Sea turtles lay their eggs on the coast that is familiar to citizens.

Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu City. Beyond the vast Nakatajima Sand Dunes, said to be one of Japan’s three largest sand dunes, lies the Enshu Sea. In spring, the Hamamatsu Festival, Hamamatsu’s biggest event, is held in a nearby park, and loggerhead sea turtles come every year to lay eggs on this beach, which is familiar to many residents. Yes, this is our hometown, and it is also the hometown of sea turtles.

Shedding tears and laying eggs? Mysterious spawning

Loggerhead sea turtles come to this beach every year from May to August to lay eggs. They are large, over 1m long and weigh over 100kg, and come ashore at night to find a place to spawn. They use their large front feet to plow through the sand, and their hind feet to dig holes and drop eggs. The salt gland next to the loggerhead sea turtle’s eyes is an organ that regulates the salt concentration in the body, and the salt in the body is excreted along with mucus, so when it lays eggs, it looks like it is shedding tears. Apparently I can see it. A truly mysterious spawn. After laying their eggs, the parent turtles hide the eggs in the sand and return to the sea, leaving footprints in the Enshu Sea in the morning, without seeing the faces of their young.

The life of a turtle goes on a long journey along with the rough waves.

The parent turtle lays about 120 eggs at a time, three to five times, and each turtle lays nearly 500 eggs. Baby turtles that hatch about 60 days after laying eggs have a low survival rate, as they are eaten by birds soon after being born, or eaten by large creatures such as sharks soon after entering the sea. Animals with such a low survival rate seem to lay more eggs. The hatchlings then travel on the Kuroshio Current to far off the coast of Mexico, then cross the equator and return to the waters near Japan. The period is about 20 years. After the hatchlings leave the Enshu Sea, they begin a long journey.

There are many harmful effects that threaten turtle families. The culprit is...

Birds, sharks, and other natural creatures are not the only threats to turtles’ lives. Sadly, us humans are among the culprits.

In recent years, some people have been stealing eggs in order to sell them to businesses as pets or food. The number of turtle eggs and parent turtles has decreased due to poaching, and the turtle is now an internationally protected animal and an endangered species.

That’s not all. The Nakatajima Sand Dunes are littered with trash on a scale never seen before. Particularly noticeable is plastic waste. This garbage produced by humans is threatening the creatures that live in the ocean.

Additionally, after hatchlings are born, they usually walk toward ultraviolet light, so if there are street lights such as LED lights or fluorescent lights in the city at night, they will be unable to return to the sea. In addition, there are also ruts created by people driving along the coast, which can make it impossible to return to the sea.

“Sanctuary Nature Center'' protects the homeland of sea turtles

There is an organization called Sanctuary N.P.O. that offers the experience of releasing hatched baby turtles into the sea using a protective fence installed on the Nakatajima Sand Dunes. This organization has been engaged in activities to protect this rich natural environment for 34 years, including conducting spawning surveys and protecting sea turtles to prevent their extinction, as well as tackling the problem of garbage through initiatives such as the Welcome turtle Campaign. .

To experience releasing baby turtles, first go to the Sanctuary Nature Center at the entrance to the Nakatajima Sand Dunes and receive a lecture about sea turtles and the natural environment surrounding them, then head to the beach.

Experience the release of baby turtles, where you will be moved to tears by watching them frantically heading towards the rough waves

We walked along the sandy beach listening to the sound of the waves and arrived at the protective fence. When I gingerly held the shell of a newly born hatchling that was taken out from inside the fence, it flopped its arms and legs and showed off its cute appearance. I wonder how many of these children will come back 20 years from now…I have mixed feelings.

When you pick up a baby turtle and gently place it on the shore of the waves, it moves its tiny limbs and simply moves towards the waves. Just when you think you’re being swallowed by the surging wave, you’re pulled back, and just a little longer, ah! I was brought back again! Uh, maybe they’re tired, they don’t move…I repeat this exchange over and over again, and I watch them depart one by one into the rough seas.

On this day, I saw five of them go safely into the sea. Some people couldn’t help but cry as they watched the baby set off into the rough seas right after it was born, while others cheered and said, “Good luck! Good luck!” This may be commonplace in the natural world, but there is something very thought-provoking about the harsh environment different from that of humans. By the time all participants saw off the baby turtles and returned to the parking lot, they had picked up a lot of trash.

Currently, this is the only place on Honshu where the spawning and hatchlings of loggerhead sea turtles, an endangered species, are protected and open to the public in limited numbers on a regular basis. In order to protect the home of sea turtles and our home, we highly recommend that you visit at least once.

For inquiries regarding sea turtle observation sessions, please contact:

You can check the details on the homepage and make a reservation.

「https://www.sanctuarynpo.jp/facility/」