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| A beachy kind of day! |
After the bumpy weather we had crossing the Pacific, from Alaska to Japan we’ve had great weather. The skies have been clear and the temperatures comfortable. We are continuing in a southerly direction so it is getting a little warmer.
Naze, which is located on Amami Oshima Island, was the first port where it looked and felt a bit “tropical”. The island is known for clear, blue waters, numerous beaches and diverse plants and animals. By air, it’s a two hour flight from Tokyo and is a popular destination for Japanese citizens and foreigners alike.
The city of Naze is located near the north end of the island and has a population of just under 40,000. As is often the case, we had no real plans other than knowing it would probably include some beach time. We picked up some suggestions from the visitor information tent that had been set up just off the ship. We started walking in the direction of a beach that we were told was 10 minutes away.
As we walked we started talking to a couple from Australia who were also on their way to the beach. One big difference…….the beach they were going to (Ohama Sea Park)was about a four mile walk. They had been told it was one of the most beautiful beaches on the entire island. Sounded good to us, so we joined them on the walk. It was mostly a flat walk, until we got close to the end when we had to tackle a steep hill for about fifteen minutes. As we came up over the top of the hill our efforts were rewarded with a view overlooking the crystal clear waters of the beach below.
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| The reward for climbing the hill! |
The beach wasn’t crowded at all, and only a few people were braving the slightly chilly water. We hadn’t planned on swimming anyway, so we strolled a bit and found a bench in the shade to rest and enjoy the view.
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| Crystal clear…… |
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| and slightly chilly! |
Once again the hospitality of the Japanese people shined. We had hooked back up with our walking buddies after a couple of hours at the beach. Although the walk to the beach was nice, the vote was unanimous that we’d take a cab back to the port. There were no taxis at the beach when we were ready to leave. We asked a young man who had been sitting near us if he could call a taxi for us. He was not only happy to do so, but he went above and beyond. First, he said he would drive us, but his car could only hold two people. He told us in his broken English that it would be about 30 minutes before the cab would arrive and he offered to stay with us until the cab arrived! Fortunately, a cab pulled up shortly after his kind offer and we grabbed it back to town, so he didn’t have to wait there with us after all.
We thanked him, and filed away another example of the kind and welcoming spirit of the Japanese people.
