Wakayama Pref.’s White Sand Beach Opens for Season

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, May 5, 2023

As the Golden Week holidays entered their second half to mostly balmy weather, the resort town of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, opened for the year its white, sandy beach.

A ritual prayer for safety and a ribbon cutting ceremony were held, followed by families with children and young people dashing into the sea, shouting joyfully and splashing in the water. The temperature of the seawater on Wednesday morning was 21 C.

“The water is cold, but the sunshine is very warm, which is great. I’m going to have a lot of fun,” said a 15-year-old high school student who had come to the beach from Sakai, Osaka Prefecture.