In Japan, Obon is a national holiday that lasts about 3 days, giving pretty much everyone a beautiful 5 day weekend. I have to say mine was absolutely BRILLIANT!!
Just before Obon, Japan got hit with a typhoon, which of course, was no fun at all, plus it had been raining for a while before as well, not to mention, I managed to get myself a bit sick, so all in all, this vacation, (which included a wonderful clearing up of the weather) was timed VERY well!
The first day of vacation I stayed in Takamatsu, visiting the beach that I like to go to during the day, and then, by chance, I found out there was a festival going on that evening as well, so I stayed around for that and it was definitely worth it! There were TONS of food stalls plus some little activities and games like trying to scoop up little fish, or fishing balloons out of water, and of course, the highlight of the evening was the fireworks!! They were absolutely beautiful, and the colors were very vivid -- but you don't have to take my word for it, you can watch a video if you'd like! They also lasted for quite a long time -- maybe off and on for an hour or more...The only thing about this festival that I wasn't so much a fan of, was the MASSES of people -- they were everywhere! All along the water edge, sitting covering the road, the park space and of course, crowded into the areas where the food and games were. It seemed like the entire population of Takamatsu, plus more from the surrounding areas came out that night! (although the fireworks were apparently on for three nights) Going home, a bus ride that typically takes about 30 minutes took close to 1.5 hours due to all of the traffic and the sheer mass of pedestrians trying to get around. Don't even get me started on the sardine tins that the trains were. Pure craziness -- that's the best way to describe it I think!
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| The only picture that turned out nicely from the evening's fireworks |
To see some video from the fireworks,
click here!
The rest of my vacation time was spent in Wakayama. Hehehe...amusing story -- when I got back and told the staff at my school that I went to Wakayama, they were very surprised, saying things like, "Wakayama?! Wakayama?? Why? Why Wakayama? What's there?" Well, I'll tell you what's there -- to be short and succinct -- some beautiful coastal scenery and some awesome beaches.
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| Some of that nice coastal scenery for you |
The truth is though, I had researched about and also been recommended by a friend to go to the beach in Shirahama, and had intended to do so on my summer vacation to Japan last year, but ended up not having the time to do so, so, I decided I would try to head out there on this extra long weekend. After all, it is relatively close to where I live -- an hourish train ride to Tokushima, then 30 minutes on the bus to the ferry terminal, then a 2 hour ferry ride puts you in Wakayama city, and Shirahama is about another 2 hours on the train from there. Really, not bad at all!
The first day that I arrived in Wakayama, it was fairly late in the afternoon, so even though it was sunny, there wasn't really enough time to go to a beach, so instead, I checked into my hotel, then visited a temple (Kimiidera), and followed up with dinner and booking my tickets to Shirahama the next day.
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| This and the above are some pictures from Kimiidera in Wakayama City |
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| View from Kimiidera |
The next day was probably one of the best of my vacation. After the 2 hour train ride to Shirahama from Wakayama (where it rained off and on, causing me a bit of worry), I finally arrived, and after picking up a map, and a day bus pass, I was off on my way to take in the sights. The first stop was the Sandanbeki cliffs -- which have some absolutely amazing and breath-taking views. You can pick your way over the rocks to take in the view at your own leisure.
My next stop was the Senjojiki rock formation -- a lot of colorful sandstone that has been eroded by the ocean water, has a lot of interesting little tide pools and is beautiful from a typical perspective, not to mention the added benefit that I got as a geogeek.
To see a compilation of video clips from the Sandanbeki Cliffs and Senjojiki Rock formation,
click here.
After that I went to the 'Submarine Observation Tower' where you were supposed to be able to go down underwater and see through windows into the ocean. This one, I think was a bit overrated -- I mean, sure it was interesting to see the fish swimming by, but it wasn't quite what I expected, and I was a little underwhelmed. But that's ok because the ENTIRE rest of my day (before and after) was so awesome!
My next stop was the Engetsu Islet, which is this tiny little island with a hole in it -- and it is yet another one of the famous views in Shirahama. You could also take a glass-bottom boat out to the island, but I decided not to, figuring that I was able to get nice enough views without going on a boat out to the island itself.
My last and final stop in Shirahama for the day (other than lunch and going back to the station at the end of the day, of course), was none other than Shirahama Beach, which is apparently a sister beach to Waikiki in Hawaii. The beach itself was PACKED with people! All kinds and colors of umbrellas, towels and tents decorated the beach, and it was somewhat difficult to find a space to fit my towel, but I did find one! The spot I found was rather far from the water, and a bit loud, as it was right in front of this area where a local radio station was blasting music, and there were groups of people on either side of me who were playing their own music, so it was a little chaotic, but all a part of the experience! I just chose to tune in whichever song sounded the best to me!
To see a little video clip of the craziness at the beach,
click here!
While the weather stayed nice for most of that day, it did start to rain around 4 or 5, but that didn't change my plans too much -- I just took one train earlier than I'd planned to back to Wakayama and had supper there rather than in Shirahama (and a delicious meal of okonomiyaki it was too!)
For my last full day in Wakayama, I decided not to go back to Shirahama for a few reasons (the beach being packed, it was a little expensive, it took a bit of time to get there and it looked like rain), and instead found my way to a beach in Wakayama city (Kataonami Beach). It was much less crowded (although that may have also been due to the fact that it was a little cloudy and there was light rain on and off all day). Even though it was a lot less crowded, I ended up having a few interesting conversations with some of the other people at the beach if they stopped by me. Some were just hellos or smiles, or in one case, a thumbs up, others were more curiousity and actual conversations, the most interesting of which, at the end of, the group decided that I was 格好いい！(basically, a cool person)
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| Kataonami Beach |
On the Sunday, I (sadly) headed back to Takamatsu, since I had to go back to work on Monday, and that was the end of my lovely vacation full of beaches...
Oh and another short aside, interestingly enough, on the ferry back from Wakayama to Tokushima, I ended up running into the person who guided the tour I went on during my very first visit to Japan -- he was still taking tours around. Small world, hey?
To see many more pictures from my fun in Wakayama,
click here.
