Along the north-eastern shore of Tokyo Bay, between Funabashi and Chiba, almost everything you see stands on land that did not exist a century ago. Reclamation turned tidal flats and shallow water into ports, factories, housing and the business district of Makuhari, with its convention centre, Makuhari Messe, and the stadium of the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team. Inage, a little further south, has an artificial beach with a promenade and views across the bay.
The shore was once famous for its tidal flats, where people dug for clams and gathered seaweed, and the fishermen of the bay supplied Edo with fresh seafood. Most of that has gone, but a few patches survive, including the Yatsu tidal flat in Narashino, protected as a wetland of international importance and a haven for migratory birds.
As a finishing stretch, this coast is about getting home. The Keiyō road and the Higashi-Kantō expressway run along the shore, carrying heavy traffic towards Tokyo, and the local roads are busy and lined with traffic lights. But in the evening, with the sun setting over the bay and the towers of Tokyo glowing on the horizon, there is a certain urban beauty to it, and on clear days Mount Fuji appears on the far side of the water.
Fuel and food are plentiful along the shore. The promenades at Makuhari and Inage are pleasant places to stop and watch the sunset before the last stretch home.