Rainy Beach Day

Saturday morning I met Keith and Alex at Osaka Station; Matt joined us a few minutes later. While at DisneySea last weekend, a random decision was made (within a matter of moments) to visit the beach this weekend. So we did.

I was hoping we could visit Suma - a famous beach near Kobe, in Hyogo prefecture. I looked it up online, and discovered that it 'opens' on July 1st. In Canada, beaches don't really close (do they? I've never encountered a 'closed beach'); so I was a little confused. I asked a few questions of my coworkers, and came to the conclusion that 'closed' probably just meant that the food stands and shops in the area weren't open. But, unwilling to take the chance and not get to swim, we opted to visit Wakayama - the beach I went to previously. The train ride was quite long, but the four of us passed the time quickly with deep discussions about war, world affairs, and current issues. (No, I'm not kidding. We actually did.)

When we finally got to the beach (after I missed the stop and we had to go back one), I again felt so far from the city (probably because we were) and free of all troubles. Or at least most of them. It was overcast and rainy, and a bit chilly - but that certainly didn't stop us from swimming and hanging out in the water for quite a while. We were the only people in the water without surf boards and wetsuits. Needless to say, we got a few strange looks and the occasional side glance. We took a break for a beer and chatted to a woman for a while. She wanted to know where we were from, etc. She suggested a place to get food and seemed to want to take us there, but we were heading back into the water. In the water, Alex formed a brief friendship with a surfer 'dude'... he was watching us and creeping closer to our group. Alex waved, and the guy threw up a 'hang ten'. He was older than most of the surfers and had long hair and a long thin moustache. We laughed about it, then continued our conversation - with the occasional awkward laugh when he seemed to move closer.

After our second swim, we stopped for a snack before jumping on the train back to Osaka. Getting off in Namba, we met up with Rumiko - a new coop student from UVic. I was excited to meet her - although I enjoy all of my friends and spending time with them, the majority of them are male ... I definitely wouldn't trade any of my guy friends, but it's always nice to have another girl to hang out with!

We wandered around Namba for a bit in the light rain, and had some dinner - Okonomiyaki of course, for the benefit of the new coops. Then we spent the night out - Club Pure style. Two words to describe the night: fun & ridiculous. Next post!

Beach Baby

Sidenote: It's hot. It's raining outside. But it's hot and sticky. Humid. How humid? This morning, when I left my dorm room and stepped into the hall from my lightly AC'd room - my glasses fogged up. I couldn't see. No, I'm not exaggerating. Imagine stepping out of your bedroom to go to the bathroom and having your glasses fog up. Insanity.

I've learned that I am a beach and water type of girl. I need it. I crave it. Especially here - the beaches are so beautiful and the ocean so tempting that when I see it from the train, I am pretty sure I might die of city suffocation if I don't get on a beach reasonably soon. The other day, I went to the beach.

I have a new friend in Osaka - James. I met James on a train, on the way home from work. He's teaching English in Japan and has been here for a year and nine months or so - living in several places in Japan. He's 6'3" and from the Texas ghetto. So we got to talking, and had a beer. And he introduced me to this incredible deep fried cheese things . . . which I am currently craving. Anyways, James and I went to the beach. (Sidenote: He surfs, and promised that he would teach me how! How awesome is that?! I've always wanted to try surfing.) I was so excited to be at the beach...when we climbed up the stairs from the parking lot and could see the beach, I couldn't help it - I took off running, right into the water. It was incredible.

The beach was wide and long, backed by a concrete and rock wall, with mountains behind it and to the side. The sand was clean and light, warm on my feet, but not too hot. There was nothing obstructing the ocean view. The water just swept back and forth up the beach, then travelled straight into the horizon, forever - neverending. (Just like Saskatchewan). The water was super salty (as oceans often are) and warm. Once we went swimming, I just floated...I spread my arms and legs like a starfish, and floated. The sun was hot on my face, I could taste salt on my lips, and I felt as light as a feather. It was heaven in the water.



We had a lot of fun at the beach - built a sandcastle, met a guy 45 year old guy named Danno (turns out that he lives close to me and goes to my gym), and got a little bit sunburnt.



Later in the afternoon, after some sand art, James went and hid in the shade, and I went back swimming and floating. The thought of leaving the beautiful beach, the warm water, the hot sun, and the soft sand to return to the crowded, noisy, polluted city almost made me want to just start swimming out into the neverending waves. But instead, I enjoyed the moment and floated... just floated.

It was a marvellous trip to the beach, and I plan on going again soon - and learning how to surf!

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However, pre-2nd-beach-trip, I am going to Tokyo Disney Sea! I leave today after work, take the 10 hour night bus ride (It's a good thing I love bus trips), and will be spending the weekend in Tokyo! Besides being a beach girl, I am a rollercoaster-and-scary-ride-girl; through and through. I'm ridiculously excited. Here's a peek... I'll let you know how it went on Monday! :)



PS - Thanks to Suzanne for the 'Beach Baby' title! :)