Typhoon season is technically upon us now, but that hasn’t stopped me from squeezing in one last bit of summertime fun. And also, because I have yet to visit the beach in Japan yet. Shocker much, right? Recommended by a friend that came on this trip, we decided to visit Kotohikihama (Kotohiki Beach) in Kyotango, Kyoto. It is located in northern Kyoto Prefecture, along the Japan Sea coast. Based on my general observations, the Japan Sea coast has better beaches - cleaner and clearer water. So, I was very much looking forward to this trip, so much so excited is an understatement at that point.
Though, it was definitely a risk going during this time as the weather leading up to the day was finicky and constantly changed, causing us to have doubts as to whether it was even a good idea. However, at the very last minute, my friends and I decided to take the chance in the hopes of probably evading any downpour that was supposedly going to come that late afternoon, or the fact that we were that desperate for a beach day. Also, I use "supposedly" loosely here as Mother Nature had tricks up her sleeves apparently. We will get to that later.
ROAD TRIP
Our first agenda of the day was to pick up the rental car from Orix Car Rental from the Abeno Harukas site. Totally recommend checking Orix out as they have a great selection of cars that are well-maintained and their prices are very competitive compared to the other big names like Toyota and Nissan. Also, they have many pick-up locations across Osaka and even Japan. It costs us ¥7,428 for a 5-passenger compact car for one full day. On top of that, Japanese cars are relatively fuel-efficient and we only used half of a full tank for the whole 320-kilometre return trip. Mind you, it was a compact car, so it has a tiny fuel tank. So, it was an affordable and convenient way to make our way there.
The drive to Kotohikihama takes approximately two and a half hours using the toll route, but it would take more than three hours without tolls. Tolls cost around ¥4,000 each way from Osaka to Kyotango, which turns out to be more pricey than the car rental itself. So sharing amongst five people helped. You can use this link to find a suitable route and the corresponding toll fees.
Along the way, there are many rest stops for a quick bathroom break or to get refuelled, both for your car and yourself too. The thing I appreciated the most was, though, the scenic route - seeing quaint villages and towns, forests, mountains and winding through valleys. Living in a modern city, you sometimes miss these sights and it was definitely a sight for sore eyes.
KOTOHIKIHAMA
After winding through narrows roads, we ended up at the parking space overlooking the beach. Perched on a cliff overseeing the beach, you can vividly see the turquoise water and white sandy beach. Boy, we hit the jackpot on this one, especially since we ended up being the only people on the entire beach. The whole stretch all to ourselves.
Kotohikihama is a great place for swimming. The waves are gentle and the water is clean. Of course, it is nothing like Okinawa’s presumably, but on Japan's main island, it is pretty good. The beach is decently long, so you are bound to find a spot to settle in, even with the crowd. Not sure if it even gets crowded really because it is kind of secluded.
We made our way down a rather steep sandy slope and set up our picnic mats, only to be greeted by a light drizzle a couple minutes into eating lunch. I guess normally people would leave when that happens, like what other people at the beach did. But we continued eating without a care, even having cake at one point. That was how we ended up being the only ones there. We were not going to just pack up and leave after a long drive and the mounting anticipation of going to the beach, especially when you are at one as nice as Kotohikihama.
However, perseverance pays off. Probably after 10 minutes, the drizzle stopped and slowly but surely, the sun came out from behind the clouds. The weather was perfect - neither was it hot nor was the ground soaking wet from the drizzle. From that point forth, it was the most perfect beach day weather you could ask for. We spent several hours chatting, taking pictures, exploring the coast and playing some frisbee. All these before the storm started to roll in. Like I said, the weather was finicky and Mother Nature decided to play tricks on us. Fortunately, my friends spotted the ominous storm clouds in the distance because, no joke, a couple of minutes later, the wind started picking up and things could have gotten blown away if we had not held them down. We hastily just dumped whatever we can into our bags, trudged back to the car and didn’t even manage to change out before driving off. Funny enough, we were running away from the storm, but there was this surfer dude walking towards the beach with his surfboard in hand. To each their own, I guess.
Regardless, it did not actually rain so we decided to visit Hatchohama Seaside Park, west of Kotohikihama. There is an adjacent park with clean restrooms, children’s playground and plenty of open, grassy spaces, all of these next to a beach. It’s a really good option for picnics or if you want to have easier access to other amenities as the beach and park are flat areas. The restrooms at Kotohikihama requires you to climb up and down the slope every time and it is not as clean as Hatchohama’s. However, the beach at Hatchohama is narrower and by the road, so it is not as tranquil as Kotohikihama. But that makes it more accessible. We ended the day watching the pink sunset there and then grabbing some ramen at a local restaurant before driving back to Osaka.
Enjoy the short vlog from my trip to Kotohikihama!
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