Every September the men of Ōhara carry portable shrines straight into the Pacific, running through the surf to the beat of drums in a festival that has been held for centuries. It is a wild, joyful sight, and it sums up this small fishing town on the eastern coast of the Boso peninsula, where life still revolves around the sea and the boats.
Ōhara is part of Isumi city, and its harbour lands some of the largest catches of Japanese spiny lobster, ise-ebi, in the country. In season, the restaurants near the port serve it grilled, boiled or in miso soup, along with whatever else the boats brought in that morning. It is a good place to eat, and lunch here is reason enough to stop.
The Isumi railway, a little single-track local line, runs inland from Ōhara through rice fields and wooded hills. In spring, rapeseed flowers bloom along the tracks, and the small yellow trains pass through a sea of colour. Railway fans travel from all over Japan to photograph it.
The coast road south towards Katsuura is a pleasant ride, with views over rocky bays and small beaches, and Katsuura's morning market, one of the most famous in Japan, has been held for over four hundred years. Inland, the roads wind through quiet valleys with little traffic, and the hills are green and wooded.
The town covers the basics, pumps and konbini included. Beaches along this stretch open for swimming in July and August, but the Pacific does not do gentle here; stay between the flags and leave the reef edges to the surfers.