by Ryosuke Kawaguchi

The colors of the rapidly changing evening sky were reflected in the water. As the sun was setting on the inland coastline, a wave of appreciative cries came from the happy onlookers.

Mitoyo City in Kagawa Prefecture boasts about Chichibugahama’s coastline, which offers a stunning view at low tide. It has become famous as a place to take “Insta-worthy pictures” on an evening with little wind, bringing together with the ’grams an increasing flow of visitors.

This location’s success story started two years ago, when the city organized a photo competition. One of the entries portrayed two children reflected in the shallow waters of Chichibugahama. The city government employee who reviewed this picture saw a window of opportunity and thought, “Let’s make this place a tourist attraction.”

The city website posted tips on how to take the perfect picture and a calendar listing tide and sunset times at Chichibugahama in April 2017. As a result of this change, the website saw page views grow to more than 40,000 in the space of a few days.

The location was marketed in a travel magazine as “Japan’s Uyuni Salt Lake” — referring to the world-famous salt lake in Bolivia. Its fate was sealed as a new destination for photography lovers after its appeal was touted on television.