Wakayama Prefecture

Enjugahama Coast: Wakayama’s Beautiful Pine Tree Coast

Wakayama Prefecture has a reputation for lovely beaches and unique geological formations. In particular, the rocky Enjugahama Coast is a delight. Though you cannot swim here, this crescent-shaped beach framed by a line of lush pine trees and bright blue water, is a fun place to walk and experience great ocean views.

 

Enjugahama Coast

The Enjugahama Coast is 20 minutes away from Nishi Gobo Station, the final stop of the Kishu Railway. The coast spans around 6km from the mouth of the Hidakagawa River and includes Enju Kaigan Prefectural Park. If the coastline feels somehow familiar to you, you might be thinking of the anime “AIR” (2005, Toei Animation) which was set in this town. 

People fishing on the Enjugahama Coast
People enjoy fishing. (on left)
rocky shoreline of the Enjugahama Coast
The coast is covered with rocks, which makes it a little bit hard to walk.

As beautiful as the Enjugahama Coast is,  you might assume that it is often crowded, especially in the summertime. But in truth, there is hardly anyone here! Since swimming is prohibited, most people are eager to seek out calmer waters. The surf is usually pretty rough, and the ocean bed drops off quickly in several areas. I also believe rip tides are a common occurrence there.  Indeed, the Enjugahama Coast has a reputation for strong currents and high tides. If a typhoon hits, the waves can be as high as 5m. 

No wind at all but it is already like this.

 

The Pine Forest of Enjugahama Coast

Still, while the water might be off-limits, one of the greatest charms of this beach is its pine tree forest. This is the biggest pine tree forest in the Kansai region! The trees here are hundreds of years old and span almost the entire beach (5km). 

Pine tree forest along the Enjugahama Coast
It is a big pine forest!

 

It is nice to walk along the coast but also it is quite nice to walk in the pine forests. Not to mention, walking over the rocky shore can get uncomfortable after a while.  

It almost feels like this forest goes on forever!

 

Smoke Trees

Pine tree forest of the Enjugahama Coast
View of the pine forest and the beach

Enju means “smoke tree” as people said that when you saw the waves between trees was as if smoke was coming out of the trees. These days however the presence of ocean walls makes it hard to find places where you can see this effect. Even still the line of crisp green trees against the turquoise blue water is a lovely sight. 

 

Blowhole

At the tip of Enjugahama is a blowhole. If you are lucky enough to come at high tide, you can see the water rushing out from the blowhole (Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough). Amazingly, we saw several groups of people fishing on the nearby rocks despite the high waves! 

It is really amazing here

Though it might be a little far for some, a trip to the Enjugahama Coast is a really fun day trip if you’re feeling like a change of pace! 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *