Fuji Rock 2014 Day 1

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

The last weekend in July, I went to Fuji Rock – a 3-day music festival in Japan. The old me probably wouldn’t have been for it, but the new me is like, why not. I have pretty daggy taste in music so I’m usually not the best companion for music festivals.

Fuji Rock is held over 3-days on the ski slope mountains of Naeba. The proper experience is to camp there for the 3 days which we did. Although some friends stayed at lodgings instead.

Had read a lot of stuff online about the crowds and traffic to get there.
With the first day of the festival kicking off on Friday (took the day off work), we decided to leave on Thursday night after work. We got the bullet train to Echigo Yuzawa that left Tokyo after 8pm. And we were at Echigo before 9:30pm. We braced ourselves for the crowd outside Echigo Yuzawa station but it wasn’t so bad.

From Fuji Rock 2014

We lined up for the free shuttle bus that takes you to the Fuji Rock site. We only had to wait about 15 minutes. So far so good. Boarded the free bus. The bus ride was kinda long. About 45minutes.

Upon arrival at the site, we exchanged our tickets for wrist bands and got our camp wrist bands and set off in search for a spot to pitch our tents. Mind you, the campsite was on a ski slope so you were a little hardpressed to find flat ground, especially since a lot of people got there on Thursday during the day. It was now close to 11pm and we had to pitch up our tents. Our spot was on a slight slope, but it wasn’t too bad. Weren’t able to get a shady spot either. Highly recommend a spot under trees if possible. We ended up roasting every morning. By 7am it was a sauna in the tents in the blazing summer heat and humidity. We were literally smoked out of our tents come sunrise.

As we were traipsing around at night in search of a tent spot, I saw Mick Jagger!!! My only regret of the weekend was not getting a photo with him. I turned to my friend and said “I swear to God that looks like Mick Jagger”. Friend turned around and said “It sounds like Mick Jagger”. Holy crap, it is Mick Jagger. He was with another ageing rocker friend. He even spoke At me. Something to the effect of ” fark, look at her, she’s got a head torch”. Yes, ever so practical me was wearing a head torch. 11pm at a campsite trying to pitch a tent.
We were laden down with big packbacks, tents, bags etc wandering through a campsite. It was not the time for selfies for Mick Jagger. #bigregret. Oh well.

Tents assembled. Try to get some sleep.

I love my tent: Best 40 buks ever spent.

From Fuji Rock 2014

But I did have some tent envy:

From Fuji Rock 2014

Coolest tent ever:

From Fuji Rock 2014

This was probably the not-so-coolest tent ever:

From Fuji Rock 2014

I’d say it was pretty baaaad (see what I did there):

From Fuji Rock 2014

This tent on the other hand, had a more “homely” feel to it:

From Fuji Rock 2014

Tents galore on the Naeba ski slopes:

From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014

Friday – Day 1 of Fuji Rock, was looking to be a beautiful day. Fuji Rock is notorious for bad weather. Rain and downpour is the norm.

From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014

Free water and sink facilities:

From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014

Everything rocks. Even the lockers!

From Fuji Rock 2014

Fuji + Rocks = Fuji Rock!

From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014

There’s a helluva lot of people that attend Fuji Rock. Literally tens of thousands. But it was such a well-organised event with such a cool chilled vibe.

It’s a joke-free zone:

From Fuji Rock 2014

And perfect weather for it:

From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014

The men’s facilities:

From Fuji Rock 2014

There are several stages and it’s a bit of a hike between them. About 30min walk through forest and trail to get to some of them. A lot of walking was done that weekend.

Weather was so hot. But there was a beautiful stream river where people could cool off and chill out.

From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014

It got really crowded here over the day:

From Fuji Rock 2014

This guy totally had the right idea:

From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014

Highlight act of the day was….

From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014

The festival featured cool music and also some great food.

Paella:

From Fuji Rock 2014

Got to have me a meat pie: So good.

From Fuji Rock 2014

Butter chicken:

From Fuji Rock 2014

Pancakes:

From Fuji Rock 2014

(Note: this was consumed over the three days, not in one sitting).

Weiner lollipop, anyone?

From Fuji Rock 2014

Or perhaps, you prefer this:

From Fuji Rock 2014

(A mis-translation of “Dragon Tacos”)

All kinds of good imaginable – ramen, pizza, green curry, lamp chops, hamburgers, fish and chips, and beer, lots of beer.

