Sunday, August 23, 2020

Haraoka Pier

For today's photo shoot, we visit Haraoka Beach on the shores of a small fishing village called Minamiboso, which is located on the western shoreline of Chiba Prefecture facing Tokyo Bay.

The beach is a small, quaint, and tranquil beach that features a several attractions: a small pier made partially of wood and breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji if weather conditions are just right!

The beach is a nice place to visit for seascape photography, sunbathing, swimming, fishing, or to take your date out to enjoy a romantic sunset.

As for the pier, it is one of only a handful of piers with a wooden structure that still exist in Japan. Even after the super typhoon damage the wooden parts and lights of the pier, the local community was able to make repairs and return the pier to good condition.

The  beach is also a popular sight for photographing the so-called Diamond Fuji that can be seen only twice a year--in May and and early August--when the sun sets right over the peak of Mt. Fuji. The close proximity to Tokyo has make the pier and beach attractive shooting locations for several Japanese films and dramas.

To reach this beach, I left home around 1:00 a.m. and arrived at about 4:00 a.m., almost a full hour before sunrise. Since we had the whole beach to ourselves, I let the dog out to run freely up and down the beach as she barked and chased the waves as they gently lapped the shoreline. 

The lights on the pier and the dark blue-hour skies were a nice contrast. For this photo shoot, I simply wanted to capture the pier using an ND64 filter with a long exposure to smooth out the motion of water for an ethereal effect akin to long-exposure fine art black and white photography.

Some of the challenges I faced were deciding on a composition: A shot looking straight down the pier to the end? A shot with the village and boats in the background? A shot with the headland jutting out into the sea?

Of all the photos I took, only one had the kind of light that I thought did the scene the most justice. Plus, as the sun rose around 5:00 a.m., I had to restrain the dog and rush to capture shots of the pier as the locals started showing up for their morning walks, to go fishing on the pier, or to walk their dogs.

Small Wooden Pier on Beach in Chiba, Japan
Small Wooden Pier on Beach
Portfolio: https://pix4japan.myportfolio.com
Pentax KP 18 mm ISO 100 for 4.0 sec. at ƒ/10 with ND64 Filter
#Japan #beach #ToykyoBay #pier #ocean #sea #sunrise #seascape
#原岡桟橋 #原岡海水浴場 #南房総市 #千葉県 #桟橋 #砂浜 #海の景色 #海の風景

Lamppost on Pier
Lamppost on Pier
Portfolio: https://pix4japan.myportfolio.com
Pentax K-S2 65.5 mm ISO 1600 for 1/320 sec. at ƒ/14 (Shot in JPEG)
#Japan #beach #ToykyoBay #pier #ocean #sea #sunrise #seascape
#原岡桟橋 #原岡海水浴場 #南房総市 #千葉県 #桟橋 #砂浜 #海の景色 #海の風景

Pier Leading out to Sea
Pier Leading out to Sea
Pentax K-S2 137.5 mm ISO 1600 for 1/500 sec. at ƒ/14  (Shot in JPEG)
Portfolio: https://pix4japan.myportfolio.com
#Japan #beach #ToykyoBay #pier #ocean #sea #sunrise #seascape
#原岡桟橋 #原岡海水浴場 #南房総市 #千葉県 #桟橋 #砂浜 #海の景色 #海の風景

Sandy Front Paws of Border Collie
Sandy Front Paws of Border Collie
Pentax K-S2 137.5 mm ISO 1600 for 1/400 sec. at ƒ/7.1  (Shot in JPEG)
Portfolio: https://pix4japan.myportfolio.com
#Japan #beach #ToykyoBay #pier #ocean #sea #sunrise #seascape
#原岡桟橋 #原岡海水浴場 #南房総市 #千葉県 #桟橋 #砂浜 #海の景色 #海の風景

Border Collie Looking at Camera
Border Collie Looking at Camera
Pentax K-S2 87.5 mm ISO 1600 for 1/400 sec. at ƒ/6.3  (Shot in JPEG)
Portfolio: https://pix4japan.myportfolio.com
#Japan #beach #ToykyoBay #pier #ocean #sea #sunrise #seascape
#原岡桟橋 #原岡海水浴場 #南房総市 #千葉県 #桟橋 #砂浜 #海の景色 #海の風景

Being cooped up in an office for hours on end at my day job, it’s great for my body, mind, and soul to get outside and be closer to nature whether it’s in the mountains, along a river, or on a beach.

These tiny one-day adventures also give my dog a chance to experience the world while she is still active and healthy. And if I arrive early enough, my dog and I can have a whole mountain or beach to ourselves--a blessing indeed when you live in one the world's most crowded countries!

I hope you enjoyed today’s short photo shoot and might be inspired to visit Haraoka Pier whether it’s for sightseeing, taking your dog for a walk, or for use as a great location for seascape photography.

Access from Tokyo:
  • Expressway
    • The quickest way is to reach Haraoka Beach from Tokyo is to get on the expressway, head for Kawasaki, and from there take the Aqua-Line Expressway--a long tunnel that goes deep under Tokyo Bay--to reach the opposite coastline in Chiba Prefecture.
    • This route takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes at a cost of about 6,500 yen. Actual costs will vary if you pay in cash or with an ETC card, and the size of your vehicle. If you drive a kei car (軽自動車), your rates will be a bit cheaper.
    • Sample route on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/qviZFBVqeBSu9Pbf7
  • Highway
    • There are no tolls for taking a national or prefectural highway. Unlike an expressway, however, you'll end up spending a little bit more in terms of fuel economy and time due to traffic congestion and traffic lights.
    • Following national highways to the beach will take about 3 hours and 10 minutes from Tokyo.
    • Sample route on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/WjfMjbREVLX27Ad17
The nice thing about visiting rural areas by car is that parking is often much cheaper than Tokyo and if your lucky, parking might be free! The parking lot for Haraoka Beach is only a 3-minute walk from the water’s edge and is available at no cost. This was a big plus for me since I had spent so much on the cost of the toll roads.
  • Train
    • The cheapest and probably most convenient way to access the beach is by train. The best  thing about traveling by train is that once you get a seat, you can take a nice long nap until you reach your destination. Not having to deal with traffic makes for an ideal, stress-free experience.
    • The  Keiyo Line and Uchibo Line offer the simplest and most direct route, which takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes at a cost of 2,310 yen. If you are a tourist and qualify for any special pass, you can travel for much cheaper.
    • Sample route on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/brkT7N9PoHMrMpex7
Here is the list of gear I used for this photo shoot:
*Links to Amazon are affiliated links, which means that if you choose to purchase an item that I may get a small commission that has no bearing on your purchase price whatsoever.
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Pix4Japan by Iketani, Daisei is licensed under a
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