A couple months ago, one of the park moms told me about her August vacation plans. I jealously listened and ohhhed and ahhhed at the photos of her destination. When I said “that looks amazing,” she replied “your family should come too!!!” That night I hesitantly approached my husband with the idea. He’s not a fan of traveling with other people (except our best travel buddies ever that we’ve traveled the world with) because traveling styles can be so different. Traveling with someone too laid back drives him crazy and can easily ruin a great intended vacation, making it anything but fun or relaxing. But he really liked the idea. It didn’t take much convincing once I showed him the photos and we figured out transportation. We were committed! Of course, then came the hard part - waiting!
Good things do come to those who wait. After 2 months of looking forward to our vacation, it finally arrived. Our alarm went off at 5:00 am. We had 45 minutes to get out the door. Extremely fast showers were taken. A very sleepy, but excited child was roused. Breakfast was eaten. Teeth were brushed. Then, we were out the door, headed to the docks. We needed to catch the Jetfoil boat at 7:20.
Jetfoil boats use Boeing airplane technology and parts to hydroplane extremely fast to the destination. (If you’ve ever ridden the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Victoria BC, you’ve ridden one of these boats.). What could have taken us 11 hours by ferry, only took 2 hours and 40 minutes by Jetfoil.
Right at 10 am, we arrived at Shikinejima Island, our destination for the weekend. Part of Tokyo prefecture, it is an island getaway popular for beaches, scuba, fishing, and camping. A two taiko and one flute band greeted us as we disembarked the boat. With all the fanfare, I almost felt like we were receiving leis in Hawaii. But the excitement of the greeting was quickly left behind as I noticed the beauty of the island we had just landed on. The clear ocean water lapping upon tall rocks with trees growing out of the tops of them. I’ve seen images of this landscape in movies, photos, and artwork, but not in real life. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Our lodging provides transportation from the boat to the facilities, so we hopped in the designated van and took the quick ride to the south side of the island. Since the entire island is only 12 sq km (4.6 sq miles), it only took a few minutes. There were green spaces, houses, a couple shops, and a few gardens along the way. Many of the buildings were a bit run down, but that is to be expected on an island that is constantly hit by typhoons. We are staying in a minshuku - a sort of family style bed and breakfast. Each family has their own room, while shared bath and toilet rooms are down the hall. Both breakfast and dinner are served in a communal dining room at set times. The room has futons in the closet for the guest to pull out when they want. To me, it’s a mix of staying in a ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) and staying with family. It’s a great choice with kids since it’s more laid back.
As soon as we checked in, we wandered up the street to grab bentos from a store so we would have plenty of energy for the beach. We also purchased bottles of frozen drinks to take with us. It was hot on the island, but not the suck the soul out of you hot that it has been for over a month in Tokyo.
We stopped by our room to change into swimsuits and grab our beach gear. My husband stepped out of the room for a moment when a huge (and I mean HUGE) spider went scurrying across the floor. I shot up from my seat on the floor, started screaming, and my son leapt into my arms. I continued to scream as it climbed up the door (too big to go under it) and found a place to pause over the door. My husband opened the door and I kept on screaming. He asked for a tissue, but then saw the spider and knew it wouldn’t do the job. Luckily the owner then showed up and killed it with a broom. My life flashed before my eyes and I tried to calm down. It took quite a while. That sucker was well over 4 inches in diameter. I’ve never seen such a huge spider without glass in between us. Many, many deep breaths later, I tried to put my terror behind me and focus on the enjoyment of the vacation.
I felt like a kid running for the beach. I can’t remember the last time I went swimming in the ocean. The stairs to the beach are right across the street from our minshuku. The sand was so soft, we would sink into it with each step. It was too hot to walk on barefoot, so we wore our shoes down to the water’s edge. We slipped on our goggles and waded right in. The three of us transformed into fish, as we watched the sea life under the water. The water was so clear, we could see really far. We were thrilled to point out yellow and black striped fish, little blue fish, and even a small fugu (blowfish, known for daring dining experiences in Japan) to name a few.
For the next 4 hours, we played and watched the activity under the sea. My husband and I kept exclaiming over the magical place we were in. My son couldn’t believe the scene before his eyes. He loved sticking his head in the water to watch all the fish swim about.
All too soon it was time to meet up with our friends. We found them at one of the onsen (hot springs) a short walk from the minshuku. This clothing required onsen was too hot for me, but the views were so beautiful the walk was worth it.
We then went back to the minshuku for dinner. We were treated to amazing grilled takabe fish (that the island is known for) and other traditional Japanese faire.
Although it was time for my son to go to bed, we decided we needed to check out the stars. Living in Tokyo, even if we’re no near the center of the city, we don’t get to see very many stars. The night sky was magical and perhaps filled with more stars than my son has ever seen before.
It was the perfect end to a truly magical day.
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