To the terminal station of the Choshi Electric Railway. Inubosaki Lighthouse, the Pacific Ocean, and horse mackerel fry in a port town

I wanted to see the easternmost point of the Kanto region.

And there was one more thing: I wanted to experience the charm of the Choshi Electric Railway, which continues to run despite its financial difficulties.

When I hear the name Choshi, the first things that come to mind are the Inubosaki Lighthouse and the Pacific Ocean. However, when you actually walk around, you realize this town has a unique industrial culture that cannot be described by the sea alone.

There is a fishing port, soy sauce factories, and a small train running between them.

The sea, fish, soy sauce, and the railway.

All of these things created the scenery of the town of Choshi.

To Inubosaki, the easternmost point of Kanto

When I arrived at Inubosaki, a white lighthouse stood straight against the cloudy sky.

In front of the lighthouse, there is a round mailbox, also painted white. A bit different from a refreshing lighthouse set against a blue sky, the gray sky and white building suited Inubosaki well on this day.

When I went out to the coast, the waves of the Pacific Ocean were crashing against the rocks one after another.

The waves hit the rocks, shattered into white, and sent up spray. Rather than just gazing at a calm sea, it felt like I was being shown the scale and power of the Pacific Ocean head-on.

I had come to the easternmost point of Kanto. While I felt like I was standing at the edge of a map, the sea before me continued on endlessly beyond that point.

Not just the sea, a town of soy sauce

Choshi is one of the nation's leading fishing cities, and at the same time, it is a town of soy sauce brewing that has continued since the Edo period.

Starting with Yamasa Soy Sauce and Higeta Soy Sauce, there are still many soy sauce manufacturers today. It is said that Choshi's warm and humid climate was also suitable for brewing.

When you ride the Choshi Electric Railway, that soy sauce industry becomes visible not as text in a tourist brochure, but as the scenery of the town itself.

The train that left Choshi Station soon runs alongside factory buildings and equipment. Near Nakanomachi, the distance between the tracks and the soy sauce factory is surprisingly close.

I thought it was just a local line running through a port town, but the view from the window contained the very industry that has long supported Choshi.

A small train rumbles past a large soy sauce factory. It was a scene that could only be seen in Choshi.

Horse mackerel fry eaten in a port town

For lunch, I ordered a horse mackerel fry set meal at a diner in Choshi Port.

On the plate, several long, thin pieces of fried horse mackerel were stacked up. Shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup, and pickles. It was an unadorned set meal, but one that looked like it would thoroughly satisfy the hunger of those working at the port.

The freshly fried batter was fragrant, and the meat inside was fluffy.

I think many people like to put sauce on their horse mackerel fry, but on this day, I ate it with soy sauce.

I layered the taste of the town of soy sauce onto the horse mackerel fry eaten in the town of fish. I felt as if the soy sauce factory I saw from the train window and the fish I was eating at the port had connected into one on my plate.

To Tokawa, the terminal station of the Choshi Electric Railway

At the end of my trip, I headed to Tokawa Station, the terminal station of the Choshi Electric Railway.

The wooden station building displays an old-fashioned station name sign. A red round mailbox stands in front of the station, and brown and red train cars were parked at the platform.

This is not a station newly staged to look like the Showa era.

Buildings and facilities that have weathered many years are still used as an active station today. I felt a warmth in its slightly worn-out appearance.

The Choshi Electric Railway is not just a railway for carrying tourists.

It passes by soy sauce factories, goes through residential areas, and connects towns near the sea. It is a railway that is still integrated into the daily life of Choshi, a town of industry.

The tracks end here.

However, there are houses around the station, people's lives, and the sea just a little further ahead.

Sea, fish, soy sauce, and railway

At Inubosaki, I gazed at the rough waves of the Pacific Ocean, and at Choshi Port, I ate horse mackerel fry with soy sauce.

On the Choshi Electric Railway, I watched the scenery from the window as we passed by soy sauce factories, and enjoyed the charm of the old station building at Tokawa, the terminal station.

Lighthouses, fishing ports, soy sauce factories, and local train lines.

I had intended to come and see the easternmost point of the Kanto region.

However, what remained in my heart in the end was not just the scenery of a geographical "edge."

Harvesting fish from the sea, brewing soy sauce in the town, and having a small train run through that town.

Choshi was a town where an industrial culture rooted in the seaside still remains as part of the landscape.