Sanma Issue 36: Summer Sea, Kanto

All Journeys by the Sea Eventually Merge into One Ocean I've traveled to the Kanto coast a few times. I've taken the Enoshima Electric Railway to Kamakura, enjoying shirasu-don (whitebait bowl) while gazing at the Shonan coast; boarded a boat from Yokosuka Port to Sarushima (Monkey Island), looking out at Tokyo Bay from amidst the lush forest greenery; or cycled in the romantic Odaiba, feeling the charm of Keihin-Tohoku Park with the city's sea breeze. In the sweltering summer heat, even Tokyo experiences scorching temperatures, much like Taiwan. A fascinating parallel is that the entire Kanto region is embraced by the "ocean," with its coastlines and islands, natural landscapes and man-made structures, leisurely sea strolls, and underwater diving activities. However, unlike Taiwan, over the past five years, there's been a shift. The once Tokyo-centric urban life has gradually expanded to the suburbs, with many freelancers moving to the outskirts. Among these "migrations," moving to the seaside has become particularly popular. The sentiment of "Let's go to the sea and start a new life!" has encouraged more people to embrace the life experiences the ocean offers, transforming short seaside trips into everyday routines and redefining how people interact. The seaside possesses a certain magic that draws people in, allowing them to relax and open their hearts. Paying homage to the classic Japanese drama "Heaven's Coin" from 20 years ago, which depicted love and family bonds during summer, much like the protagonist Natsuo's experience of seeing a snow-like scene while diving. Each person's seaside memories hold their own unique scenery, and the value of the seascape is felt differently depending on who you are with. This issue, themed "Summer Sea," takes us on journeys with model Bebe, starting from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa to feel the tranquility of the "urban sea"; with the couple behind Manazuru Publishing, who moved to the seaside in Kanagawa, to explore the reasons for putting down roots by the "sea by the mountains"; and with Taiwanese-loving photographer Kengo Kobayashi, driving for two hours to Ibaraki Prefecture's Oarai Town to witness the "divine sea" with its torii gate standing in the ocean. In addition to these three journeys along the Kanto coast, we also visit three creatives who coexist with the sea. The Shoji couple, who have transformed the lifestyle in Zushi and Hayama by connecting the neighborhood through the "Seaside Coffee Festival," gently documenting the "Seaside Diary" with their editorial prowess; THE CHIKURA UMI BASE CAMP, an inn that perfectly blends farming and seafood cuisine, creating a community-oriented living environment akin to a "duplex"; and Naohiro Kamahtori, the organizer of a seaside music festival held for over a decade at Yokohama Port, creating an adult "culture festival" for a city. These stories, written alongside the sea, form the most vibrant scenes of this summer. It's like opening up new possibilities in life; we write down the memories of the sea and people, detailing coastal museums that treat the sea as a work of art, music playlists inspired by the ocean, and, of course, the beauty of words from Japanese literary masters who have used "the sea" as their theme. The journeys that have touched the sea, after the ocean has embraced all our emotions, eventually merge into the same ocean. In Tokyo during the summer, we hope you'll venture a little further to see the unprecedented Kanto seascape with us.