Beaches in Tokyo?
 

This may sound like a geeky and/or naive question, but what are the beaches like near Tokyo? Are there many shells, sand dollars, crabs, birds, etc.? Are they very different from So Cal? (I'm from Redondo Beach; I love beachcombing.)

Google searched for "Tokyo beach"

Right there on the front page man...
*tisk, tisk, tisk*

Japan' beaches -- Planet Tokyo

Thanks, but...
 

I've seen that Planet Tokyo site already; it didn't answer my questions, did it? I was hoping for a first-person account from a friendly Forum member.

Tisk, tisk, tisk, indeed, son!

It was a fair question asking for first-hand knowledge. Let's make new users feel welcome, Alanx.

There are some nice beaches where I live (九十九里　or Kujukuri), which is about an hour from metro Tokyo. The sand is soft, and reasonably clean, and the surf is half decent as well. There are a variety of shells of many types, and sand dollars are common.

The beach is very popular with surfers, and there are a few surf shops and convenience stores (of course) located nearby. In the summer months food vendors set up tents on the sand, where you can enjoy a variety of things to eat.

The official public beaches I visited were entirely picked over of good seashells, and were also frequently machine-sifted to remove anything larger than a sand grain. Unofficial beaches you may have a little more luck though.

Quick and easy, Go Odiaba where you will see much marine life if you have the time and an eye for these things. Most people will just walk past natures show in ignorance and say "Odaiba, are you mad" but it is a good place to get close to marine while being a short journey.

I like Enoshima and Chigasaki. It is about 45 - 1.15 mins from gereral Tokyo and offers a diverse costal playground. You will see about 2.5 million people on surfboards in about 1km strech of water, quite a sight. But it also has many types of sea and costal beast to marvel at.