11 October 2009

The weather was kind to us for our day out to Zushi, but the air was cool enough to discourage the crowds from the beach. It was still very pleasant for playing on the sand and for Nick to take a dip in the sea (just a tad too cool for me to give it a go but lovely to paddle in). Emily enjoyed digging sand and collecting pebbles and shells.

We struck lucky with a decent lunch at a randomly chosen place called Red Lobster, which had views over the beach and across to coy Fuji-san which was hidden in cloud apart from oen corner of the cone top. The food was quite western, and dare I say it, the fish and chips was extremely good. Emily obligingly went to sleep after being pushed in the buggy for 20 minutes, allowing us to park up at the cafe and squeeze in a cake and coffee. She woke just as we were due to rush up the road to Hayama Marina to take the boat trip across the bay to Enoshima island and back. Nick and Emily enjoyed it as much as I did the first time; she spent the whole hour chewing on the whistle that is attached to the life jacket she had to wear.

On the way back into harbour one of the boat staff told Nick to look at the harbour wall, which had been partially demolished by the recent typhoon.

By now it was late afternoon and the sun had begun its inexorable slide down to the horizon. As we walked back to the station along the road behind the beach, we had a wonderful sunset display of colours over Izu peninsula.