Kamakura is more than just history.
う is for Windsurfing (trust me)

Kamakura is more than just history.
Japanese summers are pretty spectacular. They buzz (cicadas) and DON DON DON (taiko drums). They whistle and gong and chant (festivals). They're burning hot and impossibly humid. But if you let the music drifting from the festival grounds carry you along, not only will you make it to fall without melting into a puddle … Continue reading Bon Odori Summer Festivals
At this spring's Hase Ichi (Hase Market), there was a big blackboard for kids to colour all over while their parents browsed booths selling knickknacks, art, and food. I've been struggling to draw the Daibutsu, but after seeing these two chalk drawings, I think I can do it.
I mentioned in a previous post that this year's wakame harvest has been poor. The ryōshi (fisher people) along our beach have managed to bring in a few days' worth of it, though. In this photo, you can see the wakame hanging from laundry clips to dry.
It isn't easy being a rickshaw driver. Can you imagine trying to run a cart all over town with city buses blowing past you? I am amazed by these guys (and gals! Saw a female rickshaw driver just the other day).
Chilly temperatures don't keep everyone out of the ocean in winter. A strong wind was just starting to blow when I took this picture, but a few people were still braving the cold.
The first winds of winter may have started blowing this week, but the afternoons are still gloriously warm. Hisashi bought a small boat the other day, fulfilling a year-long dream, and took Kaede out for a little row. By the time I joined them on the beach, they were back to shore, and Kaede was … Continue reading A Fine Fall Day
A beautiful blue-sky day for fishing. Getting the boat in and out is no easy feat! It helps when the sea is flat as a pancake.
The second Monday in October is Sports Day in Japan. It's a national holiday, and boy, were people out doing lots of sports in Kamakura. The weather was perfect!
Apparently, the water around our beach is full of these big (well, big for me) guys, but the other day, while SUP-ing, I finally saw one for the first time. Gotta say, I was a little freaked out.