A drastic surge in temperatures on Sunday enticed a large number of families and young people to head to the nation's beaches, even though most are not open for recreational purposes due to the coronavirus outbreak.
At Shonan Beach in Kanagawa Prefecture, small tents were seen lined up along the water's edge. Off one beach in Chiba Prefecture, there was little margin of safety between swimmers and those driving jet skis.
Local governments and other concerned people have been urging beachgoers to exercise safety and avoid close-contact settings.
-- 20,000 come to famous beach
The Nishihama and Kugenuma swimming areas at Katase Beach in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, are widely popular among young people. While the beach is not open and service facilities for beachgoers are not set up, a large number of people set up parasols and small tents on Sunday. Many couples and families with children were remarkably seen enjoying themselves.
According to officials of a union of service businesses for beachgoers, the number of visitors to the beach was lower than last summer's peak of about 90,000 a day. But one of the officials said, "Approximately about 20,000 people" have visited the beach this year.
A 46-year-old man who visited the beach with his family from a nearby neighborhood said, "I was surprised to see the crowds beyond my prediction, but we can't stay at home forever."
-- Border buoys not in place
At Hojo Beach in Tateyama, Chiba Prefcture, the engines of jet skis boomed loudly near people swimming with their children. Because the beach is not open to the public as a swimming area, the swimming areas have not been marked with buoys. Thus jet ski drivers and wind surfers, which are not prohibited, passed very close to those out swimming.
It was once planned to set up barriers on the shore so that jet skis would be blocked from getting to the water, but the measure was not carried out.
A 55-year-old chief of a tourism and port management section of the city government voiced his anxiety, saying, "I hope an accident does not occur."
Related authorities have received many complaints about jet skis. A 51-year-old chief of the Tateyama branch of the Chiba Coast Guard Office said, "I have mobilized all of my personnel to monitor situations from the sea and on shore to secure people's safety."
While about 40% of sea-bathing places nationwide gave up on opening to the public this summer, Shirahama Ohama Beach in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, opened as a sea-bathing spot on the condition that measures to prevent infections are thoroughly implemented.
Entry points to the beach were reduced from 11 to five and security guards check the temperatures of visitors. The beach is marked off into squares 4 meters by 4 meters to prevent close-contact settings from occurring.
A 20-year-old company employee from Niigata who visited the beach with a friend said, "I came here because sea-bathing sites on the Shonan Beach are not opened. I want to enjoy while paying attention to prevention of infection."
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