We have been looking forward to returning to Tatadohama for several weeks now. Several years ago, we went to the summer fireworks festival at Shirahama (a popular beach nearby) and loved it. We wanted to see the fireworks again this year but unfortunately I had to proctor a reading exam at the university in the afternoon. The traffic in Izu is heavy on weekends but on a 3-day weekend, it would be probably a very frustrating drive on a Saturday afternoon. (It takes 2.5 - 3 hours in the middle of the night, so it probably take at least 5 or 6 hours). We decided to pass on the fireworks festival (keeping my fingers crossed for next year) and leave just after midnight and sleep in the car when we got to the beach.
We arrived at 3:15 am, managed to find a parking spot and quickly went to sleep. The sunrise is early these days, so I was unable to sleep for very long. I was up and about by 4:30 am and was in the water by 4:45 am. As you can probably imagine, I wasn’t the only one out there. There were 5 or 6 surfers already in the water but with each passing minute, more and more people entered the water. Most of the people seemed to be riding longboards.
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After having a good time at the beach yesterday, I was determined to go again today. The wave forecast showed that the conditions would be similar, if not even a little bit better than yesterday. The waves were small but certainly good enough for me. The weather was also good - sunny with a few clouds. We arrived at the beach just after 6:30 and I took these snapshots.
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On the way back from getting our van serviced, we stopped by this park in Hakone. We have been there several times in the fall, but we have never been there during the spring or summer. We weren’t disappointed - there was a variety of wild flowers to be seen.
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Since it was almost two weeks since my last session, I was looking forward to getting back into the water. The wave forecast wasn’t so promising, but it was fun to catch a few waves. Here are a few snapshots:
It was a Wednesday morning. Not too people were there because the waves were small as the forecast had predicted. I actually counted 10 cars and 12 surfers - the majority of them being longboarders. It was interesting to see one shirtless shortboarder who just happened to be the best surfer at the beach. The waves were OK but as the wind picked up, the quality of the waves worsened. It was a short but fun session.
Last Monday night, there was some sort of fireworks show. We don’t know who or why it was held. It was kind of pathetic actually. They launched one every two minutes or so. Here are a couple of grainy pictures taken from the walkway in front of our front door.
Since it was a nice day and we didn’t want to spend much money, we decided to go cycling today. We had brunch at nice little bakery / cafe and then cycled out to Konouzan-Toshogu Shrine. It is located on a small mountain / hill overlooking the ocean. There is a very long winding staircase with 1159 stairs! Here’s a picture from the top.
Unfortunately, it’s a little difficult to distinguish between the water and the sky. Between the ocean and the buildings is the road I drive along to work. The cycling road is between the road and the ocean.
Here are some pictures around the shrine:
Here’s a picture of a tree that people stick coins into the bark for good luck. I’m sure there is a story behind this, but I don’t know it. (Don’t worry - I didn’t waste any of my precious coins on this).
It was a cloudy day, so the visibility wasn’t so good. I hope to return during the winter and take some better pictures.
