23 August 2009

Our planned day trip to Zushi had an early setback, when Nick phoned the boat company and found that the trips for the day were all fully-booked. I felt that maybe we shouldn't go as that was to be the highlight, but as we also wanted to swim in the sea we decided to go ahead anyway.

Splashing out on green car seats proved very worthwhile as Emily was able to sit comfortably opposite us and play, so the hour-long journey passed without upset. There were plenty of trackside diggers and the odd passing shinkansen for her to spot.

At Zushi we left the comfort of the airconditioned carriage and set out in the strong sunshine for the beach, quarter of an hour's walk away. The sands were already packed with sun worshippers - the unfortunate western trend for brown skin is slowly taking a hold among the young here, it seems - and music was pumping from the many bars along the back of the beach. There were lots of children too, and the sea was full of people playing and swimming. At first I didn't enjoy it there at all; I was really worried about Emily and Nick burning in the intense sun, I felt woefully unprepared for a day on the beach (not even considering that we would need something to sit on, and Emily's tent might have been worth bringing for a little shade), and also I felt very uncomfortable surrounded by so many slim young women in bikinis. However, I gradually loosened up, especially once we had both awkwardly changed under a small towel and taken to the bath-warm water.

Emily had a fantastic time, perhaps because it was shallow so she could touch the bottom. The odd wave came and swept her off her feet and she went right under a few times, to my consternation. She got a bit upset when she swallowed the salty water but soon recovered.

Back on the beach, we people-watched a little before packing up. There were lots of American servicemen from the nearby base at Yokosuka, most tattooed and with well-developed pecs. A good proportion of the women also sported tattoos and bleached hair. Just about everyone who passed by was clutching a can of beer. I wondered if we had been magically transported to the Costa Brava.

Emily's nap was overdue, so we got her into the buggy and set off to the end of the sand, then walked along the road towards Hayama. She was soon fast asleep, and remained so for an hour and a half, even though we soon went into the coffee shop there. Nick and I sampled a couple of their scrummy cakes accompanied by lashings of decent coffee, and made the most of being able to relax and talk. Once Emily woke, we went across the road to the small beach there, where there were only a handful of people. Nick and Emily went in the sea again, then she played sandcastles with me, managing to eat some in the process.

There was a convenient bus stop right by the beach, so we hopped onto the next one along, which inched its way through the heavy traffic back to Zushi station. We returned to Shinagawa in the luxury of the green car yet again. We mustn't get too hooked on travelling that way, as it is about two thirds as much again as a regular ticket, though still comparing favourably to UK rail prices.

I was amazed when Emily tucked into some pickled ginger along with her sushi roll. It is quite fiery stuff. Maybe I should try her with chili next!

In the evening I persuaded myself to go for a run, and found it relatively easy, compared to recent weeks, despite the heat. The summer air is quite clear this year, and the lack of humidity helps so much.