How Japan’s ‘mirror beach’ became an Instagram sensation

The beach is located in near to the city of Mitoyo in Shikoku Island’s Kagawa Prefecture

Travellers posing at Chichibugahama Beach in Mitoyo, Japan (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A beach in Japan has become an Instagram hit thanks to its tide pools, which create a mirror-like effect whilst reflecting the sky.

The bay is known as Chichibugahama Beach, and is located outside the city of Mitoyo in Shikoku Island’s Kagawa Prefecture.

The striking, mirror-like spot has been tagged more than 175,000 times on Instagram.

The country’s “most photogenic beach,” according to Mitoyo’s tourism site, also has its own page on the social media platform where visitors’ best mirrored photographs are selected and reposted.

Jumping poses seem to be particularly popular, as do couple shots and photographs of people holding umbrellas, tennis rackets and balloons.

Photographs show jaw-dropping sunsets and sunrises in intense purples, oranges, reds and pinks.

Dramatic cloudscapes seem to come out particularly well above the tide pools, as do photographs taken on very still days due to the lack of ripples on the surface of the water.

The beach is being compared to the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, which also reflect a mirror image of the sky during the rainy season and are very popular with travellers.

However, Chichibugahama Beach was relatively unknown until recent years, whereas the Salar de Uyuni salt flats have been on the tourist trail for a while.

The so-called mirror beach’s  popularity surged in 2016 when a picture showing two children reflected in its water impressed the judges of Mitoyo tourist authority photo competition, according to Japan Forward.

The photograph caught the eye of other photographers who set out to capture their own mirror images, turning the one-kilometre-long (0.6-mile) beach into a significant tourist attraction.

According to the tourism website, the mirror effect works best at sunset and when there is no wind to disturb the water’s surface.

The website has even gone as far as to release tips on how to capture the best pictures, saying: “The trick is to keep your stance close to the surface of the water.”

It also suggests how models should pose for photographs there. It says that the model should pose on one side of the tide pool, while the photographer ought to stand on the other.

The website also includes a calendar that lists the beach’s tide and sunset times, helping Instagrammers to capture the perfect shot.

Though photography is encouraged, tourists have been asked not to fly drones over the beach when it gets crowded.

Sharing their experience of the Instagram-famous attraction, TripAdvisor user MarkGroenewold called it a “pristine and gorgeous” beach that is an”’iconic place for unique photography,”

Meanwhile a user who goes by the name of Lunasolhk said: “The best time for all those seamless reflections of the sky is evening [sunset] with low tide. Do plan well before you visit.”

Chichibugahama Beach is also a popular location for swimmers; since 1995 a local committee has been dedicated to keeping it clean.

For those wishing to pay the beach a visit, take the Nio Line bus route from JR Takuma Station in Mitoyo. This will take around 25 minutes.

There is also a car park next to the beach for those arriving by car.