Kenmin no Hama (Hiroshima citizens' beach) and Koi Wan (lover's bay) Kamikamagari Island is gaining popularity for its squid fishery and the
beautiful Kenmin no Hama. Koi Wan and Koigahama are located in Oura, on the west side of Kamikamagari Island, where many people camp in the summer. Koigahama was named after a woman who came there from a distant region. Missing her home badly, she cried every night and lamented how much she loved and missed her home. Koi Wan is also known as a squid fishery spot and many tourists visit there from spring till early summer. In a unique Kamagari way, fishermen catch squid by manipulating baskets with a boxwood branch in them, which lures breeding squid in. Visitors from Hiroshima and the Osaka region come to taste the freshly caught squid, cooked right on the spot on the shore. Two kilometers from Koigahama stands Monomi Rock. The rock is so tall that it is said that people in old times climbed it to observe enemies and send signal fires to allies. Monomi Bridge commands a view of Koi Wan and the Ishizuchi Mountain ranges of Shikoku Island. The sight of fires carried by boat-after-boat luring fish at night is simply fascinating. Kenmin no Hama is located 500 meters from Koigahama. The beach is equipped with lodgings, study facilities, a gymnasium with a swimming pool, eight tennis courts, an astronomical observatory housing a telescope with a 200-millimeter lens,and facilities for visitors to participate in seaweed-product production (moshio-zukuri). PhotoLarge resort: Kenmin no Hama and Koi Wan (front) (Photograph taken circa 1994)
Memo Along with the astronomical observatory, there is also a museum for handicrafts of the sea and islands, which provides an attractive learning place for children. The museum exhibits folk crafts and toys that embody life on Kamikamagari Island. The Kamagari Bridge links Shimokamagari Island and Kamikamagari Island.
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