（click on map to enlarge）
Southeastern Coast of Chiba
When I chose to divide the coast into segments, I decided on the Flowerline in the south up to Chikura. For lack of a better name I labeled the area from Chikura north to Kujukuri as the Southeastern Coast.
The Chiba coastline has a distinct personality that’s different from Izu or Miura. The topography is relatively flat with wide beaches and big surf. The communities are more relaxed than those closer to the city. The people are very friendly.
I’m describing this route south to north starting in Chikura. Hwy 128 runs close to the coastline giving you great views of the waves hitting the craggy shoreline. You pass through some nice little communities until you get to the bigger city of Kamogawa, known for Kamogawa Sea World.
The road gets a little busy going through Kamogawa but quiets down a bit past Sea World. The coast above Kamogawa is rocky with a few coastal mountains that provide nice backdrop for the bays and harbors. The road becomes curvier keeping the ride interesting as you discover what’s in each new cove. There are some nice beaches, one of them named Moriya Beach, that seemed very nice.
I’m told that the ocean temperature is cooler in this area due to the currents and there is a noticeable difference in the air temperature. On one hot summer day I noticed the temperature became a couple degrees cooler than in the southern area of the peninsula.
The next bigger city is Katsuura, located at the back of Katsuura Bay with steeper mountain slopes coming down to the sandy beach. There were several surfers out in the bay on the day I came through. I saw a fairly large fish market with trucks hauling away the catch. This area seems to be a big area for commercial fishing.
A short distance further north is Onjuku, with some interesting boats and signs with fish on them. The coastline begins to straighten out again resembling the long wide stretches I saw in the south. You enter into surfing country with some big surf shops along the road. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics Surfing competition was held at Tsurigasaki Beach, just south of Ichinomiya Beach. The beaches are wide and the surf is big, reminding me a bit of California.
I’ve included the longest beach, Kujukuri, in the Northeastern Beach segment.
Southeastern Coast of Chiba Gallery
