Although Japan is technically an island nation, the beach is not as accessible as it may seem. I live an hour away from Tokyo...and although Tokyo has it's own body of water (Tokyo Bay), it is not swimable water. So the closest beach would have to be somewhere on the other side of Chiba, which is a good 2 hours away from me..noooooo.
Well, recently we celebrated a national holiday: OCEAN DAY, so I took it as a sign from the good Lord above that it was time for me to dip my toes in the other side of the pacific.
I took the train 1 hour to meet up with my friends Haruka, Daniel, and Amy who I know from church...and we took another train 1 hour and then a bus 30 minutes to get to the beach! We went to Kujukuri beach in Chiba and upon first sight...I was in heaven.
Haruka and Daniel are awesome humans who brought fresh watermelon (ICED!!!) and shared with us on the sand. It was perfect. Also how random and funny is that CHIBA POWER graffiti lol.
Haruka and Daniel met back in the states and are now living in Japan expecting their first child! I love hanging out with them and Haruka is such a cute pregnant lady!
Daniel trying to fold the tent lol.
Amy is a missionary here in Japan, originally from Oklahoma. Both her and Haruka have become big sisters to me here in Japan. I admire their wisdom, grace, love for nature, and unwavering faith in the good Lord. Thankful for them!
This little dude was riding the back of his grandpas bike and was giving me this look like "OH YOU KNOW I'M SO COOL RIGHT?!" I was cracking up hahahaaa. so cute.
Daniels idea..."oh! take a pic with our rings in it!"
I totally get why Japanese people love Hawaii. The beaches vibe the same way. Laid back, family style atmosphere with good food and drinks..totally a place you could hang out all day long.
Bought this at a local bakery before going to the beach. Sesame mochi ball with anko inside yummmmmm!
For some reason, after a loooong day of activity I always crave this Georgia Caffe Late. Its super sweet and just the refreshing boost I need!
The bus ride back was beautiful...rice patties galore. After making it back to Funabashi we decided to get some good food to close out our perfect day...and we opted for Vietnamese food because Amy knew a good place in the station.
When we walked up to the restaurant...I saw a bunch of Vietnamese people inside and knew it must be legit! Sure enough...
...IT WAS SO GOOD. There are few things on this earth better than a fresh Banh Mi sandwich.
The Pho was really good too. I was laughing because in Vietnam this bowl would cost $2 or something...but here it was $10. But hey, it's Japan you know. It was really good though and the perfect thing to fill our bellies after a long day in the sun.
After dinner, I took the train back to Kashiwa at around 9pm. I was so tired at that point that I knocked out...only to be woken up to the rush of everyone getting off the train because we had reached the last stop - Kashiwa. If the train would have kept going I would have slept straight through my stop and more...haha.
Thank the good Lord for His creation! The ocean is so refreshing because it reminds me of our creator and all the goodness He has bestowed upon us on this earth.
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea"
Habakkuk 2:14