All that glitters is glass! Omura glass beach
Located in the city of Omura visitors will find not only Nagasaki airport built on an island in Omura bay. But just a twenty-minute walk across the bridge that connects to the airport is Morizono park. The park is home to some beautiful monuments showcasing Nagasaki and its history with the Dutch and its position as a gateway to the western world. The park is next to today’s feature, easily missed if you do not know what you’re looking for. And easily overlooked as just a normal sandy patch from afar. Omura glass beach is a small man-made beach which has been gifted with sand infused with beautiful shards of glass.
Those flying into Nagasaki will find themselves in Omura two stops away from the main city if travelling by the Kyushu shinkansen. Whilst most will jump onto a bus or train to complete their journey to the city, if you find yourself with a little time and not too much luggage you should consider making a quick visit to Omura glass beach. Nagasaki underwent a phase of trying to improve water quality in the Omura bay area and the beach was created as part of that project. The beach went viral on social media and that’s it for the backstory of this little hidden gem.
I visited the beach after landing in Nagasaki after an adventure and decided to take some time to explore the beach. I ended up taking a taxi for three minutes across the bridge to the other side as it was cold and windy the fare was under 900 yen. The entrance to the beach is easily missed if you are not looking for it. from afar it really does look like a normal patch of sand. I was imagining a colourful beach reflecting a myriad of colours in the sunlight but the beach is both underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. Whilst the beach is not pebbles of glass, it is infused with crushed glass, the glass has been sanded down however the beach does warn not to walk on it in bare feet. The more I looked at the beach the more I couldn’t stop.
In the sunlight the beaches beauty becomes clearer the greens, yellows and occasional blues sparkle. The sand by the water itself goes opaque creating a glistening affect. The images that went viral were taken with macro settings making the colour and glass really pop. Which I fear like myself will set an unfair standard. Instead imagine a sandy beach, then imagine you are staring at that fine sandy beach and shards of small coloured glass cover it. the main colour of glass used is a slightly off green which I think doesn’t have the same impact if instead blue had been used. The green is not too dissimilar from the sands natural colour. As much as I want to say I was a little disappointed I can’t, because the beach is still beautiful and I found myself scrambling to take up-close shots of my axolotl plush surrounded by a sea of colour. In an image of a person standing on the beach it very much would look like a normal beach.
The experience was surreal and enjoyable and I am glad I took a waddle to see the beach. The pictures online don’t quite do the beach fair justice. If you are equipped with a macro lens, I believe you will have a fun time. There is not much in the surrounding area to do or see beyond the beach so walking back and catching a bus to the station or Nagasaki would be my advice. Omura has a very nice meat BBQ restaurant but the buses here are very infrequent and the walk to Shin-Omura station is 40 minutes. But next time you find yourself at Nagasaki airport after a long flight considering stretching your legs on a glass beach before continuing your journey onwards.
