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OnjukuFrom ChibaWiki
Welcome to Onjuku (御宿)!A beach and fishing town of about 8000 on the pacific coast of Chiba, most of the way down the Boso Peninsula (north of Katsuura and south of Isumi). Home of one of Chiba's best beaches. Here it is on google maps
HistoryOne of the more notable events in the town's history was the shipwreck of the Spanish galleon "San Francisco" in 1609. The ship was blown of course en route from Manila to Acapulco and became shipwrecked on 30 September 1609 on Wada Beach. One of the 373 people aboard was the ex-governor of Manila, Don Rodrigo de Vivero, on his way back to Mexico after completing his duties. Perhaps unusually for the time, the 317 survivors weren't executed on the spot, but actually helped out by the locals and lived by the village for a time. (Quite a feat considering the population of the village wasn't much more than 300 itself.) Don Rodrigo traveled to Otaki to meet the local lord of the area, and then eventually to Edo where he met the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada and even the retired shogun (and real boss) Tokugawa Ieyasu, and made arrangements for some trade and exchange between Japan and Spain that would later fall through, before returning home on a western-style ship built in Japan by William Adams. The 400 year anniversary is coming up, so there's a whole fancy story of the shipwreck and aftermath that has been recreated from reading Rodigo's journals and other sources (apparently the story was largely lost in Japan during the closed-country Edo Period, but preserved in Spain/Mexico). Onjuku Beach is also the home of Japan’s most famous camels. Masao Katoh wrote the famous song Tsuki-no-Sabaku ("Desert of the Moon") about a prince and princess riding across the sand dunes of lunar landscape on these ships of the desert. Katoh was inspired to write this song when he noticed that from up above, the beach forms the shape of a crescent moon around the water. SightseeingOnjuku BeachOnjuku Beach the hidden gem of Chiba-ken. The perfect place for a weekend escape from the busy city in summer. Located on the Pacific side of the Boso Peninsula (google maps∞). Only 79 minutes from Tokyo (Express Train) and 81 minutes from Chiba City. It has everything you want in a beach, sun, sand, surf, and camels. Best of all there are no tetrapods. Ok I can’t guarantee the sun and surf but both regularly appear, with a reasonable sized surfing community as testament to that. I can guarantee the sand, and unlike many of the beaches up and down Japan, Onjuku Beach is not covered in concrete. Another interesting feature of the beach is that it misses the iron deposits commonly found on other Chiba beaches. This leaves the sand sparkling white and cool underfoot in the heat of summer. There are plenty of summertime activities beachside such as the ever popular beach volleyball competitions and Sandboarding. Even though the beach is regarded as a surf beach it is pretty tame by most standards and is also home to a local surf life saving brigade. So it is safe enough for families too. To minimise the disruption of your relaxation time you don’t have to wander far to find plenty of refreshment stands on hand. Don't miss the camels! OtherThere is a Tsuki-no-Sabaku Memorial Museum as well as the folk history museum to visit. Most importantly Onjuku Beach is a beach, so if you are looking for some fun in the sun, sand and surf this is the place to be. Bars, Restaurants, etc.In the official summer beach season, there are a number of beachside stalls and restaurants, but besides those, there's not that much in Onjuku. Try going down the road to Katsuura or up the road to Ichinomiya. However, Onjuku's new English tourism website does claim a list of at least 20 or so restaurants across town, so anyone with interest, please hunt out some of these and post a comment or two: http://www.onjuku-kankou.com/english/eat.html How to get thereTrainTokyo – Onjuku: Wakashio [Express Train] 79 minutes. One-way fare:3,900 yen Distance:104.6 km Or if you are on a budget and have plenty of time Tokyo – Onjuku: Regular Train 153 minutes. One-way fare:1,890 yen Distance:104.6 km Chiba – Onjuku: There are plenty of trains headed to Soga. From Soga you can meet up with the Wakashio. Train information: http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/index.html CarTravelling from either the North or the South follow route 128. There are sneakier, faster ways to get here if you are coming from different locations, but route 128 is the most straightforward. ALT SituationThere is one JET ALT in Onjuku, and they work in the local jr. high and elementary schools |