The Coast of Sagami Bay

Sagami Bay is part of the Pacific Ocean and is located south of Tokyo Bay. This region of Japan has a temperate climate and offers many opportunities for swimming and other water sports.

On my first trip in mid September I visited Kamakura as part of a guided tour. Because of the intensely packed program of the tour, I could spend only one hour at Yugihama Beach. I tried the water and found it rather warm, but there were only a few swimmers and surfers -- maybe because it was a weekday. The beach was sandy, though the sand itself was grey in color. The views of big waves and endless ocean all the way to the horizon was exciting!

Next, I stayed in Ito for a few days and enjoyed walking along the Sagami coast in full, but I didn’t find any beaches in Ito. In the town area there was a paved promenade along the coast with piers and berths for boats and small ships. Along the edge of the shore there were concrete fortifications and breakwaters that were further reinforced by huge natural stones. Those stones were different in shape and structure and looked very picturesque. I walked rather far from the town and explored the narrow coastal strip. Waves carried ashore a variety of clam shells and I collected some to keep as memories from my visit. At the coast I saw people fishing, many seagulls, and several ‘strange’ (for me) insects and marine animals.

Later I visited the coast of Sagami Bay once more – this time around Enoshima Island. Enoshima itself has a rocky part faced to Sagami Bay, featuring the Iwaya caves inside. The flat rocky coast was interesting to explore as there were a variety of small sea life such as clams and tiny translucent crabs in numerous pools and deeper pits. During the day I saw some swimmers along Enoshima Beach from afar, but by evening when I finally got to that beach, there were none. Although I initially had the idea to swim, I found the water was too cold and refused that idea. The sand at the beach was a dark grey color and reminded me of volcanic soil, perhaps because the area is in close proximity to Fuji-san.

When the weather is good, the coast of Sagami Bay is very picturesque and a great place to spend a vacation!