Minamiboso Winter Travelogue 2

On the second day of my winter trip to Minamiboso, the southern end of Chiba Prefecture, I started with a light breakfast at a local bakery just outside Tateyama Station and a 40-minute ride on the Uchibo line to Awa-Kominato Station. The trip takes you into the peninsula's interior with rolling hills, forests, and farms to the Pacific Coast. The clear winter sky, the year-round greenery, and the ocean waves soothed me. Periodically, the train stops at some stations so you can stretch your legs and inhale the fresh air.

Awa-Kominato Station, northwest of Kamogawa’s center, accesses Kominato fishing port on Uchiura Bay. The location drew me because of its lore, onsen, food culture, and reputed miracles.

About 15 minutes from the station is the heart of the fishing village. I stopped to rest at Tanjoji foot bath in a retired shop house.

This is the first inkling of the port’s lore and hospitality. With clean and warm feet, I approached Tanjoji, the temple that has celebrated the birth of Buddhist saint Nichiren for 700 years. The imposing Niomon gate and halls date from the Edo era.

I mentioned miracles, and this is where they are said to have happened. When St. Nichiren was born, a spring gushed forth, lotuses bloomed on the shore, and sea bream teemed in the bay. The temple’s halls have imposing kawara tiles and intricate wood carvings by Ichi no Hachi, the 18th-century artist.

Sitting on the tatami mat in the temple’s hondo gave me some moments to appreciate the reverence for Nichiren

I checked my bag at Kichimu, one of the onsen hotels facing Uchiura Bay and headed for the dock for the Tainoura pleasure boat tour. The tour takes you to see the bay, the picturesque Benten shrine on a tiny island, and the school of sea bream. The fish are a living national monument that is said to be one of Nichiren’s miracles.

There were only two other passengers besides me, and the boat’s captain directed us to open the hatches to see the creatures. As the captain threw bait, the sleek fish rose to the surface from the depths and swam around the boat. It was haunting to see this enduring natural wonder.

For dinner that evening, since I didn’t book dinner at the hotel, I strolled back towards the station to a seafood restaurant. The waitress apologized saying that they were closing for the evening. Ah, well. As I turned to leave she stopped me. She recommended an izakaya a few steps away. I thanked her, and then she offered to phone the master to let her know I was on my way.

The master at Hamakko gave me a warm greeting, and an orientation to local cuisine, and served me a Minamiboso classic - sangayaki. It’s minced fish seasoned with miso and aromatics and grilled in an abalone shell.

The izakaya was a perfect wrap-up for the visit. I had good company chatting about Minato history, food culture, and travels with other diners and the proprietors.

See Minamiboso Winter Travelogue 1 for my blog about Tateyama City.