Designed for perfect days at the beach

Fake breaks run with Japanese precision at the self-contained Ocean Dome.

I am perched on a boogie board in the middle of impossibly blue water. In front of me stretches a summer sky stitched with benign white clouds. Behind nestles a beach that looks freshly bleached. And above ... a roof?

Welcome to the surreal. This is Ocean Dome, a self-contained and beautifully packaged paradise in Miyazaki, on Japan's southernmost island of Kyushu.

It's not nature's idea of the perfect beach, it's Sheraton's. Marketing manager Shigeo Yamashita is the very model of corporate pride as he says they've spent US$2 billion ($2.7 billion) eliminating each and every annoyance that could possibly ruin a day beside the seaside.

Rain? Never. Ever. This designer beach is jealously cocooned beneath the world's largest retractable dome measuring 300m by 100m.

Water too cold? At Ocean Dome you simmer in fresh, chlorinated water kept at a constant 28C 365 days a year. It's even warmer out, the air temperature never dares wander from 30C.

And, of course, there's the sand. We all know how inconsiderate that can be, the way it sticks to your feet and musters itself into every bodily nook and cranny. But not here. Because at Ocean Dome it's not sand, it's crushed and polished marble pebbles. Now why didn't Mother Nature think of that?

But what really makes all the difference, what really gives Ocean Dome permission to polish its reputation as the ultimate beach beauty, is the surf. It's perfect. You're even warned when it's about to begin. Keep an eye on the volcano at the southern end of the beach, the one wearing a waterslide like a giant plastic stole. Every hour, on the hour, it erupts, spitting fake flames into the tepid air. Even simulated disasters run with typical Japanese precision, and this is the signal that the fake break is on its way.

Suddenly the placid ocean changes mood and hurls a 2m cylinder of water toward the shore. It's the perfect left hand break. Exactly three minutes later it's followed by another one, but in the interests of symmetry this one breaks to the right.

Behind these designer-made swells is shipping technology. Ten huge Mitsubishi Industrial vacuum pumps, more often employed as bilge pumps in Supertankers, suck in the water and with a gargantuan hiccup, propel it back towards the shallows with enormous force. The computer that runs the show has no less than 200 wave programs.

And then, as suddenly as the surf begins, it ends. Powerful water jets hidden in the artificial undergrowth of tropical islands come to life and quell the heaving seas.

Calm returns, order is restored, a water-aerobics instructor in a violently coloured leotard takes centre stage and leads a gaggle of sodden surf seekers in 30 minutes of stretching exercises. We're in Japan remember, eccentric behaviour is the national sport.

When you're beached out there are other wild waters to sample. Take the waterslide wrapped around the volcanic Mount Bali Hai. Or go rafting: The rapids on Phoenix River are rated Class Five, although if you're a veteran of Shotover River you might find this to be a slight over-promise. But your raft will shimmy, shake and spin, you will get wet, you will have fun.

And you're not going to die. And that plays a big part in Ocean Dome's appeal. As Shigeo Yamashita says, "Mothers love it here. They can relax at the beach knowing their children can play safely."

In between surf sets the water is as calm and flat as a duck pond. And as far as I know there hasn't been a single shark attack. No sunburn either.

And love it they do. On August 15, 2004 Ocean Dome broke its own attendance record with 19,000 people at the beach. It was a stinking hot day, the perfect time to go indoors to the beach.

In summer it is always busy. Ocean Dome opens from 10am to 8pm and the crowd averages between 6000-8000.

For around US$50 ($69) a day, you too can bathe in a bubble. The water's warm, the beach is blinding, the weather's wonderful, and best of all, the surf is always up.

Further information
The Ocean Dome is at the Phoenix Seagaia resort. It's on the web at www.seagaia.co.jp/english/odr/od.html