A drive to Hyuga Cape and Umagase A stroll around the cape in early summer, with a taste of Hyuga's citrus

On a sunny afternoon in May, I headed to Umagase with my friend. After getting out of the car, I chose a cone of Hebesu soft serve at Umagase Chaya beside the car park. When you come to see the sea at the cape, it's lovely to get a taste of Hyuga, too.

From the walking path, the sea opened up before me. Below the forested cape, rock formations ran in tiers toward the water. When a wave rolled in, white water spread along their edges. I'd meant to look out at the distant sea, but the shapes of the rocks nearby kept catching my eye.

The breeze slipped through the sleeves of my pale yellow blouse as I brought the cone to my lips. I adjusted my grip on the cone wrapper and took a little taste from the top. First came the chill, then a citrus fragrance—and I found myself loving these little breaks in the middle of a walk.

After telling my friend, “I want to take in both the sea and the shapes of the rocks,” I looked down at the soft serve in my hand. It's made with Hebesu, a citrus fruit native to Hyuga. I kept looking at it, in no hurry to take another bite, and even enjoying the treat became part of my memories of the cape.

Umagase is said to take its name from the cape's resemblance to a horse's back when seen from the sea. I made a mental note of the shape I could see from where I stood and thought I'd like to see it from the sea someday, too. Before heading home, I took one more look at the sea spread out beyond the columnar rocks.