Written by
Levi Pells
Ichinomiya is a small town on the Pacific side of the Boso Peninsula, one hour from Tokyo Station on the Wakashio express. Most people have heard of it for one of two reasons: the surf, or the shrine the town is named after.
The Olympic surf beach
Tsurigasaki beach hosted the first ever Olympic surfing competition, at the Tokyo Games in July 2021. The Pacific swell that brought the Olympics here brings surfers every weekend of the year.
Depending on the season and weather, we can finish the day with a trip to the Olympic surfing beach and cool off in the water, or soak in the local Iron and Iodine-infused hotsprings before returning back home.
Tamasaki Jinja
Tamasaki Jinja is a 1000+ year old shrine, it's considered one of the premier 'power spots' in the Kazusa area. Here we will learn about the ecological significance of shrines in Japanese culture and ground ourselves in a small ritual to begin our adventure.
It was the ichinomiya, the highest ranked shrine, of the old Kazusa Province, which is where the town's name comes from. It appears in written records from 868. The buildings burned in 1562 and were rebuilt by the Satomi clan in 1587.
Where the two meet
Every September, portable shrines from around the Kazusa area are carried down to Tsurigasaki beach for the shrine's festival. For a few days the surf beach and the thousand year old shrine are part of the same story.
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