Beach Boys and Gals

How to spend a weekend in Japan?
Be a beach bum.

Drafted on June 29 2005. 2312h.

Shaonan, Jasmine, Fiona, Yuhui, Me.

Traveling for ard 2 hours to the Onjuku beach by train, we arrive at a small train station the size of one carriage. There was no gate, just a guy over there manually checking your EziLink card (SUICA Card actually) and asking for payment of 1800+ yen...ouch. Total is 2200yen...about 33 bucks for one way ride from home to the beach. Thats 66 bucks for a weekend at the beach. After all this is Chiba. Enough of the maths. =)


The weather was good. Sunny with lots of wind coming from the sea. First stop, settle the growling tummy. We found a shop selling pretty nice Ebi Burger. Thats prawn burger. hehe. Too bad a glass of WATER only comes with the Katsu Curry Rice. Or i would have ordered one after my rice. This shop's deco quite alright, has this beach house feel, colourful, n lousy furry furniture. hehe.

After buying our necessity (read: Ice Cream) from the shop opposite, we proceeded to the beach.

First thing, wats the camel doing on my beach! It was low tide, with the camel, it really looked like the desert. The strong wind from the sea literally creates a constant cloud of sand (a foot high) flowing inland. Trying to lie down and have a nice tan is as good as being air-sprayed by CaSiO2. SAND. Amazing how good my memory is for some seamingly stupid stuff.

On the right, there are some wooden huts/house/store/building/structure, that looks pretty much like where Beach Boys was filmed. In front, the sea, with its waist high waves. On the left, more beach with some boat house and mountain and a fishing port of sorts. Its lovely. A big piece of beach with very little people. (probably not the peak at all).

What did we do? With sandals as goal posts, Fiona guarding her own goal, Yuhui guarding the other, Shaonan as a free agent, me with Yuhui, Jas with Fiona, tackling, using a ramp made of sand to score, pushing, shouting, taunting, sand eating and kelonging, we played BEACH SOCCER! But before that, we tried to play beach volleyball. WHoa it was tough. With windspeed reaching 100kmph(okay exaggerated), the ball was pretty hard to keep up in the air. The ball's trajectory wasnt as predictable. It was really sucky. The best we could do was 4 consecutive. haha. sigh.

Deciding that we aren't progressing well with Vball, we started venturing to the sea. Bad move. The water was so cold! Okay, i did start to play around with SN..wrestling each other to the icy water. Its a guys thing perhaps. Splash. and it was ooookay. Pretty much as cold as bathing in the army barracks at night. Splish Splash.

Beach volleyball needed a little ...

==== Continued after 2 mths... ====

okies. i forgot what i wanted to say. hehe.

After some crazy water activities, Fiona went up to the beach, and we all followed the great pig inland for more beach
volleyball. Well, the water woke us up or something. We finally could achieve about 20 passes before some idiot, could be me, dropped the ball. hehe. Beach volleyball is tiring, so i supposed we went to get a tan. ard 3pm.
when the sun is NOT at the top. Suntanning was tricky. Gotta remmeber to turn over. Applying our spray on Coppertone suntan lotion(1500 yen), we slept or i just laid there for the next hour or so. It doesnt help that the sand keeps coming onto us floating on the breeze, like a sand dune in the desert, ever so threatening to bury us in the ...pretty good sand i must say. hehe.

Next thing i remember, we were out taking pictures. Shaonan went pretty far away, leaving the rest of us just sitting there, enjoying the big breeze. Ah. Fiona did play with her big scarf in the wind, holding the scarf up, letting it catch hold of the strong inland breeze. Unfortunately, the image of a model in the wind was quickly replaced with another cuter image, as her scarf decided to smack itself flat against her face and body. hehe.

More photo taking later, the sun was setting, Shaonan was back, and we went to take a group picture, asking a Japanese couple with a damn cool Remote Control 4WD Monster Truck running in the sand. Not exactly a very good photographer they are, but we appreciate their help! hehe! Many takes later, we took our shadow shots, as suggested by Jasmine i guess? She loves to take shadow shots of herself. Kyoto Silver Temple..hehe..i remember.

