On a beautiful weekend day, I had planned to go to Nada Kuroiwa Narcissus Park in Awaji Island, Hyogo with its beautiful strait, but then, while changing to another bus at Sumoto Port , I got stuck here, because the bus driver to Nada Kuroiwa said that this place was under reconstruction, and could not be reached. So 2 hours of train and bus travel, more than 3000 yen in transportation fees, and a beautiful Sunday morning became meaningless.
However, in my moment of disappointment, I opened Google Maps and started searching for nearby tourist spots. Fortunately, the place where I got stuck turned out to be the beautiful Ohama Beach. My journey to explore this area began right here, completely by chance and without any prior planning—something I had never done before on my trips.
This beach is one of the few swimmable beaches near Osaka. What's even more special is that very few people know about it, so it remains relatively uncrowded. You can swim, have a picnic, camp, or take a peaceful stroll along the beach with plenty of space to enjoy.
Besides Ohama Beach, there is also a stunning castle ruin located on a mountain right by the coast – the Sumoto Castle Ruins (洲本城跡). Let's hike up the mountain together!
Torii gates are a common sight all over Japan, and everything here exudes a sense of ancient history.
After going to the beach, I still have to climb mountains, so tired...
… but trust me, the scenery here is worth the effort you put in, and this is the result after completing the towering mountain.
Here’s some information I found on the Sumoto City homepage about this castle:
Sumoto Castle is believed to have been built in 1526 by Atagi, the leader of the Awaji Navy. Later, in 1585, Yasuharu Wakisaka, who took control of the castle, renovated it, and its overall stone walls still stand today. In 1609, when Wakisaka moved to Iyo-Ozu, the castle was nearly abandoned but still maintained its original grandeur.
The upper castle was designated a national historic site in 1999, while the lower castle was also recognized as a historical site by Sumoto City. On April 6, 2017, it was selected as one of the 100 most famous castles in Japan.
And the most special highlight of today—the stairway to heaven 🙂
The result of more than 30 minutes of climbing is this:
An extremely beautiful view where you can see the whole city of Sumoto from here, starting from Ohama beach…
…arrived at Sumoto port with the cruise ship…
…to see the whole city of Sumoto…
…to Osaka Bay in the distance can also be seen from here.
Really lucky to discover this place.
Take the opportunity to check-in and take virtual photos before returning to Osaka…
…end the memorable journey in Sumoto city.
I returned around 3-4 hours, to be in time to visit another very famous place on the way back to Osaka, which is the suspension bridge recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest suspension bridge in the world - Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.
This bridge connects the city of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture with Awaji Island, stretching approximately 4 km in length.
I had planned to catch the sunset over the sea, but unfortunately, today’s sunset didn’t turn out as beautiful as I had hoped 🙁.
Hôm nay không có bức ảnh ưng ý nhất, vì bức nào cũng ưng hết trơn .
Ending a Sunday full of emotions—starting with boredom and disappointment at not reaching the planned destination, followed by excitement at discovering a new beach, a place never before featured in any travel magazine, and ultimately being awe-struck by the breathtaking views of Sumoto city, Ohama beach, and Osaka bay from the ruins of Sumoto Castle. And here’s today’s author—thank you for reading through to the end of the article!
Address and how to go to places today:
- Omaha Beach: https://goo.gl/maps/edVE8zTZC24XXRwk7
From Osaka Station, take the Tokaido-Sanyo Line from platform 5 to Maiko Station. After exiting the station, turn left and take the escalator to the 5th floor, where you’ll find the Kosoku Maiko Bus Stop on the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. From there, take the bus to Sumoto Kosoku Bus Stop.
- Sumoto Castle Ruins: https://goo.gl/maps/g4BeYFEsZLkHjf946
From the beach, follow the signs along the road directing you to climb the mountain to Sumoto Castle, or simply follow the directions on Google Maps.
- Akashi Kaikyo Bridge: https://goo.gl/maps/a8Fpdyy5Cfu9SUEL9
From Osaka Station, take the Tokaido-Sanyo Line from platform 5 to Maiko Station. Once you exit the station, turn right and head towards the beach.
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