Enoshima in the Rain

First thing Monday morning we headed off to tea ceremony lessons, where Rebekah, Joyce and I practiced serving sweets and making thin matcha tea with Mama and Daddy as our honorable guests. Rain pounded the leaves on the pavement outside while we took turns sipping green tea or ladling steaming water into tea bowls. The rain let up around the end of class, just in time for us to head to Enoshima! We hiked around to the backside of Enoshima Island—so far a top pick for all our visitors—for tempura udon at my favorite dive. Luke, Amber and I had a nice lunch here in May. I don’t know the name of the restaurant, and the menu is all in Japanese, but the food is delicious, they serve Enoshima beer, and their friendly orange and white cat is featured prominently in photos around the restaurant. Plus it’s open to the salty sea breeze blowing off the bay. It began and stopped raining while we slurped noodles. A girl walked by wearing fur-cuffed wedge pumps, a fur vest and a fur hat—my kindred spirit of fur!We got brave and tried one of the shellfish ubiquitous on the island. Chewy. Thus marks the first and last time we’ll enjoy the Enoshima shellfish. It started to rain again on our walk back toward the station, but that was no problem; I’d planned Enoshima as something we could enjoy on a rainy day. It adds to its mystery and intrigue. We marked the slow progress of a sailboat in the rain and wondered whether we’d make it to the other side of the island in time to watch it sail into the harbor. I told them about the sailing class Chris and I took in Pensacola where—after many arguments and near-capsizing—we made it back to shore. Our instructor greeted us back, like everyone else, with a friendly, “So what kind of problems were you having?” I said, “Marital.” Chris, do you think that’s funny yet? Hee hee! Anyway, we did in fact happen to pass through the shrines and come into view of the harbor just in time to watch them turn and tack to safety. Then we, too, headed home. Mama, however, was far from finished! We met up with Chris for a fun dinner at everyone’s favorite Sushi Go-Round! Everyone tried something new, but out of deference to Justin, no one even attempted the squid! Mum and Daddy tried the tomago sushi (sweet egg stuff on rice), Daddy had eel, I tried…ok I don’t know if Chris or I had anything new, but that’s not the point. Yay, the Go-Round! A must on your Japanese tour!