Dan and I have found our little piece of paradise on our local beach. The beach itself has an interesting history as it used to be a blue flag beach that was very popular with families (it has sandy shores, clear water and a calm tide). Then a few years ago there was a boat spillage and the water became polluted and toxic. This resolved itself several years  ago as well, but the beach at that stage had lost its popularity.

The beach itself is beautiful and a brilliant setting for the sunset! However, surprisingly for Japan, it collects some litter that is washed up from the ocean. There have been some beach clean up initiatives, but as the litter comes in on the tide, it always returns. I can only imagine it is a great spot to rummage for driftwood though!

On the shore of this unpopular beach, overlooking the beautiful sunsets and sea / mountain views, is a cafe called The Beat Cafe. You couldn’t make it up: the name of this cafe was inspired by the Beatles! The owner visited Liverpool in his youth and fell in love. When a plot of land he had know as a child became available, he snapped it up and built the worlds friendliest cafe on a very beautiful beach.

The owner is sadly blind and therefore cannot enjoy the views for himself. So his wife and friends run the cafe and each opening day he sits at the bar welcoming his customers and listening to the sounds of the ocean.  His wife speaks good English and is extremely patient with us as we practice our Japanese and always ask her to say it “one more time please”. They both make us feel very welcome and importantly, rather relaxed!

I sound like a sales advert and actually I am. Everyone in the area should go here and support this excellent cafe! Be warned though a) you will always want to go back and never want to leave, b) it is only open Friday to Monday and c) sometimes the delicious cakes will sell out. That can be a sad day. To cheer me up on these sad days I will simply order another fresh loose leaf tea and milk. Yup, they do real English tea.