The Howl & Moon: Hopper & The Wave That Ended All The Fun

We had some seriously rainy days, about 8 straight days of torrential downpour that would teasingly let up, then hammer down anew. It smelled lovely, and was enjoyable for the first few days. We even went out to play and get wet and do some puddle stomping. However, you can only entertain a toddler indoors for so long before an immeasurable uneasiness sets in. And then the worry, will it ever be nice again? Did I really leave damp Amsterdam behind for typhoon season?

So when the forecast finally called for a few good days of sun and warmer temps, we hopped in the car and headed south to the beach! Specifically Ikumi and Shishikui just further down from Kaifu at the edge of Tokushima prefecture.

The drive was gorgeous. Hopper fell asleep at the most opportune time and we were able to take the crazy winding, put-your-car-in-2nd-gear scenic route. And holy wowness. My vertigo seems to be getting worse, or perhaps it's my need for control with someone else driving, or even that being a passenger on the left side of the road just feels so damn unnatural, but it was almost hard to peer out without fear of a crashing metal-wrenching death. The look-out posts were just breathtaking and had we not had a sleeping toddler, we surely would have enjoyed one or two of the hidden beaches we glimpsed from the mountain's edge.

We stayed one night at a surfers' hang out called Ikumi run by the amiable Ten, and then headed to the picturesque Shishikui Pension with its own cove and fancy handmade log cabins. Ikumi was a 2 minute walk to a surf beach that has surf all year. I couldn't tell you how many people were in the water, just spiky dots all along the kilometer-long break.

Hopper was thrilled to be on the sand and immediately wanted to get naked and jump around. He got in a good 20 minutes of splashing about when a wave knocked him down. And then the honeymoon was over. For the rest of the time we were at the water's edge, he screamed "mag niet ocean!" (Not allowed ocean!)

This prompted us to move to the Shishikui cove in the hope that a calmer water would soothe his beaten soul. Alas, it was too late. He ran from the tiniest of lapping waves and got all nervous when we waded in. He even got upset about sand on his hands shouting "mama get off sandies!" How is it that 2 self-professed beach whores ended up with a scaredypants child? All we could do was roll our eyes behind his back and snicker at his pansy-ass ways. Luckily there were great sand and water toys and plenty of rocks hiding a rainbow's variety of crabs to chase around.

Those 2 nights were just what mama and daddy needed. To get out and get wet and see more of this spectacular island.

PS. While at Ikumi beach, we met 3 guys from Osaka who were on a surfing trip. Two of them run a photo studio and wanted to take a family portrait of us. So they set up a light on the beach. Luckily the guy's finger pushed the trigger when Hopper managed a couple smiles. Trust me, they had to work for it!