Seaside Fishing Park (Umibe Tsuri Kouen 海辺釣り公園), Yokosuka Umibe New Town 横須賀海辺ニュータウン, Kanagawa 神奈川
This past weekend we went to a small live music event held at the Seaside Fishing Park (Umibe Tsuri Koen) in Yokosuka Seaside New Town. There were various reggae, ska and rock bands performing. We heard it was held for 2 consecutive days although we only caught a bit of it on Sunday. Our good friend Tetsuo invited us to come hang out with him, his wife, Eri and their 4 children Irie, Otoha, Rio and Rune (ages 6 years, 4 years, 3 years and 5 months). We don’t get to see them very often since we live a bit far from each other, so we figured this was a good chance to catch up with them. We arrived Yokosuka a bit late in the afternoon but there was still a big crowd there. I was surprised to see that the crowd was predominantly families with young children. Even Tetsuo and Eri’s friends who we met there have 3 or more children. There were so many kids running all over the place! Each group of families had small camps set up with tents, mats, lawn chairs and barbecue grills. These little camps were all side by side along the space by the fishing pier so that there was barely any open space. A small makeshift stage was set up for the performers. On the opposite end is a fountain where kids were splashing around and also a few feet away is a playground. It was nice to see so many families enjoying together – laughing, dancing, drinking, chatting. When we first arrived, Keiji and Arisa were looking around at the hippie commune-like surroundings with a confused expression. But once they saw so many kids their age playing and enjoying themselves they easily warmed up and had a ball.
To get to Seaside Fishing Park by train, take the Keihin Kyuko Limited Express Green line to Horinouchi station. In front of the station you can catch a free bus that goes to the park. It is the last stop and about a 10 minute ride.