With a typhoon coming later this weekend, we took advantage of the final day of sunshine and headed north to Kotohiki Beach on the Tango Peninsula. Spending a day outdoors at the beach is so much better than staying at home in these days of ubiquitous personal digital devices. It was so nice to have the family playing together and the kids enjoying nature. The water was a perfect temperature and 5+ hours at the beach goes by quickly.
The Sea of Japan is an interesting body of water. Like the Mediterranean, it is mostly enclosed by Japan, the Korean peninsula and Russia with narrow straits on the north and south. The Tango Peninsula makes a good place to keep an eye on (radar) North Korea and the Japan Self-Defense force and US military have a “sub-base” there. The dishes are located on the top of a mountain near the tip of the peninsula. We saw some US soldiers swimming at the beach the last time we went.
Like the Persian/Arabian Gulf, there is a naming dispute. The Japanese call is the Sea of Japan and that is the most accepted name. However, the Koreans call it the East Sea. Biologically, the Sea of Japan has a higher oxygen content that the Pacific Ocean and fisheries are a major piece of the economy.
As you can see by the sign below not everyone approves of the military bases on the peninsula. We saw this sign near the exit of the expressway as we were driving to the beach.
We ignored the geopolitics of the region and had another fantastic day. The coast is so beautiful and the small towns on the peninsula are quaint and laid-back. It is one of Nadia’s favorite places in Japan.
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