We went back towards the mainland for a shower, only to realise all the onsens are closed! Onsens/Ofuros are something like communal baths. Its an important place for us during our trips because, sometimes, the bathrooms in the youth hostels/dorms we stay in are in pathetic condition, or, we want to sleep out in the public/beach/bench/train station/24h eatery. yadda yadda. hehe. So we paid 500yen = $7.80 for a shower in a concrete room, with shower curtains only as barrier (but hey, we've seen it all..haha) and the ability to see the girls' shower room...ROOF. what were you thinking. after cleaning ourselves, off we go for dinner.

On the way back to the train station, there is this 中国料理店　（Chinese Food Restaurant in Jap). Take a look at my dinner below. Check out the oil in the dish. In Japan, Chinese Food = Oily food. IMO. They were closeing, but at the prospect of 5 customers throwing money for oily rice, closing time is changed a little. hehe. We were pretty tired from all the activities, sitting there stoned. waiting for our food. Food came, everyone tried everybody elses food. A standard procedure in our group's dining culture. We tried to stay as long as we could. Even when the main door was locked, we sat there. Because, we have no where to sleep. Alas, we had to go, but before that, everyone went to the loo. Using the loo was pretty tricky. First, it was unisex. Secondly, there was 2 urinals, and a seated one. So. proper planning was required for the girls not to peep at us doing it. =P

Being shoved through the back door, back to the rural road, there is nothing alive within 50 metres of us. ok. exaggeration. but it was pretty dark and quiet. This place wasnt developed for the night life crowd. (Oh. there is a pub in the middle of this whole ulu(rural) place. wonder who goes there.) The chinese restaurant auntie did ask where were were going to stay. "we dun know", we replied. As planned, we headed for the beach for some star gazing and fireworks. As we reached the sandy beach once more, we saw that the other Japanese had the same idea too.

Being summer, the Japanese like to set of/watch fireworks. We purchased ours at a convenient store near us. (I did actually) hehe. Fireworks are sold cheap and many youths like to set them off at the beach or any park nearby my dorm, creating a rackus. Walking around the beach in the dark cold night, with the moonlight blocked by the passing clouds, we settled to rest on an...Emergency Helicopter landing pad. Well, it is raised, provides a clean surface to sit on, and if any copters were around, WE WILL RUN. hehe.

Well, we decided to do some star gazing first. Spreading out our groundsheets, we sat around in our windbreakers, feeling cold, but enjoying the stars. Shaonan was explaining all about the different stars, the stories behind it, and we located a few. Using red torch to reduce glare, we were reading text from his astrology book, and star charts. The stars were very clear. Since its pretty rural, no street lamps around us, it was perfect. Found the dipper, orion and some others which i cannot remember. As the night wears on, Yuhui n me took a trip to the loo. Leaving the 2 other pigs and shaonan,they slept abit. It was pretty cold. 1-2 hours later, the sky got cloudy and we decided to set off the fireworks i had bought earlier and move inland.

Its been 26 years since i last set off fireworks. Yea. 初めて。 My first time. Burying the tube of fireworks in the sand at an angle away from us, everyone standing 10 metres away from me, as though i stink, i used my lighter to light up the...watever you call it. Click Click. Stupid wind. Then Shaonan came and help block the wind. hehe.
Sparks flew like those bombs you see on TV cartoons. we ran. Sparks approach base of tube. Boom. Boom. Boom. I want you in my room. And spend the nig....hehe. I miss that song. A few fireworks emerged from the tube. First, it was a like a comet with trails. After which, when it reached the peak, it burst, like a flower blooming. Number one. more of the same calibre continued from there. Different colours. Not anything near the might of National Day Fireworks, but heck, it was set of by ME! hehe.

