Shellfish Gathering Season Starts in Chiba Pref.; 150,000 Visitors Expected by August

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:00 JST, March 10, 2024

About 330 people from the Tokyo metropolitan area and other places visited the site on the opening day, according to the Futtsu fishery cooperative association. On the beach where the tide had receded, visitors, including families, used rakes to dig out clams and other shells one after another.

“The shells are big,” said Akiko Uchida, a 47-year-old homemaker of Hachioji, Tokyo. “I’m looking forward to eating them at home.”

The association expects 150,000 visitors by the end of August.

“Due to the tidal rotation, we expect to be able to go into the water during the Golden Week holiday period this year. We hope many visitors will have a good time,” Kuniji Sakuma, 76, head of the association, said.