yokohama echo January1998

yokohama echo

A Day at Jogashima

At only about an hour from Yokohama, Jogashima Island offers a pleasant getaway from the crowds and pollution of the city. It is both convenient and easily accessible for those only wanting to take a short day-trip.

The island is located at the southern-most tip of the Miura Peninsula, jutting out to Sagami Bay. It is a small, bean-shaped formation lying little more than a stone's throw off the peninsula itself. It probably would not hold much attraction for most if it were not for its beautiful southern shore and the numerous restaurants serving delicious maguro tuna sashimi.
Getting to the island is fairly easy. Trains depart regularly on the Keihin Kyuko Line from Yokohama Station to Misakiguchi Station. The trip costs 550 yen and takes about an hour. From Yokohama the train can be rather crowded, but after three or four stops most of the people get off and there are plenty of seats to sit back in and enjoy the scenery as it gradually changes from urban sprawl to small villages and fields. Don't worry about falling asleep or missing your stop on this train. Misakiguchi is the final station on the line.

At the station in Misakiguchi one can board the bus going to Jogashima Island from pole 2. It takes about a half hour, but the ride is quite pleasant, passing through quaint villages and along several wharves on the peninsula before crossing over the bridge that connects the mainland with the island. The place to alight from the bus on Jogashima is Hakushu Kaikan-mae, the first stop after the bridge on the island, near Jogashima Park. From here both sides of the island can be reached.

The two sides of the island stand in stark contrast to one another. The northern side, facing the peninsula, can be seen from Jogashima Park. There is not much worth seeing on this side except for the view of the wharf on the peninsula and the memorial museum dedicated to the poet Kitahara Hakushu. The beach in front of the museum is small and does not seem to attract too many visitors at this time of year, except for a few picnickers, whose traces make it seem as if there were many more tourists than in actuality. Whether or not this is the ideal spot for an afternoon picnic, one can eat in the shadow of the stone monolith dedicated to the memory of Hakushu and in the ululation of the song about Jogashima. The song, which was adapted from one of the poet's compositions and made famous many years ago, is incessantly broadcast through a megaphone attached to the roof of the Hakushu Memorial Museum. The museum itself is rather small, containing pictures of the poet and examples of his writings (probably not of much interest if you don't read Japanese). There are, however, several photographs of the island taken at the time when the poet first came, showing exactly how desolate a place Jogashima once was.

The southern side of the island, the side facing the ocean, is quite different and much more interesting. The beach is reached by returning to Jogashima Park and following a trail up the island's only hill and through a bamboo grove. The trail winds along the top of a cliff that faces the ocean and offers some spectacular views of islands near Jogashima. There are a couple of secluded beaches that can be spotted, but are inaccessible from the trail. I did not find a path leading to any of these beaches. It might be that they are only reached by boat.

At the end of the path that leads through the bamboo grove is a beautifully rugged beach. Bizarrely-shaped volcanic-looking rocks are scattered about near the water, creating something of a barrier between the sand and the ocean. There is one particular formation that seems to attract the attention of most visitors. Umanose Domon is a large hole about 2 meters in diameter, bored through from centuries of relentless pounding by the waves that constantly attack the shore. The beach is said to be a popular hangout for couples who come to watch the majesty of the foamy whitecaps as they penetrate the inner reaches of the seemingly inviolable shoreline. The sea water, that has been propelled to the extremities of the beachhead, rests there in magnificent little pools teeming with a variety of tiny forms of life. These pools are the homes to many kinds of aquatic plants and creatures. There are a variety of crabs and snails with brilliantly colored shells, as well as schools of minute fish. For those who enjoy collecting shells this is the ideal place.

At the west end of the island is an ancient lighthouse, set upon a hill overlooking the ocean. Originally erected in 1870, the tower is said to be the second oldest occidental lighthouse in Japan. More interesting perhaps than the lighthouse itself, and what makes climbing the stairs to the edifice worthwhile, is the wonderful view from the platform at the base of the structure.

Apart from the scenery of Jogashima, what draws many to the island is the temptation of eating some fresh maguro tuna, the specialty food of the Miura Peninsula. There are many small restaurants scattered about in the small village behind the lighthouse, all selling delicious maguro at a fairly reasonable price. Couched in between the restaurants are the usual tourist spots for buying postcards and trinkets of Jogashima.

Jogashima is very close to Yokohama and is a convenient spot for a single day-trip to escape from the bustle of a metropolis.

Paul Davidson

E-mail:intlyoke@iris.or.jp

Yokohama Echo Index

Yokohama Association for International Communications and Exchanges(YOKE)

Yokohama City(Japan)