Two weekends ago the new teachers and Regis ventured out into the unknown. We rented the school's van and headed south to the Izu peninsula. We had no reservations at a hotel and no real plan. Our only goal was to find a beach. I had been to the southern part of the the Izu peninsula (Shimoda) as a kid and I remembered how beautiful it was. So this time we headed for the western part of the peninsula where there aren't many roads or train lines, expecting the beaches there to be even more spectacular and untouched.
The day started off rainy as Justyna and I traveled around suburban Tokyo picking up Regis (at the station), Brenden, Brad, Rachel, and Trisha (an elementary teacher who was new last year). By the time we were all loaded up, it was still only 8:30 or so. After a confusing stop at Starbucks during which a caramel frapuccino (grande size) was somehow lost in translation, we finally got on the road. Justyna turned out to be one of the fastest drivers the TOmei expressway has ever seen. I was trying to tune into the presidential debates on my I-phone and I lost track of the road. We missed our exit.
The sky was still overcast when we pulled into McDonald's at around 10:45. We were all a bit peckish and many of us wanted to try the "moon-viewing burger" which is this new, limited-edition burger from McDonalds (September is "moon-viewing" season in Japan). The burger consists of a hamburger paddie with an egg on top of it, cheese, bacon, and special sauce. It kind of tastes like those lazy Sunday evenings when you decide to cook breakfast at night.
After that pitstop we made good time down the peninsula. It was chilly and cold as we ascended the central mountains of the Izu, but when we got to the west side it became warm and sunny. We quickly found a nice cove with a sandy beach and went for a swim. I invented what I call a "Kentuckiana Cooler" (cardboard box lined with two trashbags, filled with ice) and so cold beverages were plentiful as we swam.
We notices that there was an expensive campsite beside the beach so we set up our tents a few meters outside the campsite and it magically became free! Gaijin know these things. It was probably "against the rules" to swim after the close of swimming season and the campfire we created was probably also not kosher, but the rule of thumb here is: Do it and play dumb if the authorities show up (see articles entitled: "Kajiiiiiii!").
Well, the authorities did show up, during the middle of our inebriated rendition of "Hey Jude." Everyone was singing at the top of their' lungs, Brad was on his African drum, and many people were percussing with sticks and bottles. Two bashful police officers suddenly became visible in the firelight. We all played dumb with impressive skill. It was almost as though playing dumb was second nature to us all. No one let on that any of us spoke Japanese, and we peppered them with positive comments about Japan and life as a gaijin--classic strategy. "We love Japan!,".... "We are teachers in Tokyo!" .... "We love Tokyo!".... "Japanese beaches are so nice!," we were working the cops like a squad of veteran gypsies! At the end of our crescendo of English positivity, the police told us that the fire was a "bit bright" (bright fires are apparently a big problem in this part of Japan), they told us to be careful and left (the typical response of the authorities to this kind of play-dumb strategy).
The next day was wonderful. I woke up early and started a fire. The ocean was still misty and everyone on the beach was still asleep. Justyna woke up soon after and we boiled some water for my french press. The coffee that morning was one of the best cups I've had in a long time.
The drive home was an adventure. We took these narrow roads up some of the highest mountains on the peninsula. There were also some interesting engineering marvels to behold. For example, there was a corkscrew-shaped highway connector that took you straight up a sheer cliff! Regis was fascinated by this and it is the only video he has posted of the entire trip!
NEW FOOTAGE OF THE TRIP BY REGIS!!
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