The perfect beach that Instagram didn't ruin

When the tide is out and the weather conditions are just right, the shores of Fukutsu transform into a 3km, crystal-clear mirror.

"Every morning when I come to work, I look at the ocean and think, 'How is it doing today?'," said Rumi Nakamura. "If the ocean is a beautiful blue, then I feel happy, and if the waves are rough, I feel a stirring in my heart. We [locals] take a lot of pride in the sea, and it's like a part of our family."

Nakamura grew up in Fukutsu, in Japan's southern Fukuoka prefecture, right on the coast. The ocean has always had a special place in her heart; it's where she would play in the sand with her friends and splash around in its waters. But having now spent time on beaches elsewhere in the world, she realised there's something that makes Fukutsu's coastline even more special: the stunning mirror effect that is created along its 3km sands.

When the conditions are just right, she says, you can see beautiful reflections of the sky on the beaches ­– and it makes you feel like you're at the edge of the Earth.

"From my childhood, we knew that when the tide goes out and someone is standing further away they'd be reflected in the water, or that the clouds would be reflected and create a really beautiful scene," she said.

Now, Nakamura works at the local tourism board to share that beauty with the world.

While it was just a local secret when she was growing up, in recent years that striking reflective phenomenon, called the Fukutsu Kagami no Umi (Fukutsu Sea Mirror), has become famous far beyond the region, bringing swarms of visitors to this small coastal city. 

The area of Fukutsu had already made a name for itself domestically for the beautiful scene of the sun setting over Miyajidake Shrine, which in February and October creates a perfect line of sunlight over the road connecting to the sea. But in trying to find new ways to bring visitors to the area, in 2021 Nakamura and the tourism board began promoting the area in a new way: namely, in encouraging visitors to take and share pictures of the Fukutsu Sea Mirror.

The naming and promotion of the Fukutsu Sea Mirror coincided with the spread of the coronavirus, Nakamura explained. "When people couldn't go to crowded indoor places, they could come to the wide-open beach without having to talk or get close to others, and could take a picture. Looking at the sea and letting go of that build-up of stress could give them energy for the next day."

Visitors started flocking here, taking to Instagram to post their shots of nature's mirror, and the tourism board posted tips for taking the perfect photo on the Fukutsu Sea Mirror website. Before long, it was normal to see couples setting up their cameras for a romantic shot, or groups of friends jumping in the air over and over until their silhouettes were captured just right.

It's at this point is where Fukutsu's story takes a different turn. Elsewhere, this tourism success might have ended in hordes of visitors and piles of litter, such as the beaches in the Mediterranean, or the 11 tonnes of rubbish at the top of Mount Everest.  But in Fukutsu, locals prioritised keeping their beaches pristine, and rallied to protect their natural environment from selfie seekers and Insta tourists.

Today, a visitor to this stretch of coastline will likely only see an endless stretch of sand, windsurfers and locals taking their daily walk – along with tourists trying to get the perfect shot. What they won't see is plastic bottles piling up, or crisp wrappers flying through the air. Any stray piece of rubbish will quickly get spotted and picked up.

That's because locals are committed to picking up any trash they see on their regular beach walks, and groups come together on the weekend or other set days to conduct additional clean-ups. Many of these clean-ups are conducted by non-profit organisations dedicated to environmental and conservation activities. Even though Fukutsu's population is just 60,000, the Fukutsu City Office recognises more than 30 of these groups, and has a hand in the efforts themselves, holding forums and symposiums to help educate residents on environmental issues.

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There are even certified "eco shops" throughout the city that gain their certification by implementing environmentally conscious activities such as waste reduction or recycling. Many of these have a focus on the sea, but there is an overall mindfulness of the local environment and nature that locals hope visitors will recognise and replicate.

A large part of the encouragement simply lies in the fact that the beaches are already clean. "If there is rubbish on top of rubbish, people will think it's OK to throw things away in that spot. I think having the habit of keeping it clean in the first place is the most important thing to prevent this from happening," Nakamura said.

Part of the motivation for protecting Fukutsu's coast is due to the endangered loggerhead sea turtle.  The Fukutsu coastline was once a frequent breeding ground for the turtles, but since 2010 their visits and numbers have been decreasing. While the cause is unknown, Fukutsu's new reputation as a sightseeing and selfie spot has led to concern that the rise in tourist numbers may affect the turtles in the future.

"We want people to come and enjoy themselves," said Shota Chawara, an employee at the Fukutsu Sea Turtle Division, which was created to be a support centre for local environmental issues and sea turtle protection. But he also raised concerns about turtles in the past mistakenly eating plastic and dying as a result, advising, "Don't litter when you visit, but instead bring rubbish home with you."

His advice is to refrain from visiting the coast at night, to keep quiet so as to not scare the turtles away, and to be extra careful during breeding season, which is typically from June to August. 

One of the ways that visitors can contribute is simply by picking up rubbish during a visit. You can ask for a bag and tongs from the tourism office and take the rubbish to their specified collection point. There's even a tour of sightseeing points around Fukutsu (currently only in Japanese but with plans to create an English version) that includes a rubbish collection activity at the Fukutsu Sea Mirror site.

It was clear that every person I spoke to had an optimism about these activities and awareness, and a desire to share Fukutsu's beautiful coast with the world.

After telling me how she looks out at the sea every day and feels her mood change to reflect it, Nakamura said, "We hope that people from around the world will come to know of the Fukutsu Sea Mirror and will also help protect this beautiful ocean. I would love it if everyone could join in the cycle of visiting and being part of the [clean-up] efforts."

Green Getaways is a BBC Travel series that helps travellers experience a greener, cleaner approach to getting out and seeing the world.

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