A Day at the Beach

After a two-day meeting in Izu, we managed to secure a night and a day at Shirahama beach this weekend. Shirahama is one of the nicer beaches in Japan, and is also something of a pick-up zone. The smooth white sand, clear water, and hot sunshine was a great way to wind down the week.

We spent Friday night at a very nice minshuku just a 2-minute walk from the beach. The Ashihara is a great place to stay if you find yourself down in Izu - the cleanliness, quietness, location and great food can't be beat for the excellent price.

At about 6:00 a.m. Brian and I decided to go for a little walk on the beach (after all, it WAS just two minutes away!), and enjoyed a little solitude that wouldn't last long:

A still-quiet beach:


A matsu (Japanese pine tree) on the beach:


Me at the beach:


Later in the day, the beach got pretty crowded, mainly with those who came to see and be seen: