Talk Session 009 - page 2/3｜“the town growing with surfing” Ichinomiya

Chris: Thinking from Ichinomiya’s point-of-view, I would want to think about how to get the young people in Tokyo to visit or live in Ichinomiya. That’s why having major chain stores and shops that the younger generation would visit might be good for Ichinomiya, but what do you all think?

Ben: I feel that even though more people are moving into Ichinomiya and that the cafes and stores along the Nami Nori road are increasing, the store selections are still far from enough.

Emi: For the recent 3, 4 years, I have heard that the people moving in are increasing and that Ichinomiya’s child birthrate is high. I wouldn’t say that the child-raising environment hasn’t caught up, but there is nothing at the sea to do even if you let the children play freely. If there was a park, play equipment along the beach, a walking path or a large open space to take it easy, then that would help the child-rearing generation greatly. I think as a surfer that having more toilets, showers, and garbage bins would also be good for the beach scene.

Ben: Surfers from Tokyo would ride a few waves and then return too. At beaches overseas, they think that preparing an environment where one can relax for a day at the beach by having comfortable benches, tables, resting areas, and open spaces would increase the amount of money received from visitors. There is also the fact that there are not enough parking spots for each surfing point. There are many things that are a waste to leave as is.

Emi: If there are competitions and events at the beach, it would be nice to have food trucks and food stands. It would also be good to have a campsite and barbecue area even if a fee is required. I could really enjoy my stay if I were able to easily buy locally produced fish and vegetables at a road station. Instead of building a large building, I think doing beach maintenance will be a cheaper image improvement and an easier way to have a stream of people coming.

Chris: I learned surfing for the first time after arriving in Ichinomiya. Now I wake up at 4 am in the morning before work so I can surf, but recently it has gotten colder so I would appreciate warm showers and toilets at the beachside. I would also really like to see a vending machine there as well. I wouldn’t mind paying a fee to use a garbage can and shower either!

Ben: In another prefecture, there is a spot in the parking lot where someone could buy a cup of noodles from the vending machine and it is very popular with the surfers during winter.

Emi: Wouldn’t it be easier for food trucks and stores to open if there was a larger parking lot? Right now there are many thin strips of parking and few large maintained parking lots. it is also a good idea to take other countries’ and provinces’ beaches as examples.