Photos by Takahiro Takiguchi ()
Japan’s scorching weather may have you feeling like you need a sense of relief from the heat. The temperatures may have you dreaming of an incredible night flight on a magic carpet under the dazzling moonlight, just like the lead characters in the Disney animated classic Aladdin.
Fortunately for you, there is a place in the Kanto Plain reminiscent of the sandy dunes and vast evening sky to transport you to the world of Arabian Nights. Onjuku, on the eastern coast of Chiba’s Boso Peninsula, is one of the area’s most popular swimming beaches and has a picturesque white sandy shore for a break from this tropical summer.
Onjuku’s scenery is so beautiful that poet Masao Kato mused about it in the poem “Tsuki-no-Sabaku,” or Moon Desert published back in 1923. The romantic poem describes a journey through the desert via camel under the moonlight and was later set to music. Both the poem and song have become important Japanese classics.
Many details are dedicated to the poem at Onjuku, including a commemorative hall and stone plaque with the inscribed poem. In addition, a bronze statue depicts a princess and prince on a camel bringing the romantic scenery of the beach and the poem to life.
You can access this “Moon Desert” from Tokyo on a 100-minute drive through the Aqua Line Expressway or by ferry from Kurihama Port near Yokosuka Naval Base.
Take a refreshing summer trip to ‘A Whole New World’ at Onjuku.
Onjuku Town Location: 195 Suka, Onjuku Town, Isumi-gun, Chiba Prefecture URL Tel: 0470-68-2414
