Much Needed Beach Break to Ioujima

I'm not going to lie when I say that Nagasaki wasn't even close to being on my original itinerary.  After cutting out Mount Fiji due to the abnormal heat wave going on in Japan, I had a large gap in my itinerary before departing from Osaka to Shanghai on September 10th.  After three weeks of constant travel and 6-12+ hour days of exploring each city, there was one thing that I needed: a break, and not just any break, a beach.  Thanks to massive internet searching, and wikitravel, I found my spot.

One of Japan's most beautiful beaches called Miyazaki, located on the southern island of Kyushu, is famous for its amazing surfing and picturesque scenery.  Being 5-7 hours away by JR rail, I unfortunately had to pass due to extreme inconvenience.  Nagasaki located on the south west of the same island was the stepping stone to finding my beach, and a much shorter 3 1/2 hour ride from Hiroshima on the JR line was all it took to get down to the lesser traveled towns in Japan.  Sure, there is the peace memorials dedicated to all those who lost their lives during the nuclear bombing in World War 2, but I was more interested in getting away from the temple, memorials, and castles that I have seen time and time again in Japan. 

A few short walks, 20 minute ferry, and a 980 yen fee (~$11) got me to the nearby resort island of Ioujima (not to be confused with similar sounding Iwo Jima).  While most visitors stay at one of the islands resorts for a relaxing getaway, I was there for one reason, the Costa Del Sol beach.  After reaching the beach it was apparent why the reputation is so high as the entire 600 feet of coastline was paired with crystal clear water and only about a dozen other visitors during the course of the two hours that I was there. 

Perfect water, fantastic break in the weather, and a cool sea breeze was all I needed to get energized for my last few days in Japan.  An extra bonus was the onsen that was included free in the ticket price, so after working up a sweat playing in the hot sun and amazing water, I soaked in the views and nurturing water in an entirely empty hot spring spa.  Could there be anything better to help recover after a massive amount of site seeing?  I think not.   Bring it on China.

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