After setting off all our fire works, we worked on our sparklers. With a camera on a tripod, recording in video mode, we were playing around and acting infront of it. it was hilarious. Creating circles of light, sparkling each other, running to get the fire going in the wind and failing to set some new sparklers on fire. There was lots of running and jostling and karate kicks(??). All on video. =P As the fire extinguished, and the sparks diminished, we went back inland for shelter.

As the night wears on, it got pretty dark. We settled on the first shelter we saw. A pavilion sort. As we put our things down, we noticed that the wind is blocked, its not that cold. BUT. there were bugs on the benches. "NEXT SHELTER", we thought. On arrival of the next shelter, again there was bugs, but a lot less. I flicked a few away before i set on my bench. In front of me, at my foot was a mess of ants getting the remains of some poor insect. Its better than nothing. A shelter is a shelter. I sat and the rest too cleared their benches and sat there. Shaonan got a hammock. and tied it to the posts. There was 2 benches. Bench no. 1 taken by me. Bench no.2 taken by the girls. I must have stank. We tried to sleep as it was already like 3am in the morning. 4.45am or so, we were to go to the beach to catch the sunrise.

Sleeping was a problem when you have ants crawling near you. Not to mention, people who drive by always slow down to take a look. (Its a country side kinda thingy i guess. never see someone sleep in those shelters.) well, every car that drove by, fiona would wake up...or so she says. I say every two. hehe. cuz i was pretty much awake. I dun want people to do anything funny near us. Some guy came over to ask for directions in Jap. Being a non-local, i just spoke some english and off he went. Its not fun to be approached at the wee hours of the night, not if you cannot tell if the person is drunk or not. Anyway, 3 girls sleeping sitting position, lying on each other, or head down like Sadako. Should have taken some photos if i wasnt that tired. I was getting bored. To the point i was guessing who was snoring away. Turned out to be....*censored*. Ahem. Feeling cold, i went to take a walk. Since fiona or someone was awake, i think. Those damn machines sell only COLD drinks. Usually there are hot coffee or soemthing. I walked so far as the train station to find a hot drink. None avail. Even the 24 hours convenient store was closed. (its 23 hours by the way. we missed the small notice.) Saw a lited up room with coin operated washing machines and was so tempted to sleep there on the bench, in the shelter, in the warmth. hehe. Can't leave those others behind can i?

a whole night of sleeplessness. 4.45, woke everyone up. Walked to the beach. Sunrise......not from the sea. From the mountains behind. damn. Took some parting pictures and we walked to the convenient store again for breakfast.
we ate at the bench opposite the road, and as expected, the bench was full of those creepy crawlies too. So we stood. a truck with a gas tank came in front of us, the driver alighted, took a flexible pipe as thick as a lamp post, and pumped gas into a box of the nearby shop. So thats how they get their gas. hehe.
after eating, we all went to the station and decide whether to go home or not. However, everyone was thinking whether to go back or not, since we had such a terrible night in the cold and were quite exhausted. Standing there in front of the souvinier shop for 10 minutes, we decided to toss a coin. HOME says the first toss. BEACH. HOME.
so we went home. On the way back, though, everyone was like..."erm, actually i dun mind staying leh". pengz.

And so ends my first trip to the japanese beach. The End. Finally i must add. hehe.


Photos Galore:

The station, the 4 other pigs walking towards the beach,
the museum next to the beach, notice the arabic theme, and me at the beach. with some idiot at the background playing with dogs.


















Place we had lunch, pretty nice decor for a rural place like this.



















Crossing the bridge to the beach, not many people, cuz summer just started. But i heard its crowded during the middle of summer. Less cold perhaps. hehe.


















The beach houses, like those we see in The Beach Boys.
The sea and our shadows.


















Me. In the morning after the night out.
me. With the camel statues in the middle of the beach.



















My chinese food. CHECK OUT THE OIL. But delicious. in moderation.


















going back to the beach after overnighters to get a glimps of the none existant sunrise. hehe.