The sound of waves lapping on the shore. The cool sea breeze. Beautiful people wearing very few clothes. Overdressed cocktails. What better way could there be to while away a hot summer's day than a beach-bar crawl along Shonan Bay?
The beaches of Shonan -- running from Chigasaki to Hayama and only an hour southwest by train from the capital -- are home to scores of beach houses in the summer, each staffed with workers desperate to part you from your hard-earned cash in the hope that their business can break even by the end of August.
Shonan is a popular destination for hordes of Tokyo residents hoping to escape the metropolis for a day, which -- be warned -- can mean heaving beaches at weekends and on holidays.