3月28日、16時を過ぎたサザンビーチ。潮風が心地よく吹く中、結婚式場のスタッフによる撮影が行われていました。新郎新婦役にカメラマン、そしてピンク色の風船を手にしたお手伝いさん。プロの撮影隊が砂浜に彩りを添えています。 まずは新郎役の撮影から。この日は少し風が強く、新郎氏は髪の毛の乱れを気にしながらも、整えた瞬間にビシッとポーズを決めていました。一方の新婦役は、ウェディングドレスの長い裾を砂浜で持て余し気味。

そこへ若いカップルが手前を通りかかります。華やかな撮影風景に目を細める彼らも、もしかしたら未来のお客様になるのかもしれませんね。

次は、二人が左手を取り合って高く掲げるポーズ。ドラマチックな演出に、カメラマン氏はローアングルから迫身のショットを狙います。お手伝いさんは周囲をゆっくり回りながら、光の加減を入念にチェック。

その手前では、別のカップルが簡易ベンチに座って静かに海を眺めています。目の前で繰り広げられる「幸せの予行演習」を見ながら、自分たちの将来を重ね合わせているのでしょうか。

遠くからは子供たちの元気な声が響き、リズミカルな波の音と混ざり合う。湘南の春が届けてくれた、心温まる一幕でした。

A Seaside Photoshoot: Scenes Connecting to the Future

March 28th, shortly after 4 PM at Southern Beach. Amidst the pleasant sea breeze, a professional photography team from a local wedding venue was busy at work. The group—models acting as a bride and groom, a photographer, and an assistant holding a bunch of pink balloons—brought a splash of color to the sandy shore. The shoot began with the groom. It was a bit windy, and the young man seemed concerned about his hair, but after a quick adjustment, he struck a sharp pose for the camera. Meanwhile, the bride was struggling slightly with the long train of her wedding dress on the sand.

As they worked, a young couple strolled past in the foreground. Watching the glamorous scene, one couldn’t help but think they might be future clients themselves.

The next scene featured the couple holding their left hands high together. For this dramatic pose, the photographer crouched low to capture a powerful shot, while the assistant moved slowly around them, carefully checking the lighting.

Nearby, another couple sat on a portable bench, gazing at the ocean. Perhaps they were dreaming of their own future while watching this “preview of happiness” unfold before them.

With the energetic shouts of children in the distance and the rhythmic sound of the waves, it was a heartwarming scene brought to us by a Shonan spring afternoon.

A Beach Ritual: A Prayer to Nature

3月7日、午後4時近く。湘南の海岸で、少し一風変わった、しかし美しい光景に出会いました。30代から40代前後とおぼしき女性たちのグループが、海を背にしてインストラクターらしい女性の前に集まっています。

グループは十数人。ヨガマットこそありませんが、身一つで気軽に参加できる集まりのようです。インストラクターが大きく両手を上に広げ、動きを止めます。海に向かって、ゆっくりと深呼吸をしているのでしょう。やがて両手は垂直に上がり、まるでバンザイのような形から、今度は胸の前で合わさり、お辞儀をする形へと滑らかに移っていきます。それはまるで、人知を超える大自然に対する、畏敬と感謝の念を表明しているかのようでした。最後はお互いに軽く手をたたき合い、和やかな雰囲気の中で儀式を終えました。

その傍らを、一人のサーファーがボードを片手に静かに通り過ぎていきます。海にはもちろん、波を待つ大勢のサーファーの姿も。祈りを捧げる人、波に挑む人、ただ海を眺める人。ここには千差万別の過ごし方があり、いつまで見ていても飽きることがありません。

March 7th, shortly before 4 PM. On the Shonan coast, I encountered a slightly unusual yet beautiful scene. A group of women, seemingly in their 30s and 40s, gathered on the sand, facing away from the ocean and toward an instructor.

There were about a dozen of them. Though they had no yoga mats, it appeared to be a casual, “come-as-you-are” gathering. The instructor began by stretching both arms wide open, holding the pose. Facing the sea, they must have been taking slow, deep breaths. Soon, their arms raised straight up like a “banzai” gesture before smoothly transitioning into a prayer-like form in front of their chests, ending with a respectful bow. It was as if they were expressing reverence and gratitude to the great, incomprehensible power of nature. They concluded by lightly clapping hands together in a warm, communal gesture.

As they were playing, a lone surfer carrying his board quietly passed by the group. Out in the ocean, of course, many other surfers were waiting for the perfect wave. People offering prayers, people challenging the waves, people just watching the sea. Here, countless different ways of spending time coexist, a spectacle that never ceases to fascinate.

3月1日、16時過ぎ。少しずつ日が長くなってきたとはいえ、早春の海辺はまだ冷え込みます。しかし、そんな寒さを物ともせず、砂浜には13人の元気な中学生らしき一群の姿が。

驚いたことに、そのうちの一人はすでに海水パンツ一枚！水辺に立つ彼らは、波が寄せるたびに上がるしぶきを浴び、上半身まで濡れるのもお構いなしに動き回っています。

彼らが何をしているのかと言えば、特定のスポーツというよりは、ボールを蹴ったりヘディングしたりする「サッカーもどき」かと思えば、傍らでは小さなボールをバットで打つ「野球もどき」に興じる男子も数人。

仲間同士、ただ玉を蹴り、飛び跳ね、大声を張り上げて、わいわいガヤガヤと過ごす。彼らにとってここは、そんな愉快な時間を共有できる最高の遊び場なのでしょう。

はるか遠くには茅ヶ崎のシンボル、えぼし岩が見守る中、早春の浜辺に若者たちの弾けるようなエネルギーが満ち溢れていました。

Youthful Energy in Early Spring: The Beach as a Natural Playground

March 1st, shortly after 4 PM. Although the calendar says spring, the breeze at the shore still carries a sharp winter chill. Yet, on the sands of Chigasaki, the cold seems to have met its match in a group of thirteen energetic teenagers.

One boy, incredibly, is already stripped down to just his swim trunks, seemingly oblivious to the freezing water. As the group gathers at the water’s edge, they are pelted by sea spray that soaks their upper bodies, but they move with a reckless joy, fully embracing the wet and cold.

It’s hard to tell exactly what game they’re playing. It’s a chaotic, wonderful mix of “sort-of soccer”—with boys kicking and heading the ball—and “sort-of baseball,” with a few others swinging bats at smaller balls. To them, the specific rules don’t matter. The beach is simply a place to shout, jump, and laugh with friends.

With the iconic Eboshi-iwa Rock standing silent watch in the distance, these boys turned a quiet March afternoon into a vibrant scene of pure, uninhibited fun. It’s a reminder that here in Shonan, the ocean is the ultimate playground, no matter the temperature.