Nakatajima sand dunes
The Nakatajima sand dunes ( Japanese 中 田島 砂丘 , Nakatajima-sakyū ) are located in the district of Nakatajima in the south of the Japanese city of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture . Along the coast of the Pacific Ocean they extend in an east-west direction over a length of 4 km with a width of 600 meters in a north-south direction. Disregarding the sandy beach Kujūkuri-hama ( 九 十九 里 浜 ) in Chiba prefecture , they represent the second largest sand dune area in Japan after the largest sand dunes at Tottori in Tottori prefecture .
The dunes were created by sedimentary deposits brought by the Tenryū River from the southern Japanese Alps to the Pacific. Ocean currents and strong winds help to wash the sand from the ocean floor to the shore, where the wind constantly changes its shape. The dunes have existed for thousands of years, but the area of the dunes is shrinking due to the construction of numerous dams in Tenryū for power generation and irrigation. Concrete barriers to protect the coast from tsunamis and typhoons impede the currents that bring the sand. In the past 40 years, the shoreline has retreated 200 meters.
In the past few years, Shizuoka Prefecture Government has taken steps to stop the dunes from shrinking. For example, a ban on commercial sand extraction was issued, new sand was introduced, and encroaching grass areas were removed. The sustainability of these measures to protect the dunes is still unclear.
The Nakatajima sand dunes are a popular place to watch the first sunrise of the year. From May 3rd to 5th, the dunes will be the location for the Hamamatsu Festival, which includes traditional Japanese kite flying.
Loggerhead turtles come ashore in summer to lay their eggs on the beach. These are then collected and placed in a protected incubation area. When the juveniles hatch, they leave this protection zone and enter the Kuroshio ocean current of the Pacific Ocean.
Access to the dunes
Fortification of the sand dunes
Concrete barrier for coastal protection
Nakatajima sand dunes
Web links
Coordinates: 34 ° 39 ′ 39.7 " N , 137 ° 44 ′ 27.2" E