Standing guard: Tokyo Bay Kannon Photos by Marish Mackowiak

Marish Mackowiak takes the plunge and heads through the Aqualine to discover the seaside attractions of the Boso Peninsula.

Once seen as yet another public works white elephant, the Tokyo Bay Aqualine offers the quickest escape route from the hustle and bustle of the big smoke. Descending into the depths of the tunnel, up to 60m below sea level, it' difficult to believe you are driving under millions of liters of water. Completed in 1997, the Aqualine stretches 9.5km under Tokyo Bay, from Kawasaki to Kisarazu in Chiba. While initially the toll kept motorists away in droves, a fast getaway now costs JY3000.

Marine mall
From Kawasaki, the tunnel emerges at Umihotaru (Marine Firefly), a 650m-long island connecting the Aqualine with a 4.4km bridge that continues to Kisarazu, where you'll find souvenir shops, game arcades, restaurants and exhibitions. At the interactive museum, you can slide down a working model of the Aqualine escape chutes, and a second exhibition on the Kisarazu side of Umihotaru features explanatory videos, cutaway models and drawings. Umihotaru looks vaguely like a ship, and "sails" crowning the central atrium add to the maritime effect. Tuck into a JY680 bowl of gyudon (beef bowl) at the Royal Food Court while enjoying a panoramic view of the big blue.

Once you cross the bridge into Chiba, head to central Kisarazu and walk across the Nakanoshima bridge to Nakanoshima Park, famous for shell gathering and summer fireworks. It's located next to the port, 20 minutes walk from JR Kisarazu station. Nearby, Kazusa Museum (Tel: 0438-23-0011) is full of exhibits relating to early technologies, and admission is free. Alternatively, bypass Kisarazu and head south along the Tateyama Expressway via the Cape Futtsu exit. Have a break or a picnic at Futtsu-Misaki, a reserve adjoining a small harbor, Futtsu-Futo, about 11km from Kisarazu on Route 465. A little further is Cape Futtsu, a large wooded park bisected by walking trails, with a central ornamental lake. The beach recreation area has a giant multilevel concrete lookout tower. Close by is Shitazu fishing port, adjacent to another beach where colorful umi no ie (beach pavilions) operate in summer.

The rotary blade that cut the Aqualine tunnel

Big Kannon
A little further down the coast is one of the peninsula's best kept secrets, the spectacular 56m tall Tokyo Wan (bay) Kannon, a graceful statue of the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Completed in 1961, it was built as a memorial for those around the world who have died in war and serves as a peaceful spot for praying. For JY500 you can climb to the top for a great view.
The Tokyo Bay Kannon is near Sanukimachi station, from where you can take a scenic 9km excursion inland to visit Mother Bokujo (Mother Farm, Tel: 0439-37-3211, www.motherfarm.co.jp) on top of Mt Kanozan. This rural theme park offers a sheep-shearing show, pony rides and a go-cart track, as well as more common fairground attractions. Taste a range of cheeses at the working dairy. City kids can see and touch animals they would otherwise never encounter. Entry costs JY1500. In the same area is Jinyaji Temple, with gates that date back to the beginning of the 16th century.

Daibutsu of Nihon-ji: At 21m high, almost twice the size of the one at Kamakura

Bigger Buddha
Another 4km down from Sanukimachi is the quaint port town of Minato. This is where the drive starts to become very scenic, following a coastline that's home to soaring eagles. A few kilometers further south, precipitous cliffs stand sentinel above the ferry port of Kanaya (near Hamakayama station). Here a ropeway (cable car) will transport you to Mt Nokogiri, which features lookout points, another giant Kannon figure and the largest statue of Buddha in Japan. At 329m, the view from the top is enough to justify the ascent. A Buddhist temple complex dating back to AD 725, Kenkon-Zan Nihon-Ji, used to dominate the peak. It included seven shrines, twelve monastic houses and 100 lodges for priests. The Buddha (Daibutsu of Nihon-ji) and 1500 smaller statues were carved by master artisan Jingoro Eirei Ono and his 27 apprentices in the 1780s and 1790s. The 21m-high Buddha is almost twice the size of its Kamakura cousin. Approaching the 31m high Kannon feels a bit like an Indiana Jones adventure since it is situated at the end of a moss-covered gorge that is even more eerie when darkness descends. Entry to the site is JY600, while the ropeway costs JY500.

There are more famous Tokyo day trips, but a drive down the Boso Peninsula via the "escape tunnel" will prove at least as rewarding as most of the better known standards. And anyway, who wants to follow the crowd?

Thirty-meter-tall Hundred Shaku Kannon, at the end of an eerie gorge

Getting there:
It's worth renting a car to make this a convenient day trip and Kanagawa-based motorists will love the Aqualine. Just follow the signs from central Kawasaki. Alternatively, buses run between Kawasaki stn (bus #34, from Azalea exit #27) and Kisarazu stn (Higashiguchi exit) and cost JY1400 each way. Make it a round-the-bay tour by taking the ferry from Hamakayama to Kurihama in Miura. It's JY3040 for small cars or JY1280 for 250cc motorbikes. Car passengers and those traveling alone pay JY500 for the 35min trip. Rail travel is also good, since train lines follow much of the coast. From Tokyo, take the Keiyo or Sobu lines to Soga, from where the Uchibo line wends its way down the peninsula. Local buses serve individual stations. A one-day JR "free pass" includes ferry and train travel around Tokyo Bay for JY3090.

Futtsu fishing port

Where to stay:
Travelers staying overnight will find many choices of Japanese-style accommodation and onsen south of Futtsu. Youth hostels are less common, but can be found in Chiba city (043-294-1850) and on the other side of the Boso Peninsula at Shirako (0475-332-254) and Ohara (0470-628-735). Cabins are available and camping is possible at Mother Farm. Novelty seekers can try the flamboyantly styled love hotel just out of Sanukimachi, en route to Mother Farm.

Information:
English language Aqualine information can be obtained from the fourth level of Umihotaru or call 0438-42-0091. Find out more about the Boso Peninsula from the Tokyo Information Center in Marunouchi's International Forum building (03-3201-3331).