs or jandals or whatever you call them–and get your pasty ass to the beach.
But first, I want to address the two main complaints I hear:
1. The concrete.
Unfortunately, I didn’t go to an actual beach spot the first time I visited the Sea of Japan, and it’s hard to put a word to how I felt as I looked around me. “Horrified” seems a bit melodramatic, but that’s as close as I can get. I had been warned about the concrete, but nothing could have prepared me for the ugliness of land falling off into the sea, not as sand or pebbles or cliffs, but as a concrete slab. Combined with the massive piles of tetrapods that rose from Toyama Bay, it felt like Japan was saying a big “fuck you” to the earth, the sea, and me personally.
Fortunately, not all of Toyama’s shoreline has been treated this way, and some of it is actually quite lovely. Still, be prepared for a little more concrete on the beaches than you’re probably used to. You can learn to ignore it. Maybe you’ll even become one of those people who love tetrapods.
2. The litter.
It’s amazing how the beaches in a country so concerned with cleanliness and rules about the appropriate disposal of garbage can end up looking like Koh Phangan on New Year’s morning. I’ve heard rumors that it’s garbage from other countries, but I lack the culturally ingrained tolerance for cognitive dissonance needed to look at an empty chu-hai can and believe it floated over from Korea.
Just like with the concrete, some beaches are more affected than others, so don’t swear off the Toyama coast if you visit one beach and it’s littered with fireworks debris. Some beaches, like Oshima Beach in Himi, even have organized cleaning events–get in on those if you want to be part of the solution. Definitely make sure to bring a bag to take home your own trash so you don’t make things any worse.
Now for the beaches: there’s a lot of coastline between Asahi and Himi, so I asked some people around the ken to weigh in on their local beaches. We came up with six (plus one bonus) winners–enough to get you through to autumn.
Jade Beach (by icoro.photos)
Jade Beach (ヒスイ海岸)
As far east you can go before you’re in Niigata, this beach doesn’t get a lot of hype, but can be worth the trip. I asked Adam Iwamoto (Asahi) for the details.
Good for:
Swimming and watersports. It’s quite rocky, but drops off quickly. Not a lot of shade for picnics though. If you’re motivated, you can always search for jade throughout the beach.
Features:
Great views because it’s right next to the mountains. Some toilets. There’s a campsite as well with cabins, spots for autocamps, and generally really nice facilities including a bbq area, but it isn’t free.
Concrete situation:
Minimal. No tetrapods except on either side, but the actual beach part isn’t affected. There are big concrete steps going down to the beach, but that’s a couple of hundred feet from the water. Closer to the concrete is sandy but with large rocks. Towards the sea there’s no sand and just the little stones.
Cleanliness:
The beach is very clean. The toilets are so-so unless you’re at the campground, in which case they’re quite nice.
Anything else worth mentioning:
As its name implies, Jade Beach is famous for jade. There used to be tons of it, including a few yellow-plate car-sized pieces which are now in the town hall of Asahi. Nowadays you can still find jade if you look hard enough, but it certainly won’t be anything that big.
How to get there:
Hokuriku Line to Etchu-Miyazaki (last stop in Toyama Prefecture) and a short walk from there (less than 10 minutes).
Ishida Beach
Ishida Beach (石田浜)
The location of many a summer BBQ, this beach is a favorite for people living in the Niikawa area. Thanks to Chris Noel (Kurobe) for information about this beach.
Good for:
The water gets deep very close to the shore so it’s great for swimming. There are often wakeboarders, jet skis, and even windsurfers there. It’s next to a park golf course, a free camping area (very nice) and a bbq area.
Features:
The view is like nothing else. It’s beautiful at sunset. There are toilets and BBQ pits practically across the street. The beach is lined with some nice restaurants, like ジャランポラン, a Polynesian restaurant with a lunch special and salad bar. Good food.
Concrete situation:
There’s a little sand, lots of small pepples. Some tetrapods around the beach but they don’t get in the way. There is a paved walkway but still lots of beach.
Cleanliness:
The one bad point about this beach is that there is a lot of fireworks garbage and cans / pet bottles / etc…
Anything else worth mentioning:
“GO! GO! GO! and call me!”
How to get there:
It’s about a 40 minute walk from Kurobe Station, but less than a kilometer from the Ishida Dentetsu Station.
Iwase Beach
Iwase Beach (岩瀬浜)
Toyama City people often head here for their beach needs. James Floyd (Toyama) and Logan Alexander (Toyama ’09-’10) both weighed in with their opinions. I’ll let you guess who said what.
Good for:
Swimming, sand, surfing sometimes. Although people do swim in the water, do test it out first, as certain times of the year cause it to take on an odor. Lots of space for picnics and BBQ though. Camping nearby.
Features:
Fanfuckingtastic view, about 100m wide, relatively clean nice soft sand, pine tree lined bike path starts there. Boat shop (with rentals) across the road from the beach. Toilets and BBQ pits abound. No special swimming area and the beach is not patrolled.
Concrete situation:
No pavement on the beach itself, but tetrapods yes. Bear in mind that it is a Japanese beach on the Sea of Japan, so piles of big concrete tetrapods are scattered near the shore, creating an eyesore for those of us that fail to see art in everything.
Cleanliness:
Not bad, but it’s still Japan. When not in peak season, the beach can accumulate trash, but it’s not everywhere, and nice spots are easy to find. Seems to be kept cleaner in the summer months (Jul-Aug), but no regular upkeep that exists in more trafficked beaches in Hokuriku.
Anything worth mentioning:
“Iwase Beach is by far not the prettiest beach to be found, even by Japan standards, but it has its charms. One plus is the location, being the closest beach to Toyama City and easily accessible by public transportation. It’s quite large, but never crowded, so it’s nice for quiet strolls or a game of frisbee. Lots of parking and space for BBQ and picnics, with a handful of decent supermarkets and convenience stores nearby. Bicycles can be rented for free outside the CANAL KAIKAN building right next to the tram stop. The building also houses a nice restaurant, souvenir shop, softcream kiosk and sits next to the harbor, where you can sit out on the dock and admire the boats while eating your ice cream.”
“SSSSSSIIIIICCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!!”
How to get there:
Take the sparkly PORTRAM from the North side of Toyama Station all the way to the last stop, Iwasehama. It costs 200 yen and takes about 20 minutes. Exit, make a right, and walk across the street and past the houses to the beach.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