And everyone BYO’s chairs. We missed that memo.

From Fuji Rock 2014

Complete with cup holder and canopy: The Rolls Royce of picnic chairs.

From Fuji Rock 2014

The Blue Mile:

From Fuji Rock 2014

Plenty of bad iPhone shots taken:

From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014
From Fuji Rock 2014

Day 1 of Fuji Rock was a lotta fun. But hella tiring. Feel like I had aged a hundred years. Hell of a lot of walking, and being around in the sun. And so much walking and being on your feet and then a few hours sleeping in a tent. Hadn’t had a shower in over 24 hours either so was feeling major skanky. Get to do this all over again the next day.

Naoshima Diary: Frame Art Tunnel

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

This is another art installation found on Teshima Island. In fact, handfuls of random properties have been converted into art installations.

This one was cool and yep, set us back another 300 yen.

From Teshima frame tunnel
From Teshima frame tunnel

A tunnel made of window frames.

From Teshima frame tunnel
From Teshima frame tunnel
From Teshima frame tunnel

The view at the other end:

From Teshima frame tunnel
From Teshima frame tunnel
From Teshima frame tunnel
From Teshima frame tunnel
From Teshima frame tunnel

Silhouette:

From Teshima frame tunnel
From Teshima frame tunnel
From Teshima frame tunnel

Naoshima Diary: Teshima Art Museum

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

One of the highlights of Teshima Island was the Teshima Art Museum.
It cost about 1500yen for entry, but totally worth it for the one and only art installation there.
Most people visit Teshima just for a half day and see this.

Photography of the installation is not allowed, so I’ve only got photos of the exterior, but definitely worth checking this out. Needs to be seen and experienced for yourself.

From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum

This was the musuem shop and cafe:

From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum

View of the island countryside:

From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum
From Teshima art museum

Naoshima Diary: Pumpkin galore

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Travel Notes:
After spending a night on Teshima island, we then made our way onwards to Naoshima island.
Unfortunately, this meant going back via Uno port.
There are two boats that run to/from Uno and Teshima – the ferry and then the passenger boat.
We took the passenger boat from Teshima back to Uno. It only took about 20 minutes (half the time it to get to Teshima on the ferry). That meant we were back in time at Uno to take the ferry to Naoshima. We had to bolt for the ferry connection though. We thought the boat back to Uno was going to take about 40 minutes giving us an hour layover in Uno port. But thankfully we made the earlier ferry to Naoshima. Woo hoo. This meant we’d have more time on Naoshima.

Ferry to Naoshima was about 20 minutes and was pretty crowded. Naoshima is pretty popular and it was a summer long weekend.

Upon arrival at Naoshima, first thing in order was to dump our back at the cheap hostel/minshuku we were staying at. And then off to find some bike rentals for the day. We had to try a few places before we found a place with electric bikes. We got lucky and set off on our electric bikes. It was about 1000yen for a 7 hour rental (with a 3000yen deposit). Sweet. A full day of cycling around Naoshima.

I previously posted up photos of the yellow spotty pumpkin art installation from day 1 on Naoshima.

On day 2 we bussed and walked around the island.
Here are photos from day 2 on Naoshima. More pumpkin photos. Cannot. Go. Past. Giant. Pumpkins. Without. Taking. Photos. Of. It.

From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2
From Yellow pumpkin day 2

Not only did I get to take lots of photos of pumpkins, but I got to eat pumpkin ice-cream. Surprisingly, delicious. But quite rich and creamy. Just as well we shared one (although we had originally wanted to get one each, but they only had one left!). But pumpkin is a vegetable, so it’s healthy ice cream, right?

The pumpkin ice cream was served in an actual frozen pumpkin:

From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream

So creamy and delicious:

From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream
From Pumpkin icecream

Overnight on Teshima Island

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Most people barely visit Teshima for a day let alone stay overnight there. It’s often seen as a day trip from Naoshima.
But we did Teshima first, stayed overnight there and then moved onto Naoshima.
We had a rental car for the day on Teshima and still didn’t get to see everything.
We had to return the car at 5pm and made our way back to the port where we got picked up by the hotel owners to take us to our accommodation for the night.

