two trips to the beach

We live on a peninsula to the east of Tokyo, so are only a couple hours from the Pacific coast. Last weekend and this weekend, we headed out to the beach for a little swimming. The first time around, we went by a bus, three trains, a taxi and even a little bit of hitch-hiking. This weekend, we took the train for twenty minutes and then rode in a friend's car...MUCH easier. The waves were great...strong and high...the sand was soft and the breeze pleasant. It was a good time. Here's a picture of Tessa and me.

And here are some pictures of a family I was enjoying watching (the undertow was very strong, even in the shallow sections).






Nothing particularly interesting happened this year, but we took a couple trips to the beach last year as well and were surprised by a uniquely Japanese beach-going experience on one occasion. There were loudspeakers playing music, so you couldn't hear the sound of crashing waves (who wants to listen to the beautiful sound of nature anyway). There was a smell of grilled squid. And they promptly "closed" the ocean at 4pm, preceded by "closing music" (the traditional New Years' song). A cultural, if not quite natural, experience.