|
|
|
Banzai!
We took a trip down to Aoshima to play on the beach and look at crabs and chitons. On our first day, we walked out onto the Oni-no-sentaku-iwa (roughly "the Devil's Washboard"), which is a fascinating rock formation underlying and extending out from the actual island called Aoshima (also the name of the nearby town).
26 July 2008
|
|
|
|
The island is covered with palms and other tropical or semi-tropical plants, with just a few buildings belonging to Aoshima Shrine. This is a view through one of the shrine's gates toward the main hall.
26 July 2008
|
|
|
|
On the eastern tip of the island is a vast expanse of shells and rocks. The patches of water left when the tide goes out reflect the blue sky.
26 July 2008
|
|
|
|
Most of the rocks lie pretty close to sea level, but here and there are some even more fantastic shapes rising up a meter or more.
26 July 2008
|
|
|
|
This is the view from our hotel room. Aoshima lies in the background, with a sand beach in the foreground. Around the island is the best place to search for little sea creatures, but it would be a very dangerous place to swim. We did our swimming at the beach just below the hotel.
26 July 2008
|
|
|
|
This was the first year that Moyo was able to enjoy the water on her own, without feeling the need to hold someone's hand. The water is usually pretty calm around here, at least at this time of the year. The waves are not particularly threatening, although Kayomi says that Moyo went underwater unexpectedly once while I was taking photographs elsewhere.
26 July 2008
|
|
|
|
There was a festival the first two days we were in Aoshima. This is toward the end of the festival, when the portable shrine is carried into the sea and thoroughly splashed with water. After that it returns to the shrine on the island, where apparently it spends the other 363 days of the year.
27 July 2008
|
|
|
|
Moyo is pretending to be a mermaid on a rock.
27 July 2008
|
|
|
|
Papa lifts up Moyo, who this time is pretending to be a starfish. Maybe.
27 July 2008
|
|
|
|
Moyo prepares to eat dinner the second evening of our stay. There was plenty of tasty seafood to eat. She is wearing a yukata after her evening bath.
27 July 2008
|
|
|
|
On the last morning of our stay, we took a walk through the botanical garden near our hotel. Moyo happened to be wearing a shirt with a hibiscus design, so we decided to take a picture next to these large hibiscus blossoms.
28 July 2008
|
|
|