Accommodation on Teshima Island is very, very limited.
One of the few lodgings is Teshima Amore Resort – a really bizarre little place run by a Japanese couple. It is now basically a delapilated resort located right on a private beach, but I’m sure it was seen as luxury lodgings back in its heyday.

The private beach was nice for walking along at sunset. Didn’t get a chance to have a dip although it would have been nice to. Very secluded and quiet. There were only a few other guests staying there and the owners were quite friendly and accommodating for us.

It was a random little place to stay, but very peaceful.

Excellent waterfront views of the Seto inland sea:

From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore

The rather run-down rooms for the night:

From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore

Private beach:

From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore
From Teshima Amore

The rooms weren’t the Ritz, but the dinner was pretty special. An awesome BBQ feast out on the deck.

From Teshima Amore

An absolute feast, I tell you!

From Teshima Amore

For a little run down place, the accommodation price was definitely on the pricier side – but factor in that it was a night’s accommodation, BBQ dinner feast included, breakfast included, and to/from pick up/drop off to the port – it was not bad value.

Thoroughly enjoyed Teshima Island. And Naoshima Island was going to be even better!

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Travel notes:
Day 1 of Teshima. Arrived on the boat from Uno and hired the car for the day sightseeing around the island visiting the various museums and art installation.

Here are some snapshots around Teshima.

Bike rental is popular mode of transport (most of which are electric bikes). We scored one of the few rental cars on the island which was a real bonus. Bikes can be rented from right outside the port area.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iONZannvH75VsajqfAvHpNVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-quiDYzDAD_M/U88tACwelRI/AAAAAAACvxk/aHK5tJHjgwE/s640/DSC_0890.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

We passed this building along our drive, which we thought might have been a museum. Turned out to be a restaurant.
Great water views which they would not let us take photos of. We drove on.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hM-JGDHR4WcZNHAdgXjex9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RwQ-utQhHyI/U88sxh6QnaI/AAAAAAACvq8/hjQ18V2QDqg/s640/DSC_0707.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

We checked out the installation called “Stormy House”. Entry was 300yen. You’re hit up for fees everywhere around the island. You’ve been warned.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/914fqnTga-CoaKAufPxh1NVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hDbVP-lXbUw/U88tDItP7yI/AAAAAAACvwg/s-qPePlU7QA/s640/IMG_0070.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

All I’ll say about Stormy House is that it can be heard all around the island.

The island itself is pretty with some scenic views:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jZrR4qt3WaUcXQajWN-PsdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2dsj1Uvqkc0/U88tRexuAbI/AAAAAAACv04/pjAQjJWrOc4/s640/IMG_0143.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5HKG_XWO4nLgvFE2xFnt5dVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JDMsCVEeJNI/U88sxVegnqI/AAAAAAACvq0/48i3yd7D91Y/s640/DSC_0724.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BcAkhfYIqlOMNDv6_oh6qdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-WZJgqWjcYDw/U88tGqMSXxI/AAAAAAACvxc/roDf5Z-oAug/s640/IMG_0078.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

The Seto Inland Sea:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6wO7PXxZEIT9hEC8OvgluNVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-idMrUr5g3cQ/U88symR1oZI/AAAAAAACvrY/d8P-kDHlYtk/s640/DSC_0726.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCK6Gj9S9pfnIzQE&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lZd0ISkHHXNXyibiwaGU8dVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R9IedPFqbOY/U88s0YYF7jI/AAAAAAACvro/mFLbbJyzzWw/s640/DSC_0743.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”425″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

The most strangest dead-end pier ever:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Naz0dRfsUS5XuoQlEleQt9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gDY0oQH71VE/U88s1UrFmoI/AAAAAAACvsM/pmb_8lUemUQ/s640/DSC_0746.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Not at all connected to land:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/s40VEKurH6byL3LA3uzR4tVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UnPCOtPzfR0/U88s2fkwO2I/AAAAAAACvsU/KbH0r4ggQv8/s640/DSC_0748.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Everyone will recommend that you eat lunch at Shima Kitchen, and so you should:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ebcu7lhOSDZ-C0kbnEZittVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_xGIrXGES-Y/U88tDXFRfiI/AAAAAAACvw8/8jt1X93drPI/s640/IMG_0071.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R4guyZV4jEqSAf3AgcMYmtVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Rbs-tVy_Dd8/U88tEa6b3GI/AAAAAAACvws/VBS6A2vbVhQ/s640/IMG_0073.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Other random stuff we saw on the island:

