The beaches between Zushi and Enoshima were buzzing with activity as my friends and I sped southbound along the strip. They were not only crowded with sunbathers, but also choked with oversize beach bars, lined up cheek to jowl along the foreshore. Some of these bars are extravagant multistory structures that look like they've been imported wholesale from Thailand.

To be honest, I don't care much for the summer beach scene, preferring, as I do, to prowl the streets at night. But one lonely outpost called Sputnik, located on a relatively deserted stretch of beach near Tujido, stands out above the rest. Sputnik is the creation of a Japanese interior-design company called Idee. Unlike all the other wannabe beach bars along the strip, it is hidden from the road. Unless you knew it was there, you'd never find it.

But there it has sat for five summers, quietly nurturing alternative beach culture. People like my friends -- members of an African djembe group called Komazawa Genjyumin -- perform here on the beach each summer. As, too, have some of Tokyo's best club DJs -- like Matsuura from UFO and Tsuyoshi from Joujouka. And coming up Friday is a very special event called Dub Above Zaboon, which will collect some of Tokyo's best DJs together on two stages with two sound systems.

DJ Young Jeff, one of those scheduled to spin, says, "I will probably play lots of dub and reggae because 1) it is summer, 2) it is the beach and 3) I am Young Jeff!!!"

Among others joining him on the decks will be two Japanese DJs -- Kaji and Hutch -- who used to perform under the name Earth People. Their syncopated drum 'n' bass nights used to pack the house at Yellow. And now, for the minimal fee of a train ride to the beach, you can catch them for free and under the open sky at the beach -- under a star-studded open sky, I should say, as these events, in the tradition of clubbing, extend well into the night.

And while some dance the night away, others will be skating it away. One of Sputnik's special features is a skate ramp -- and though only a humble mini-ramp, it attracts a steady flow of enthusiasts, including many local kids. One groovy dad gets his three boys up skating -- even though one of them is barely out of diapers.

But my favorite thing about Sputnik is that, besides the staff and locals, no one who goes there has a suntan . . .