This stunning view will transport you to another world.

There are some places in Japan imbued with a special magic that makes you feel like you’re in a Studio Ghibli movie. These magical places can be well worth the trek from a major city, as they allow you to not only live out your favorite film but get off the beaten track and see a side of Japan few know about. One such place is Egawa Beach, a seaside town in Kisarazu, Chiba. Egawa’s picturesque beauty calls to mind scenes from Spirited Away, and it’s hard not to feel a sense of nostalgia for days gone past but perfectly recreated in Ghibli films when you’re there.

So with images of No-Face in our head, we set off to Chiba! The best views are undoubtedly from the water’s edge, where telephone poles stretch into the distance.

However, Egawa Beach is supposed to be its most gorgeous once the sun starts to set, so we took a little walk around the area, waiting for the day to end. As we wandered, we came across this bizarre establishment called Henna Hanaya (literally, “Weird Florist”), which makes us think the otherworldly view of Egawa Beach might be having an effect on the locals…

▼ Though we’re still not sure if it’s a positive or a negative effect.

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After our run-in with the unusual florist, we realized that dusk was near at hand and headed back to the beach. And we weren’t alone!

▼ The sight of the sun sinking into the horizon across the way is spectacular.

As you may know, the telephone poles were constructed to bring electricity to huts where guards kept an eye out for illegal clam poaching (clams being abundant in the area). These days they aren’t in active use and may need to be removed due to decay, but for now, they add an extra element of wonder to the sunset views.

▼ The silhouette of Mt. Fuji is visible across the water, adding to the beauty.

▼ As dusk wears on, the lights across the harbor come on.

This is one of Japan’s fabled beauty spots, and it’s easy to see why. Egawa Beach is located just an hour by car from Tokyo on the Tokyo Bay Aqua Line, a combination bridge and tunnel spanning 14 kilometers that connects Tokyo Bay with Chiba prefecture on the other side. If you’re in the city and you could use a bit of an escape, we’d definitely recommend heading out here — you may not literally be taken to another world, but we’d wouldn’t recommend letting your guard down!

All photos © RocketNews24
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