This was totally my cup of tea:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cvIl3PnpnkMgo8CdhHPmX9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bd_gxwdFzOQ/U88s3huKGOI/AAAAAAACvts/Iks3A4-1XZs/s640/DSC_0784.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Port area:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bNCa7jBZjaNY0VE756QOcdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a8qDQL2zfz8/U88s4QeupWI/AAAAAAACvs4/7Wv5D0Rnt1Q/s640/DSC_0786.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2MUPxT8hrfxBTccqE10BUdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ucMu_Dc7t4c/U88s4nkpQfI/AAAAAAACvs8/aQdyf89k5Og/s640/DSC_0787.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lT-jkHh_qHbWNNkwFlw4H9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DbG_bI5jC-A/U88tNbT3F7I/AAAAAAACvz0/cohppt9w9IM/s640/IMG_0120.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gn7agE_r3P3H0-1gYjZEPNVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Tjqe-OASZsI/U88tPKBraxI/AAAAAAACv0U/VzfYyMa9810/s640/IMG_0121.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

No filter used. That was actually part of a museum building with a giant red-tinted glass window,

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/seTsuBDSPj_NtsR9EGzUftVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8VcTy77ySRo/U88s72iyWnI/AAAAAAACv1k/FoXX-NkqoT0/s640/DSC_0837.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7dUtpFhgb5C95p6oMyo8mdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Wwluf8HuHUI/U88s8McA5XI/AAAAAAACvuI/GBTHg0O7A78/s640/DSC_0838.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qsJYnuGY9lM46qxj3E8WftVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yJTNkgmhPT8/U88tBYPes6I/AAAAAAACvxQ/V5DGOjtnzrQ/s640/DSC_0949.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Highlight was the Teshima Art Museum. Has to be experienced for yourself. Pretty amazing. Entry is about 1500yen for only one installation. But totally worth it.
Photos of it are not allowed, so this is all you’ll get. I’m also pretty sure this is the main reason that people even visit Teshima, is for this museum.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4Mbrc0h7lLViZbM3neRZP9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5HeBHnRlyO4/U88tID-O79I/AAAAAAACvyI/74Yj92Fnn2E/s640/IMG_0082.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

One of the bizarrest museums on the island is the heartbeat museum. It’s an archive of human heartbeats. It’s a bit freaky really. People (anyone) can contribute a recording of their heartbeat which is then played in a room. The room is pretty much pitchblack. You enter and listen to a collection of a total stranger’s heartbeat in darkness, with the exception of a small flickering lightbulb. It’s very weird. They also display the name of the person’s heartbeat you are listening to. At the museum, you can pay to have your heartbeat recording added to the collection.
One of the recording sites is at the Museum of Modern Art in Tasmania!
There is even a computer available with the heartbeat archive which can be searched for free.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LQ4Hk2QAdR1QII-dx-w_99VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-58OTh4v_O0o/U88tLZW4lxI/AAAAAAACvzU/gV_qAwimPDc/s640/IMG_0092.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xrLmoGyNyrjhKhJduvbCGdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dIqpBN0cVGw/U88tJMQMUdI/AAAAAAACvzs/xeyVLD_t9fA/s640/IMG_0084.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HuTdbOiktf5rsNGyQVTpE9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SVewRFSVvxE/U88tJlSh0tI/AAAAAAACvys/Uq4h-iJJHL4/s640/IMG_0086.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HybS66c0Y9I1BrBKpsY0odVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VoLCa-8WaL4/U88tJ0bRnuI/AAAAAAACvyw/L1VW5MlbGMI/s640/IMG_0087.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Si3r_ZF9z5wpWmoN2Py5QdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1dREOgjKegs/U88tKR3WVAI/AAAAAAACvy4/Lzb2hYGxoZw/s640/IMG_0088.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/snXLT031pGoHopd0p34xbtVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_VLlvolDYVI/U88tLP_ZnCI/AAAAAAACvzE/_Y2vyxMMzP8/s640/IMG_0091.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Another installation we checked out was in the forest. It was a little meh. And we paid 300yen.

