Kumamoto

Sunset at Okoshiki Beach

Beautiful mud flats and a mysterious vanishing causeway

Takako Sakamoto Oct 31, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>I dreamed of coming to see this sunset view of the mud flats on Okoshiki Beach</p>

<p>Sunset viewed from Mount Sengan in Kami Amakusa city</p>

<p>At spring tide, when the tidal range is the greatest, the sculpted mud flats are most clearly visible</p>

<p>When you visit the Ariake Sea, be sure to enjoy the romantic scenery of nearby Nagabeta Causeway</p>

<p>When the mud flat is fully revealed, it can be seen from faraway</p>

<p>The sunset view from Mount Sengan, with Kami Amakusa city at the bottom right, and Shimabara Peninsula on the far left</p>

<p>Nagabeta Kaisho Causeway emerges from the sea at low tide, but is completely submerged at high tide</p>

<p>I first fell in love with this amazing causeway when it was featured in a sake company commercial.</p>

There was one place I dreamed of visiting for a long long time...the mudflats on Okoshiki Beach in Uto city, Kumamoto.

This mudflat is most clearly seen during the spring tide when the tidal range is the greatest. The beautiful regular pattern of the mudflat stretching offshore is a sight to behold. However, to create this scenery you definitely need a beautiful sunset in the background.

The other must-see spot is the 'Nagabeta Kaisho Road' nearby. At this beach, the spring tide rises as much as four meters. Naturally, ships can't sail out at low tide. The causeway was built to reach ships anchored off the coast by car, and designed to be completely submerged at high tide. Street lights illuminate the underwater road, and the only thing visible is the brightly-lit water surface...what a magical sight!

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...