On beaches, buildings and babies

Summer greetings, Silent readers! It's hot as balls here in Japan, but the weather is absolutely lovely. And speaking of lovely, Turtle and I just spent the most wonderful mini-trip at the Izu peninsula in Shizuoka. So if you guys are uninterested in reading about me going super mushy, consider yourself warned - serious mushiness up ahead.

Introducing Atsuo - best damn mascot I've seen so far. What's not to love with a moustachioed fairy in a yukata with a combover?

We arrived in Atami on Saturday around lunch, stopping only briefly to bathe our feet in the foot bath connected to the underground hot springs that is just outside of the station (yes, really) before finding some food and taking a walk along the souvenir streets. Just getting out of the town and someplace different really feels good. Also, hot tea and special Shizuoka beer with cute vintage logos isn't exactly making things worse.

Yummy fried mashed stuff on a stick.

Seriously, the self restraint it took to not buy like a million Atsuo things.

Dried fishy-things, anyone?

 We're clearly a very grown-up and mature couple.

After we were done in Atami, we decided to go to this old building nearby, Kiunkaku, because no trip for me is complete without dragging people to architectural sites and talking until my face turns blue. Turtle bore it with an angel's patience though, and actually really seemed to enjoy the building, which was absolutely beautiful.

The mix between Western and Asian influences on this house was really something to behold. It had been an old inn, and was expanded gradually, but still kept so much charm and elegance. I just wanted to move in there and write a masterpiece novel or something. It just had such a presence.

As people who know me will know,  I hate when people are loud in old buildings. It just doesn't belong there. I want them to be silent and sneaky and to not touch anything but to just revel in the building. I want them to revel in the glory that is good architecture. And yeah, that's a lot to ask of people who probably don't really give a shit. But that's what Turtle did - quietly observing, carefully arranging his slippers whenever they needed to be taken off, and seemed to just generally have a respect for the building. That's one of my favourite of his qualities - he seems very aware of his surroundings and the atmosphere they possess. Also, it's very comfortable to not always have to fill the silence. We both enjoy not talking, and not talking together is the best of those things.

Arriving at the hotel we'd be staying at, we were both blown away by the amazing seafood dinner we were served. Everything was just amazingly tasty, and honestly probably enough food to feed like, four people. It was all amazing.

One thing that surprised me a bit about this trip actually had to do with our table neighbours - a mixed family with what I'm guessing was a Japanese father, and a Chinese wife, mother-in-law, and their tiny toddler son. This kid was adorable, and seemed absolutely obsessed with Turtle. He kept trying to crawl over to our table, and was laughing and smiling at Turtle. Turtle was making faces and playing with him right back in such a gentle way, and holy crap, I've never felt my ovaries buck like that before in my life. Had it been up to them, I would've gotten pregnant right there, right then, and this comes from a girl who's never really been into kids, and has not wanted any... well, ever. Watching him with that adorable little boy made my lady parts hi-jack my brain and start picturing life together, and the kids and perfect marriage and all those typical pink girly fantasies I've never had before. Turtle brings out that side of me. It's pretty terrifying, but also strangely nice.

Feeling adult isn't actually as scary as I always make it out to be. I kinda liked being 50% of 'that young couple' in a place filled with elderly people and families with children. This grown-up thing doesn't seem nearly as bad as I always kept thinking when I was younger. I don't know if I'm more mature or whatever, but maybe I've just come to terms with it and gotten my head out of my own ass. In any case, this all feels good. I'm going to ride that wave for a while.

Turtle taught me shogi. Turtle lost.

Jokes aside, Turtle is ridiculously good at games. He beats my ass in everything from video games to board games to card games. He's a smart cookie. And a pretty cookie. And a sweet cookie. Did I mention that I'm crazy about this guy? Because I am, just in case anyone wasn't aware yet.


The evening played out like movie - food, baths, games, late night walks in the rain to get ice cream and then go draw sand figures at the beach...

The next morning I woke up feeling absolutely awful. I'd caught the worst cold ever, and I felt like a zombie. It really sucked, since I'd been looking forward to this for so long, but on the other hand, I guess that's how I know I was properly relaxed. I always get colds when I unwind.

We spent the morning at the beach, hunting for crabs and slipping on wet rocks. My phone took a dive (but survived!), and both Turtle and I nearly did too. The wind was pretty insane.

The rest of the day kinda went by in a feber haze - I was just feeling exhausted and sick, and that also made me feel really guilty about it. It's hard to be fun when you're half-dead, but Turtle was a doll. He made sure I got a butt-load of medicine, and then proceeded to coddle me the rest of the day. Once we'd gotten back to Tokyo, we shopped for dinner, he put me in the bath and then cooked and prepared the whole thing while I watched TV with glazed eyes and a giant pile of tissues next to me. I passed out at ten and then slept for like thirteen hours straight. It was pretty intense.

So there's my quick run-down of the weekend. I was sad to be sick and miserable for such a large part of it, but Turtle didn't seem to mind much, emphasizing that it was our first vacation, with plenty more to come. If it's anything as good as this one, I can't wait.