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vTnkk96_601FvcsvTkVQhNVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0wIPSKksywU/U88tMN1yn4I/AAAAAAACvzw/p_injTNnyHo/s640/IMG_0094.JPG&#8221; height=”480″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qrasBL-a7PJmwe0oQG8uUtVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AmA8YbbLu3c/U88tM9_vS9I/AAAAAAACv0A/w5_oou78qAs/s640/IMG_0096.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

Island life:

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ycjno2irvVJKMCXwsHWE29VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-mVHlo7VMYjU/U88s9vFcNtI/AAAAAAACvus/iZdqDeRLvtM/s640/DSC_0843.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gUcreVMSUt7FdYCpHqvHFtVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_A2BeIROZfU/U88s8daFN6I/AAAAAAACvuY/vup3o4LoeLw/s640/DSC_0839.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nMxUyfucQuC1qOF1H9GqkdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bTDinNnjYu8/U88s960j_6I/AAAAAAACv1k/5rRhQ51G488/s640/DSC_0881.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qwRtXxz6-HxP2BSavIISAdVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S03ObUwT6OU/U88tOZT3-QI/AAAAAAACv0M/IDqJGPCMODc/s640/IMG_0137.JPG&#8221; height=”640″ width=”480″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q4gerkbNlFE0omSyt5O1_dVsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xzeeCoduBMw/U88tQ_diUbI/AAAAAAACv00/X1djyQpmfbE/s400/IMG_0142.JPG&#8221; height=”400″ width=”400″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

<table style=”width:auto”><tr><td><a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MIKrXsIbfMVXHZ233eoiW9VsL23opckzBiqcC1hraOw?feat=embedwebsite”><img src=”https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0ZKH1tKlThQ/U88tBdbIBEI/AAAAAAACvv4/uFFzKQtxXGw/s640/DSC_0950.JPG&#8221; height=”425″ width=”640″ /></a></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right”>From <a href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/116032719585350311356/SightseeingTeshima?authuser=0&amp;feat=embedwebsite”>Sightseeing Teshima</a></td></tr></table>

A really fascinating island. But apart from art, there’s not much to see on the island. But the art is really worth seeing. But everything you see on the island has a price. Most cost 300yen with the museums costing a bit more.

Naoshima Diary: Posing with Giant Pumpkins

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

A 3-day long weekend was had and my brother was visiting Japan. On the last few days of his trip, I headed down to meet up with him in Okayama for our final adventure – a trip to Teshima and Naoshima islands also known as the Art Islands.

Truth was, I was supposed to go there over the last Christmas/New Years break, but you might recall no adventures were had by me and I stuck around in Tokyo for personal reasons. So at last, I finally got to go with brother and a friend in tow.
Day 1 was Teshima. Day 2 and 3 was Naoshima.

I’m just gonna jump to the highlight of the trip which was posing around with oversized pumpkin sculptures (all in the name of art).

Currently obsessed with giant plastic polka-dotted pumpkins.
This is the yellow one (yes, more than one oversized pumpkin!) located on Naoshima island and brought hours of entertainment.

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

I think I foresee a future as a pumpkin model:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

Super excited about giant pumpkins. I can barely contain myself:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

Pushing Pumpkins. Beats pushing papers:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

No selfie is complete without a giant pumpkin in it:

From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1
From Yellow pumpkin day 1

Note, that these photos are from the Yellow Pumpkin Day 1 album. More of the same yellow pumpkin photos taken on Day 2!

Artist is none other than Yayao Kusama, of polka-dot fame.

Naoshima Diary: il Vento art cafe

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Travel notes:
We arrived onto the island of Teshima from Uno port on the Saturday morning. Boat ride was a direct 45min.
Upon arriving at Teshima island, we decided to get a car rental for the day. It was about a 5min walk from the port and we were in luck. Without a reservation, we were able to get a car rental for the day. And it was pretty cheap. 5000yen for the day, split between 3 people. After get a whole bunch of explanations, directions and recommendations from Aki-san (the car rental owner guy), we were on our way. Car had to be back by 5pm, so we had to cram in 6 hours of sightseeing.

Teshima island is pretty tiny. Most people rent bikes, but the place is a little hilly and it was stinking hot. An air-conditioned car was the way to go and we were really lucky to snare us a car. A full day of sightseeing ahead.

