It is farming country: rice paddies, vegetable fields, greenhouses and patches of woodland, with low hills to the south and a scattering of small towns. Chiba is famous for its peanuts, and in autumn the fields are dotted with drying stacks, called bocchi, a sight unique to this part of Japan.
East of here, beyond Ōami, lies Kujūkuri beach, one of the longest beaches in Japan, stretching for roughly sixty kilometres along the Pacific coast. It is a broad, flat beach of fine sand, with powerful surf and strong currents. Swimming is allowed at designated beaches during the official season in July and August, with lifeguards and flags. Outside the season or the flagged zones, the sea can be dangerous, and drownings occur every year.
The Kujūkuri toll road runs behind the dunes along the coast, a straight, quiet road with views of the sea and the pine forests that protect the land from the wind and sand. It is not challenging riding, but it is relaxing, with little traffic and a cool sea breeze.
Inland, the roads are flat and straight, running between fields and through small towns. Watch for slow farm vehicles, sudden junctions and cyclists. The hills to the south, around Mobara and Ichihara, offer more interesting roads, with gentle bends and wooded slopes.
Grilled clams, hamaguri, are what the Kujūkuri coast is known for, eaten hot from the shell at roadside shacks in season. Ōami and Mobara cover fuel and convenience stores; out in the fields, do not assume the next village will have a pump.