DAY THREE: OKAYAMA TO SHIRAHAMA

WHAT AN ENJOYABLE DAY. I WOKE EXACTLY AT 9AM AND REALISED I HAD MISSED BREAKFAST AT THE OKAYAMA RYOKAN. NO CHANCE FOR A 600 YEN REFUND AS THE LOBBY WAS GETTING A THOROUGH CLEANING AND THE RECEPTIONIST HAD CHANGED INTO A DIFFERENT PERSON.OUT INTO THE SCORCHING SUN AND IMMEDIATELY A SWEAT POURING DOWN MY FACE JUST MAKING THE SHORT TRIP TO THE STATION.I GRABBED SOME BAKED PRODUCTS AND HEADED OFF IN THE NEXT SHINKANSEN OUT OF TOWN. (NB TRIED TO MAKE THAT SOUND LIKE I WAS RIDING A HORSE IN A WESTERN!)NOT SO MANY GOOD MEMORIES OF OKAYAMA - MOSTLY BECAUSE OF THE FRUITLESS MEANDERING AND AN EARLY END TO THE EVENING WITH NO-ONE TO TALK TO.JAPAN HAS ALREADY BEEN A MIXTURE OF UPS AND DOWNS, HIGHS AND LOWS, AND THE THEME WILL CONTINUE…HAVING NEARLY BOARDED THE WRONG TRAIN AGAIN, I RECHARGED MY CAMCORDER THANKS TO SOME FRIENDLY ADVICE ABOUT PLUGGING IN WHILE RIDING THE FAST `HORSE` OUT OF TOWN.I CHANGED AT SHIN-OSAKA,A FUTURE DESTINATION, TO GO SOUTH INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE FOR SOME R & R (OR SHOULD THAT BE L & L ??) I HEADED FOR THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF THE KII HANTO AREA TO THE SMALL BUT BEAUTIFUL SEASIDE TOWN OF SHIRAHAMA.IT TOOK 2 HOURS 17 MINS TO GET TO "KANSAI`S LEADING BEACH-ONSEN RESORT" (IT SAYS HERE).

WITH A BEACH FULL OF SAND LITERALLY SHIPPED IN FROM AUSTRALIA, IT IS A SPECTACULAR PLACE TO GO IN THE SUNSHINE.A WONDERFUL COVE, GREAT FOR FAMILIES AND FULL OF HOT JAPANESE GIRLS (AND THEIR BOYFRIENDS, PRESUMABLY).THE UNIQUELY HORRIBLE FM 76.4 MHZ BEACH RADIO FAILED TO SPOIL AN AFTERNOON DASHING BACK BETWEEN SEAAND MY FIRST ONSEN (HOT SPRING BATH).AT 100 YEN THIS ONSEN WILL PROBABLY BE THE SMALLEST AND CHEAPEST.IT WAS CERTAINLY MY FIRST TIME.WE ARE TALKING NATURALLY HOT, THERAPEUTIC WATER HERE… THE SEA MEANWHILE CONTAINED ENOUGH SALT TO CURE ALL MY RECENT SKIN AILMENTS IN ONE SHOT.NOTE: THE BEACH AT SHIRAHAMA IS ACTUALLY CALLED SHIRARAHAMA.IT SOUNDS INDIAN OR SOMETHING THE TOON ARMY MIGHT GET EXCITED ABOUT (OBSCURE REFERENCE THERE, CAN ANYONE GET IT..?)

I FELT SO RELAXED I EVEN CHATTED SOME GIRLS UP… THAT`S HOW RELAXED I WAS!IN FACT I WAS CHATTING TO A FEW PEOPLE, WHICH YOU KINDA DO WHEN YOU ARE ON HOLIDAY… AND ANYTHING TO ALLEIVIATE THE MONOTONY OF MY OWN COMPANY (I HAVE STARTED TALKING TO MYSELF A LOT, BY THE WAY…)LATER ON, I FOUND THE TOWN`S LOVE HOTEL.WHICH MADE ME FEEL EVEN LONELIER.I DID, HOWEVER, HAVE THE JOY OF FINDING A GEM OF A PLACE TO STAY.A `GEM` IN THE CURIOUS SENSE OF THE WORD.AFTER A HUGE THUNDERSTORM, WHICH RUINED THE REST OF THE DAY`S BEACH ACTION, I HOLED UP IN THE MEIKO BUSINESS HOTEL - 5,000 YEN FOR THE NIGHT, AFTER AN ENGLISHMAN DISCOUNT.MORE LIKE A RYOKAN, BUT BARE AND RESEMBLING A YOUTH HOSTEL…I WAS GREETED BY MAMA WHO GOT HER SON TO FETCH AND CARRY FOR ME.HE EVEN ESCORTED ME TO THE NEAREST LAUNDERETTE - THE FIRST TIME IVE HAD TO DO THAT SINCE I LIVED AT 225 HIGH ST, CHESTERTON.THE SON, A POLITE, SIMPLE GUY, WAS SEEMINGLY CONTENT TO BE A SLAVE TO HIS MOTHER.BUT THE MOST BIZARRE THING WAS SHOWING ME TO A ROOM IN WHICH I THOUGHT HE CLAIMED HIS MOTHER SLEPT!I LATER REALISED IT WAS THE COMMUNAL BATH.UNLESS, HE MEANT HIS MOTHER WAS GOING TO JOIN ME ATFER CLOSING TIME!!

A QUICK VISIT TO A DIVE BAR WHILE MY LAUNDRY DRIED.. AND IT WAS AN EARLY NIGHT (DOORS CLOSED, CURFEW-STYLE AT 11PM).I WASN`T TIRED, HOWEVER, SO HAD TROUBLE SLEEPING, ALTHOUGH THE ROOM WAS NICE.THE EXCITEMENT OF ANOTHER MORNING ON SHEARER-HAMA BEACH KEPT ME TOSSING AND TURNING INTO THE WEE HOURS.SLEPT FOR 4 HOURS, EVENTUALLY. I WOKE AT 5AM.

PS SORRY ABOUT THE CAPITALS - PROBLEMS WITH THE JAPANESE KEYBOARD I AM TYPING THIS ON IN KYOTO, MY CURRENT PLACE OF STAY.

DAY FOUR FOLLOWS SHORTLY...