So, why Teshima? Teshima is one of the Art Islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Most people only visit it as a half day trip from Naoshima. I would say it definitely warranted a full day to see everything. There was still heaps more that we could have seen had we had more time. We stayed on the island overnight, which is not really common. Accommodation is super limited with only about 2-3 options to choose from. Infrastructure on the island is also very limited. Not so many eateries, and I barely saw a single shop. Not a single conbini that we came across in the 24 hours that we were there. It’s pretty remote. But it was awesome. And the only thing to do/see on the island is all art based. Nothing else there to see. And all the art will cost you money.

In the morning we did covered a fair chunk of the art plus a lunch break. In the afternoon we stopped by il Vento cafe. It’s an art cafe. To even see/enter the building will cost you 300yen (without a food order) or you can order from the cafe instead thereby seeing the cafe with the cost built in. We decided to have afternoon tea – a refreshing beverage and cake.

Totally picked the best cake there – a lemon cake which was delicious and an Olive cider, which was surprisingly really good. I forgot to mention that the island is popular for olives (there’s an olive farm there).

The building itself is a converted Japanese house:

From il Vento art cafe

But the interior is super trippy.

Camouflaged seating:

From il Vento art cafe

Where the furniture blends with the walls and ceilings:

From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe

Downstairs seating:

From il Vento art cafe

Outdoor seating. It was way too hot to seat inside, hence it was totally empty:

From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe

Beware the stairs:

From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe

We opted for the upstairs seating which was super funky:

From il Vento art cafe

Olive Cider:

From il Vento art cafe

Amazing lemon cake. And I loved that with every cake order, you got two portions of cake.

From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe
From il Vento art cafe

View of the village rooftops:

From il Vento art cafe

Super cool cafe. Time your visit for afternoon tea there.

Fish and Chips @ Gazebo

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Had me some yummy fish and chips yesterday after the swim. Yes, fish and chips in Japan. And they were pretty good. After yesterday’s ows race, I thought I’d walk all the way back to Zushi station (about 5-6km). Enroute, I would stop at the Gazebo. It’s a small fish and chip eatery that I’ve seen on the bus on the way to Hayama. I keep telling myself to stop there. I walked about 3km to get there so was well due for lunch having already just swum 4.5km as well. It’s along the main road between Zushi and Hayama so you can’t miss it.

From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips

I haven’t had fish and chips in ages. It’s an Aussie thing. A shame they don’t do potato scallops here. Hmmm, have a real hankering for potato scallops right now. Ordered me some fish and chips and a beer. They have quite the decent alcoholic beverage selection ranging from beers, wine, and sparkling wine. They even had VB!

From Gazebo fish and chips

The fish and chips were yummy. Good clean fish and the chips were perfect. Even served with tomato sauce and vinegar for the chips! The homemade tartare sauce was really delicious too. Just like being back in Oz.

From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips

Was a bit of a glutton and also ordered a side of popcorn shrimp. Popcorn shrimp is my kryptonite.

From Gazebo fish and chips

This place is cool and casual. The owners are a Japanese couple. The guy had lived in Australia (Gold Coast) for a bit, so was happy to learn that I was from Australia. His wife waits on the tables, and he operates the fryer. There’s an older guy as well who helps in the kitchen. It’s all cooked right behind the counter.

From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips

A real shame I was too full to fit in ice cream:

From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips
From Gazebo fish and chips

Highly recommend!

<ahref=”https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a9XR1g0Ux40C8VqEJh1j9BI5Lrn0Pm80wTvf9G8dB4U?feat=embedwebsite”&gt;
From Gazebo fish and chips

Gazebo at Hayama. About a 2km walk from Zushi station, or take bus No. 12 from Zushi station (heading for Hayama). Alight at Shoujouji (Shoujou temple) bus stop and then walk about 50m ahead. It’s on your left hand side along that road.

Hayama OWS

memoirsofaleishaLeave a comment

Another weekend, another swim. No rest for the wicked. So straight off the bat from last week’s 10km swim, I did another swim just yesterday. Wasn’t going to take it too seriously. It was going to be a nice fun training swim. Since the 10km swim, I only swum once during the week, a slow 2km. It was mostly a recovery week despite yesterday’s 4.5km swim. It was a Hayama beach area, so pretty convenient from Tokyo. It’s also “our local” open water swim “club” venue. It was organised by a private triathlon group so entry was pretty pricey -10,000 yen for a 4.5km swim. But it was well organised. And you bet we got a t-shirt and swim cap included.

