My name is Kimura and I live in the northern part of Tokyo. I would like to introduce a place where you can easily go for fun on a day trip from Tokyo. The eastern neighbor of Tokyo is called Chiba Prefecture. The other day, I took a drive to the tip of Chiba Prefecture. It took about 2 hours to get there and about 3 hours to get back due to traffic congestion. It was a nice change of pace to see the ocean and eat delicious fish once in a while. I would like to recommend this trip to anyone who travels around Japan by car or motorcycle.

The distance is about 150 kilometers (93 miles). Access to Choshi is also possible by train and takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes. Chiba Prefecture is the most populous prefecture after Tokyo, but by the time you approach Choshi, fields, and forests gradually become more and more common. Even in the Kanto region, a two-hour trip will bring you to places where you can feel nature. Choshi is located at the tip of Chiba Prefecture and is surrounded by the sea. I took a drive to Choshi in search of delicious seafood.

First of all, in terms of seafood, there is the Choshi Fishing Port, where you can enjoy fresh seafood. In particular, Choshi is famous for its sardines, mackerel, and tuna. In addition, the cape of Inubozaki, located at the tip of Choshi, is said to be the place where the sun rises earliest in Japan. Japanese people have an event early in the morning on January 1 to see the first “sunrise” of the year. It is called “Hatsuhinode” (first sunrise). Fuji and Tokyo Tower, but Choshi is a popular spot because it is the first place in Japan to see the sunrise.

Choshi has a precipitous cliff called Byobugaura. The cliffs are about 10 km long and up to 50 meters high in some places. It is also called the Dover of the East because it resembles the White Cliffs in the Dover Strait. The cliffs were carved by ocean waves about 3 million years ago, and are a valuable place for geologists and students to directly observe the strata.

This time I decided to enjoy a leisurely drive without setting a goal. I went to a restaurant that caught my eye and ate their recommendation. Since it was Sunday, I avoided the peak time of noon and went in around 2:00 p.m.

This is a sashimi set meal! This is probably familiar to foreigners traveling in Japan. Even for us Japanese, sashimi makes us happy. The price was about 2,000 yen. The tuna was especially fresh and satisfying. It was a very large portion, and I don’t think you can get it for this amount of money in Tokyo, so I was very satisfied. However, the best thing here was the miso soup. (photo below right) The soup seems to be made from prawns and has a nice aroma. In addition to prawns, there is wakame seaweed in it, which is a good match with other seafood. The green onion was probably added at the end after the miso soup was finished. The slightly chopped green onion adds a nice accent to the texture.

We also saw the sea, but it was cloudy.

I took a walk around the area where a rather wide beach is spread out. Marine sports were also popular in this area. Surfing, paragliding? I’m flying with a parachute with a big fan on my back, but was it paragliding? I wondered if it was a paragliding. Oh, by the way, Choshi is said to have the highest number of seagulls in Japan. Are there any bird strikes?

I met an elderly couple who were walking their Shiba dog on this beach and it had run away. When I talked to them, it seemed that the elderly couple was not the owners themselves. The owner asked them, “Have you seen a Shiba Inu?” and they were looking for him. When I heard that, I looked around for a while, but could not find it. I hope she was found safely, but I am a little worried.

I moved to the high ground of the cape. It is hard to tell from the photo, but it is a very high place. The Choshi area is at the tip of the cape, so when you get to this point, the sea is all around you and you have a very wide field of view. I’m writing a blog now, and I’m wondering why I didn’t take more photos. I am not yet a blogger lol.

Let’s supplement with Google Maps.

I think it will be very crowded during Golden Week (early May) and summer vacation (early August), but if you avoid such a high season, there are still few people and you can experience nature in a relaxing way. I think, if you like driving and seafood, you will especially enjoy this area! I also see many touring groups with large motorcycles like Harleys. I think it is a great place for touring with friends.