Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture has a coastline of steep cliffs that stretches for approximately 10km. That coastline is called Byobugaura. The scenery is so impressive that it’s hard to believe it’s a Japanese landscape. This time, we will introduce in detail the cliff-lined coastline of Byobugaura, Chiba Prefecture, known as the Dover of the East.
①【Byobugaura】 A spectacular cliff that is said to be the Dover of the East‼︎
Byobugaura is a coastline with steep cliffs in Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture. Byobugaura is pronounced as “Byobugaura.” It is called the “Dover of the East” after the chalk cliffs in England facing the Straits of Dover. Byobugaura is a scenic spot that is a symbol of Choshi.
❶The origin of the name Byobugaura.
The name Byobugaura comes from the fact that when viewed from the sea, it looks like a erected Byobu. Byoubu is a Japanese-style partitioned version.
❷Characteristics of Byobugaura.
Byobugaura is a coastline with cliffs about 40 to 50 meters high that extend for about 10 km. The area stretches from Naarai-cho in Choshi City to Cape Gyobu in Asahi City.
❸It was originally at the bottom of the sea.
The ground of Byobugaura was originally the bottom of the Choshi sea. However, over a long period of time, it gradually rose up until it finally appeared above the sea surface and formed the coastline. If you dig into the ground of Byobugaura, you will find shells and fossils that are remnants of the time when it was at the bottom of the sea. The reason why Byobugaura rose from the ocean floor to the sea is because the ocean plate is sinking beneath the land plate in the ocean trench off the coast of Choshi.
❹Byobugaura is formed from three strata.
Byobugaura is formed from the following three strata.
① Geological strata deposited at the bottom of the deep ocean approximately 3.1 to 900,000 years ago
② Geological strata deposited in the shallow sea about 120,000 years ago
③A geological layer that was deposited and turned into clay from about 120,000 to 10,000 years ago, when land was later formed.
The reason why the striped strata appear on the surface of the cliffs of Byobugaura is that they are formed from these three strata.
❺The reason for the steep cliff.
The reason why Byobugaura has become such a steep cliff is because the ground is soft and has been eroded by waves over many years. When you look at Byobugaura from the sea side, it looks like a cliff with a roughly cut surface.
Because it is made of soft volcanic ash, it cannot withstand the impact of waves, and erosion is progressing at a rate of 50 to 100 cm per year. In order to prevent sea erosion at Byobugaura, a wave-dissipating levee was constructed in 1966. As a result, erosion has hardly progressed at present.
❻It was also depicted in Utagawa Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e.
Byobugaura was also depicted in the ukiyo-e prints of Utagawa Hiroshige, the first ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period. Byobugaura is depicted in “Shimousa Choshi Hama Sotoura” in the “Illustrated Guide to Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces”.
❼Locations for commercials, movies, and promotional videos.
Byobugaura has been filmed many times as a filming location for commercials, movies, and promotional videos. The commercials are the following three works.
①Toyota “VOXY”
②Nissan “Serena e-power”
③Idemitsu Showa Shell Sekiyu
It was used in the movie “Code Blue”.
There are three promotional videos:
①AK-69「Guest List」
②Kenshi Yonezu “Campanella”
③ Junretsu “Please give me love~Don’t you cry~”
Because Byobugaura is a great location, it has been featured in various media.
❽Don’t go on top of the cliff
You cannot go to the top of Byobugaura cliff as it is private land. Be sure to view from below the cliff or from the sea.
➁Byobugaura activities
Here we will introduce in detail the activities at Byobugaura.
❶Sea kayak tour
A sea kayak tour is a tour where you can ride a sea kayak and view Byobugaura from the sea. Sea kayaks seat two people and are very stable, so even beginners can ride them. It can be enjoyed by everyone from children to seniors.
❷Surfing
You can enjoy surfing at Byobugaura. There is a sandy beach on the east side of Byobugaura where you can surf. During the surf season, surfers can come and enjoy surfing. By the way, Choshi is known as a sacred place for surfing, so surfers from all walks of life, from small children to seniors, come here to ride the waves.
❸SUP
You can also enjoy SUP at Byobugaura. SUP is a marine sport where you paddle into the waves while standing on a board. You can also exercise while walking around Byobugaura on the sea. You can admire the sheer cliffs while exercising your body.
➂Access information to Byobugaura.
Here you will find detailed information about access to Byobugaura. The address of Byobugaura is “from Choshi City to Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture”.
❶Route from Choshi City Hall to Byobugaura by car
Choshi City Hall (1-1 Wakamiya-cho, Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture) ⇒ National Route 126 ⇒ Symbol Road ⇒ Prefectural Route 37 ⇒ National Route 126 ⇒ Byobugaura
The total travel distance is approximately 12.1 km, and the travel time is approximately 24 minutes.
Summary【Byobugaura】
This time, we introduced Chiba Prefecture’s Byobugaura, a coastline with steep cliffs called the Dover of the East. Byobugaura in Chiba Prefecture is a scenic spot where you can see the impressive cliffs. We recommend viewing it from as close to the ocean as possible. When you visit Chiba Prefecture, why not stop by Byobugaura?
▲Official site
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