It was on ridiculously early. Decided an early Saturday night was in order. Was in bed by 9:30pm. Woo hoo. Hashtag: Painting the town beige! Was up at 4:30am and on the 5:30am train to get the train to Zushi and then the bus the race beach. Caught up with some fellow swimmers on the way. I had a few swimming friends who were also racing today.

Registration was until 8am with our race starting at 9am! On a Sunday morning! It was a really good turn out for the race. Atmosphere was good and a well-organised event. Water conditions were good. Weather was hot and humid despite being hazy.

From Hayama OWS
From Hayama OWS
From Hayama OWS

The water was surprisingly colder than what I was expecting. It was only about 22-23. Very fresh but comfortable enough.

From Hayama OWS

They had a lot of lifeguards and water support crew. More than I’ve seen at a race in a long while.

From Hayama OWS
From Hayama OWS

Warm up swim time:

From Hayama OWS
From Hayama OWS

It was nice that they had a wetsuit and a non-wetsuit category. This was a really professional race event. We even had ankle time chips! A rarity at a lot of swim races here. There were 3 distances – 1.5km/3km/4.5km. I went for the 4.5km swim sans wetsuit. It was going to be a good open water swim training session for the 10km open water swim I’ll do in about 7 weeks time. See how I go today and then double my time and then some. I also raced carrying two gels in my cossies as a practice run. I hadn’t planned on practising feeding, but I did end up consuming a gel during the swim. The course was a 1.5km triangular loop, with an land entry between each lap. Run up on the beach, cross the mat, pass the drinks table, and then back into the water. The drinks table didn’t have any water, only sports drink. I prefer water to get rid of the salty mouth. Pre-race photo op:

From Hayama OWS
From Hayama OWS
From Hayama OWS
From Hayama OWS
From Hayama OWS

Hayama Open Water Swim:

From Hayama OWS

Time to do our thing. The start was a bit weird. There was no countdown and I was expecting a horn, but all there was, was a whistle. Just all of a sudden we were waiting around and then it was time to race. Not much of a lead up. Anyway, you can see me here on the right side of the photo, just casually walking into the water:

From Hayama OWS

Water was murky and not as clear as I would have liked it. I actually thought the course was clockwise, but it was actually anti-clockwise, so just as well I followed everyone else. There was about 300 of us all starting at once. It was definitely a more aggressive race. I took a few blows and probably gave a few too. I didn’t mind it so much. It gets you revved up. The distance from the start to the first buoy felt long. And it felt long on each of the three laps. After the first lap I took a cup of drink from the drink station. Was disappointed there was no water.

On the second lap, I took my gel instead of their sports drink. It was more time efficient for my to drink my gel on the run rather than stop by the table as well. On the third lap, going back out there was a lot more seaweed and debris that we had to swim through. I felt little stinging things in the water. I get very bad allergic reactions to the waters in Shonan. I usually make it a policy to not swim anywhere in the Shonan area – Miura, Zushi, Enoshima, Kamakura etc. Actually swimming in Kanagawa prefecture in general is not that great. I find that because it’s close to Tokyo, the waters are bit polluted and not so clean. Much prefer Shizuoka and Chiba prefecture. I don’t get as much of an allergic reaction. Am now covered in an itchy rash all over my torso. Just the usual, I guess. I should be used to it by now. Am somewhat concerned about the 10km swim I’ll be doing (the Shonan swim). It’s from Zushi beach to Enoshima beach (a point to point swim) in the festy sea lice waters.

I have a bad feeling I am going to get a crazy allergic reaction after swimming there. Mark my words.

This 4.5km swim was a fun swim to do though. I did it 1hr 14min which was good considering lack of training and during my recovery week. I would have liked to have gone a bit faster, and to have especially beat Youri but he beat me 3min. I really don’t do enough sprint/interval work. Got 5th place in my age group. And 68th out of 117 in the non-wetsuit category. And what a better way to end your race than with some free sazae (Japanese for turban shell. which we got as a post-race snack (it’s food, not a souvenir). I hate this stuff – it’s super chewy and salty and bitter and tastes very offal-ly.

From Hayama OWS

July is gonna be a busy month and I don’t foresee much swimming training happening which concerns me. But hopefully will have lots of travel pics coming up soon.