The southern tip of Chiba’s Boso Peninsula is a rustic photo treasure-trove. Report and Photos by Irwin Wong
This week we were lucky enough to take a Golden Week roadtrip down to Chiba’s Boso Peninsula with one of Alfie’s students Justin. Having lived there myself for several years, I kind of new what to expect; a rustic coastline scattered with fishing communities, and a friendly but aging population left behind by the younger generation who have moved up the road to Tokyo in order to find some measure of meaning amongst the blinding neons.
It’s a cool, laidback area with a definite ocean culture. Where Tokyo stamps itself arrogantly on the waterfront with reclaimed areas like Odaiba and Toyosu, Chiba has more of a give-and-take arrangement with the water. The coastline is dotted with reminders of the relentless ocean: rusted sea-faring hulks gently being eaten by the salt-laden winds, damp, be-lichened rows of nets drying in the sun, and wooden boat structures stained by the constant beating of sun and water. On the other hand there are the piquant racks of sardine, pike and mackerel as they are laid out to dry, well fed harbour cats and friendly characters that show how idyllic coastal life can be. Either way, it makes for great photos.
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As with most photo trips the day started early, and we made good time zipping through the Aqua Line which is essentially a massive underwater tunnel underneath Tokyo Bay. We decided to head down the expressway to Shirahama first, which is the southern-most point of the Chiba peninsula. It’s the home of the second ever Western lighthouse built in Japan (allegedly), which we neglected to climb, for some reason or the other. It was an altogether lovely day. We got talking to an aging painter and an ancient lady with leathery features who ran the ferry tours for tourists.
At some point we drove up to Chikura and put into a restaurant for lunch, where controversy ensued as Alfie ate a politically incorrect and possibly mammalian sea-dwelling creature. We shot photos around a lazy harbourside with great potential for detail shots – nets, buoys, hooks, knots cats and rust jumbled together with the fishermen and boats in the visual landscape.
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Driving back up the coast we battled through the horrendous and ubiquitous Golden Week traffic snarls to reach Nokogiriyama, which was closed – absurdly – by the time we got there (For more information on this amazing area check it out with the other Chiba highlights I’ve listed below). We ended up spending the last light shooting on a pier that we randomly decided to stop at called Kazusa-minato.
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All in all, a very satisfying day of shooting.
Chiba Highlights:
For photo enthusiasts, Chiba makes an awesome weekend or day trip out from Tokyo. The surf and ocean culture notwithstanding, there are heaps of great sights or atmospheric little towns worth stopping at and checking out. Here are some of the best ones in my opinion, click on the header to see a google map of its location.
This is one of the most amazing places I’ve seen in all of Japan, let alone Chiba. Nokogiriyama, which dramatically means ‘Saw blade mountain’, is so-named because, well, the peaks look like saw blades. Not exactly cryptic. It’s a holy place though, and home to Japan’s largest stone Buddha, alongside 30 foot high images of Kannon carved straight into sheer rock faces. Hiking trails take you through a forest littered with mossy stone effigies of obscure origins, and the view at the end of the climb is, well, the very definition of vertiginous. It’s amazing – check it out. Take the Uchibo line from Chiba to Hota or Hamakanaya and walk from there.
Nokogiriyama, courtesy Wikipedia
Not content to only be Japan’s 2nd largest producer of soy sauce (wow), the modest town of Choshi brings in the most fish out of any port town in Japan. There are kilometers of busy wharfs here, rocky beaches and lighthouses galore, enough to keep a photographer busy for days. The view of sunrise from Inubosaki is spectacular, and thousands flock to the area every New Years because it’s rumoured that the rising sun is first seen in Choshi. Not only that but the charming and antideluvian Choshi Railroad is still in operation, puttering along its puny 6km of track, but nevertheless adding to Choshi’s parochial charm. I lived very near Choshi for a number of years and never got bored of it. Take the Sobu Honsen from Chiba straight to Choshi.
First Sunrise from Inubosaki - Shot by Irwin Wong
Despite its reputation for the beach and seafood, Chiba also boasts another side that not many outsiders would know about. Yorokeikoku is a valley bisected by a small river and liberally adorned with momiji, which makes it absolutely beautiful during Autumn. Throw an abundance of natural onsen into the mix and you’ve got a touch of Nikko or Gunma. Plenty of great hiking trails here and potential for great shots of Autumn scenery. It’s hard to get to – take the charming Isumi Tetsudo from Isumi City, which is reached via the Sotobo Line from Chiba
Yorokeikoku - Shot by Irwin Wong
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Summer is coming and it means the beach. Onjuku is by far the finest beach amongst Chiba’s substantial coastal offerings. Watch out for the truckloads of Tokyo beach bunnies looking for some fun down at Onjuku for the weekend, and grab a beer and some fried squid at one of the famous beach houses down there. It’s a bit of a hike on the Sotobo Line from Chiba, but take it straight to Onjuku Station and don’t forget to brush up on your nanpa skills before going.
Beach bunnies at Onjuku - Shot by Irwin Wong
