Shirarahama Beach — Attraction in Shirahama

Am I slow?!

I cannot succinctly say why I am so drawn to Japan. The more I experience, the less I understand. Japan may be mysterious and nuanced, but it also seems to be delicately layered.

Over the past 30 years, I have travelled to Japan many times. The early times were mostly for business; and in recent times it has been for pleasure. And each time, something new is revealed, and some things are appreciated more.

Tokyo pulses with extraordinary engineering and efficiency. Kyoto is a wellspring of cultural reverence upheld in quality. Hiroshima humbly hints of tragedy while standing tall in resilience. Shikoku offers an uplifting path for pilgrims to reflect on their lives. Hokkaido gently harmonizes wilderness with human imprints.

There is a soothing warmth as you immerse in the serene ambiance of an open-air onsen surrounded by nature. Sakura petals gracefully cascade through the cool air, creating a breathtaking display of delicate beauty.

For us as travellers, most Japanese people are kind, respectful, and keenly helpful. The Japanese wilderness seems the happiest of any in the World to me. And walking the Nakasendo Trail gave me a sense of being one with all that is.

So now here in Wakayama Prefecture, I see so much beauty which says to me: let it go, there's no need to understand just be here now seek beauty inside Amongst the forest trees and along the coastline are Shinto Shrines that I have always admired for their superb craftsmanship and harmony with nature. Here and now, I stop taking photos and my vision softens into a gaze with my focus turning inward. And here I drift like an uguisu feather in the...

A beautiful Japanese beach with an amazing panoramic scenic ambience. The beach has been transformed into a very tourist-friendly usable space which means lots of concrete and infrastructure. That's not a bad thing, it's just the necessity of accommodating thousands of local and international tourists that flock to the beach and it's been done in a good way. What's been created on top of the natural shoreline is impressive and up there with any international tourist beach destination in the world. Everybody talks of the sand being 'imported from Australia' after a devastating loss of the natural sand due to past typhoons. Apparently over a 15 year period, and perhaps ongoing, sand was deployed to reinstate the beach to the beauty it is today. Here's the big question I can't get answered, "how did they get all of this sand to the beach 😱 ?" Obviously it would have been done by cargo ship, BUT that's an overly simplistic answer 🤭 I'd love to hear the story behind, how and when, and the ongoing sustained development project. In all my travels around the world this is a 'stand-out international Beach destination'. By the way, I'm from Australia, so please enjoy our sand, we Aussies are very happy to help out...

Stayed in Shirahama for a few days with wife and daughter. I was surprised that despite it being hot summer weather, the place is pretty dead during the week. Weekends however are quite busy and the beach gets packed out Saturday afternoon and Sunday. It is a nice beach, but I found the town itself lacks character and is not what I expected from a popular beach town. Personally I think its overrated but maybe for Japanese terms this is as good as it gets. I guess we are spoilt in Australia when it comes to beaches and beach life. If you are from Australia and on a tight schedule - don't waste your time coming here, its not worth it. I did however really like the hinterland. We did a full day of driving into the mountains along the rivers, little villages, etc and it was absolutely beautiful. Rivers and the clear blue water...