Zenigata Sand Sculpture (Kotohiki Park) See the Kan'ei Tsūhō coin-shaped sand sculpture and the sea from Kotohiki Mountain

I drove up the hill through Kotohiki Park and looked down from the observation deck. In the middle of the pine grove was a giant sand sculpture shaped like a coin. I told my friend, “It’s all made of sand.” I’d learned the name from photos, but seeing the sea and pines together changed my sense of its scale.

There’s a square opening in the middle of the coin, and the grooves around it are shadowed. I thought I was coming to see a flat picture, but it was fascinating to see how the sand had been dug out and built up to form the sculpture. My friend’s gaze moved from the outer edge to the center. I found myself looking past the sculpture to the bright stretch of beach beyond it.

After taking in the view for a while, I took out the Kan'onji sweet I’d picked up in town. I peeled back the paper wrapper, revealing a little square cake in my palm. I pushed back the cuff of my pale blue cardigan and studied its tiny shape. After gazing at that enormous sand coin, I looked down at the tiny sweet in my hand and couldn’t help laughing at the contrast.

The first bite brought together the Western-style pastry and the sweet egg-yolk filling. While I savored the sweetness, my friend said, “From up here, the sand sculpture looks round.” I looked down again. As my gaze moved between the sweet in my hand and the distant sand sculpture, even this little break started to feel like part of my visit to Kan'onji.

Once I’d finished my sweet, I folded the wrapper and tucked it away. Looking out over the pine grove, Ariake Beach, and the sea beyond made me reluctant to leave after seeing only the sculpture. Maybe I should walk down to the beach next. I told my friend, then started planning our route to the pale stretch of sand we could see from up on the hill.