Kujukuri Beach

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Kujukuri Beach on a late summer afternoon

Kujūkuri Beach (九十九里浜; -hama) is a beach located on the east bank of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba prefecture, Japan. Lying within 60km of Tokyo, it is Japan's second longest beach and a popular swimming and surfing destination.

The name 'Kujukuri' very roughly translates to mean 'Ninety Nine Miles', with 'kujuku' meaning 'ninety nine' and 'ri' being an old measurement equating to approximately 3.93 kilometers. This was not intended to be interpreted as the actual length of the beach, but rather means that the beach is so long one cannot count how many 'ri' it might be.

The actual length of the beach in kilometers is around 66kms.

[edit] Interesting Facts about Kujukuri Beach

According to the NHK, Kujukuri is the best place in Japan to observe the sanderling. These tiny birds can be seen on most Spring and Autumn days following the ebb and flow of the waves at amazing speeds in search of food.

A nostalgic Japanese song by Mi-ke called Omoide-no-Kujukuri-Hama (想い出の九十九里浜), meaning "The Kujukuri Beach of my Memories", made the national charts in 1991 and is still a Japanese karaoke favourite.