...what remains of the year (that was)
I switched off my computer yesterday at 5:00pm when I finished the last review of students' dissertations. Most sent in drafts by the due date, just a few remain but, as I said to them, that's it from me until 7 January. I think I need some rest since we've not really stopped since the onset of Covid--which is why I'm still here in Tokyo. And so today (well last night actually) I made the decision that I would indeed get out for the day, preferably to the beach, specifically Chigasaki, south of Tokyo in Kanagawa--it is where I will end up living if I can never get out of Japan! (teehee). I've been there a few times, it is just 'around the bay' from Kamakura and Shonan, which are better known but a little more crowded. Chigasaki is for me, like Moffat Beach is to Maroochydore if you like.
Anyway, I got away on time, on the 9:24am train direct to my destination. There is always the temptation to take the board, even in this weather but good thing I didn't, it was flat as.
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| Not exactly a great day for the board |
Anyway, Chigasaki has a rich history in surfing culture, the evergreen band The Southern Allstars have songs synonymous with the region and when the surf is up, the waves are not as crowded. There is an historic ryokan nearby too which also has played a part in local surf history. I will stay there one day. The other nice feature is that on a clear day, you can see Mt Fuji from the beach. Not so clear today, but visible. Imagine surfing under the eye of Mt Fuji every morning. Peace. I always thought the Shonan area would have made a better venue for the Olympic surfing venue--transport infrastructure is better and the wave quality, well not a great difference really unless the Chiba coast gets that cyclonic swell (which, as it turned out, it did) and there is Mt Fuji.
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| Local manholes |
But that is all done. Today is was just a day to literally breathe in the sea air, listen to the waves and just, well, do very little really.
Here are some pix of the day. I think it has been about 22 months since I was last here, thanks to the Covid restrictions on movement out of Tokyo. It was a nice day. I even went around the corner and found a new spot, where some more ambitious surfers were trying for a wave.
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| It is a fishing port as well, lots of fishy stuff around |
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| This might have been a build your own Fuji moment |
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| This is what I came for ... |
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| The sound of waves... |
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| A Chigasaki landmark, Eboshi Iwa |
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| More |
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| Fishing boats, quite a few out and about |
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| Not all the fishers were in boats |
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| From Chigasaki...you can see Enoshima |
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| Hard shore break |
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| A view of Mt Fuji, through the haze |
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| These two were out for a lunchtime stroll among the reflections |
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| Selfie, old school |
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| Do as the locals... |
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| There was an earthquake in Tokyo while I was here today... |
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| Last view, for now |
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Of course, work is never far away,
we are in the electorate of almost nearly but not quite PM Kono after all |
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| Just so we know where we are... but I also like the stylish dragonflies |
Taken with the Canon EOS 90D, mostly, mostly using the 70-300mm lens with a touching up and trimming with the simple edit function. Some pics were also taken on the iPhone 12 mini. Some 12,700 steps and about 10km walked. I should get out and away more often.
And, as of 1 January, I'm resuming the #project365 blogposts too, just to get back into the habit of writing. See you then.
