Tonight, the random desire to once again log the daily ins and outs of living a life such as mine abroad (and now, in Tokyo, during a global pandemic) hit me.
I suppose I hadn't been recording my little trips or other things because, like many of us, I am getting older and more jaded about things. I also have my fair share of baggage that makes the daily grind...grindier. But as my memory fades, I think it'd be nice to try to preserve the little moments.
I don't know whether this will be a sustainable endeavor, less pressure for myself, but I feel good about this post nonetheless!
My last trip was in August, we got a little social-distance friendly sea cottage AirBnb near a beach (for fishing only) and a raised highway (many trucks) in Odawara, Kanagawa, just an hour or so by train from Tokyo.
It was quite cute, and had all the makings of a chill beach weekend - free bikes, beach chairs, little kitchen, back porch leading right to the stairs down to the sea. You could see and hear the ocean right from the windows, and the interior design was that nice modern/rustic you see all over Tokyo. This place, if you're interested.
Our first day we arrived in the quite sweltering mushi-atsui heat of August in Tokyo. And proceeded to immediately ride our bikes another hour to the town of Odawara. Odawara, is just one of the many seaside towns in Kanagawa. It's certainly not the most famous, more known as being the final stop on the Odakyu train line, but I would definitely recommend it as a nice day trip from Tokyo. There is a castle, though I'm rather castled out, so we didn't bother. The main call for us was seafood BBQ - which did not disappoint. After some false starts trying to find something outdoor and 'rona-friendly at the harbor, we found the Odawara Fish Center with outdoor barbecue tables and a whole market where you can purchase your BBQ items from fish and veggie stalls, and drinks or dessert from a little stand. It was a little bit pricy, but worth it.
We ate grilled tuna cheeks, corn, squid, sashimi, etc. etc. and left feeling quite full and happy, after which we stumbled upon Hitotose-no-yuki for a surprisingly healthy and refreshing dessert of fruit-only shaved ice. We got melon and mandarin ones - I recommend!
Following this harbor escapade we just spent the next evening and day making a fire on the beach with Mt. Fuji in the background (though just the top of it), then rigging a somewhat homemade bbq on the beach, setting off fireworks, and having a splendid, Tokyo crowd-free time.
I'll leave you with my favorite photos from the weekend :)
