Byobugaura

Locally knownKnown to people who live here. Not in the international guidebooks.

Researched and written by Hinato

Byobugaurasea cliffsChoshinatural monumentcoastal walk

Chiba · Choshi

35.7044°N, 140.8434°E

Byobugaura looks different depending on the season, the weather, and the time of day — none of which a single photo can tell you.

Ten kilometres of sea cliff, forty to fifty metres high, running south-west from Choshi along the Pacific with nothing in front of them. The local name for it is the Dover of the East, which is the sort of comparison to be sceptical of and which in this case is reasonable — the cliffs are pale, sheer, and continuous, and the resemblance is real. They were designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument in 2016.

The rock is soft Pliocene mudstone and the sea is taking it back at a measurable rate; the coastline here has retreated hundreds of metres in recorded history, which is why the cliff faces are clean and unvegetated. A promenade runs along the base from the Choshi Marina beach, so you walk at sea level with fifty metres of stratified rock above you. Parking is free and it is a fifteen-minute bus ride from Choshi Station.

Before you go

Access hours

Open access | Promenade daylight only

Closed: Open year-round | Promenade sections may close for repair or in rough seas

Entry fee

Free | Free parking for around 250 cars

Best time to visit

Year-round | Late afternoon light; winter for a heavy sea

Time to allow

60–90 minutes

Making the trip

Directions

Shiomi-cho, Choshi. From JR Choshi Station take the bus for Chiba Institute of Science to the Choshi Marina stop, then about a short walk. Free to visit, with a free car park at Choshi Marina beach holding around 250 cars. A promenade runs along the foot of the cliffs from the beach; sections have been closed for repair in the past, so check current access.

What to bring

**Walk the base, not the top.** The promenade from Choshi Marina beach runs along the foot of the cliffs, which is where the scale registers. From above you see the sea; from below you see fifty metres of stratified rock. **Check the promenade is open.** Sections have been closed for repair at various times because the cliffs are actively eroding. The city publishes the current status. **Late afternoon light.** The cliffs face south-east, so the sun comes across them rather than at them for most of the day. Late afternoon gives the strongest relief on the strata. **Do not approach the cliff edge from above.** The rock is soft and actively failing. There is a reason the viewing is done from the beach. **Combine with the railway.** The Choshi Electric Railway, the fish market and Inubosaki lighthouse are all within a short radius and make a full day out of a town at the far end of the Sobu line.

View on Google Maps