Kurihama's beach has not changed much over the years, and is a nice spot for relaxing.
It was at this beach that around 300 U.S. Navy sailors and marines officially landed on Japanese soil for the first time in 1853. They were from a squadron of U.S. Navy warships, commanded by Commodore Matthew C. Perry. The Japanese got all spun-up over the ships' arrival off of Yokosuka, and called them "Kuro Fune" 黒船 ... the "Black Ships."
The intent of the landing was to hand-deliver a letter to Japanese rulers from President Millard Fillmore, and once that was done, after 30 minutes or so, the Commodore and all hands returned to their ships.
To commemorate that historic event, a monument, park, and museum were built right across the street from Kurihama beach.
Some more history from "We Japanese" (published in 1950):
Rear Admiral L.A. Beardslee was a naval cadet on board USS PLYMOUTH when Commodore Perry visited Japan as a messenger of peace in 1853.
In October 1900, Rear Admiral and Mrs. Beardslee came to Japan on a sight-seeing tour, and the first place they visited on landing in Yokohama was Kurihama, where forty-seven years before Perry had landed. What was his disappointment to find that the landing place of the Commodore, whose coming to Japan in 1853 was epoch-making in her history, had been left quite unmarked.
Acting on the suggestion of Admiral Beardslee for marking the place, the American Freinds' Association, whose membership consisted of those Japanese who stayed in or visited the United States of America, appointed a committee for drawing up plans to raise the necessary funds for erecting a monument at Kurihama.
The appeal made by the America's Friends' Association was quickly responded to, and the monument was completed on July 6, 1901. It is made of granite obtained in Miyagi Prefecture, and it measures 15 feet high, 8 feet wide, and 1.3 feet thick, and weighs about ten tons. It stands on a foundation of stone taken from the Tone River, 18 feet high, 11 feet wide, and 5 feet thick, weighing nine tons, so that in all the monument stands 33 feet high.
The ceremony of the unveiling of the monument took place on July 14, 1901, or the 48th anniversary of the landing at Kurihama of Commodore Perry in 1953. The function proved very attractive and was attended by quite a large number of prominent people, both Japanese and foreign.
The U.S. government sent the three men-of-war, USS NEW YORK, USS YORKTOWN, and USS NEW ORLEANS, commanded by Rear Admiral F. Rogers, grandson of Commodore Perry. It was Rear Admiral Rogers, who unveiled the monument.
The Japanese inscription on the front consists of sixteen Chinese ideograms meaning "Monument marking the landing place of Commodore Perry, U.S.A.", and on the back the Japanese reads "Landed July 14, 1853 (old calendar); erected July 14, 1901."
Also on the back, there is the following English inscription "This Monument Commemorates The First Arrival of Commodore Perry, Ambassador from the United States of America, Who Landed at This Place July 14, 1853. Erected July 14, 1901, By America's Friend Association."
