People were running down the beach. Not for exercise but to get into position before the sun slipped below the horizon. I hurried along, swept up by the sense of urgency. Mini tripods were lined up on the sand at the water’s edge, and selfie sticks were held aloft. Groups of friends, silhouetted against the pink sky, were trying to synchronise their star jumps, while women instructed their boyfriends on exactly how to photograph them as they stared into the sea. One woman posed holding her pet dachshund. The entire beach was a mass Instagram shoot.
Chichibuga is a 1km-long, pancake-flat sandy strand overlooking the Seto Inland Sea on the north coast of Shikoku, the smallest, most rural of Japan’s four main islands. Never heard of it? That’s hardly surprising. Lying between the biggest island, Honshu, with its blockbuster cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima) – not to mention stunning alpine landscapes – and the southernmost island of Kyushu (often called the most beautiful), Shikoku is overlooked by international visitors.
Those who do come are drawn by either its spiritual heritage – the 88 sacred temples trail is Japan’s most famous pilgrimage – its inland gorges, rivers and waterfalls, or its rugged Pacific coastline. Despite being easily accessible from Honshu – Shikoku’s capital, the port city of Takamatsu, is an hour and 20 minutes’ drive over a causeway bridge from Okayama city – the coast of the Seto Inland Sea is low on the list of visitor attractions, and Chichibuga beach, on the outskirts of unassuming Mitoyo city, even more so. Or it was, until recently.
In 2016, the Mitoyo tourism authority ran a photography competition. The winning image showed two children reflected in Chichibuga’s perfectly still, mirror-like water at sunset. It was a dramatic photo and a lightbulb moment for the authorities, who realised the beach was tourism gold.
At the same time, Akiyoshi Kuramoto, a tourism authority employee with a passion for photography, became fascinated with the mirror effect, often hashtagging his photos the “Uyuni of Japan” in reference to Bolivia’s shimmering salt flats, another Insta-travel favourite. He posted photos on Mitoyo’s Facebook page, explaining how to get the effect. Kuramoto continued to add to his Instagram feed, attracting increasing numbers of followers; he now has 5,600 – not massive in Instagram terms but enough to generate interest beyond his city. This year the beach’s popularity had a further boost when Japanese travel company Jalan named it the best place in Japan to watch the sun set. This summer the beach, which in 2016 attracted a handful of tourists, saw 50,000 visitors in July and August.
The day I visited there were four coaches in the car park, but the usually calm sea was choppy and the sky mottled with dark clouds, ruining the glossy mirror effect. A young couple, Kosuke and Yui, told me they had driven four hours from Nara to photograph the beach and eat the region’s famous udon noodles (not at the same time). They were disappointed with the weather but said they’d be back to try again another time – and at least the noodles were good.
Kagawa is known for Sanuki noodles (after an old name for its prefecture), with 800 restaurants in the region (100 just in Miyoto), often charging as little as £1.40 a bowl. This month saw the opening of the city’s first “noodle hotel”: Udon House, a cookery school with pod rooms. The man behind Udon House is Hima Furuta, a Japanese entrepreneur who spends half his time in Milan where he founded the Peace Kitchen. Udon House is his take on the Italian agriturismo, a chance to showcase the local food culture. On a typical two-day stay, guests take an udon making class, visit a farmer and join a breakfast tour of local udon restaurants. Chichibuga beach is a short drive from Udon House, so guests will also get a chance to visit the new local highlight.
Japan is the most photographed country in Asia, and the second most photographed country in the world. With the Rugby World Cup and the Setouchi Art Triennale taking place in 2019, and new direct flights from London-Osaka starting on 31 March, its popularity is only going to rise. Now, alongside its cities, shrines, bamboo forests, mountains and snow monkeys, regular Instagram users interested in Japan are likely to start seeing a little-known beach bathed in pinks and reds and purples.