umi no hi

Today is Umi no Hi (Ocean Day)...

The holiday was actually supposed to be observed on Monday, but since we were supposed to have the Olympics, they moved the holiday to today so that many people could participate in the events, volunteer, etc.

Well, with the way things have been going, all the other prefectures are allowed to travel and we are staying put so I am sharing a couple of photos from the past....

The Okhotsk Sea...taken from the beach near Shiretoko Iwaobetsu Youth Hostel (pre blog) at sunset.

And the Pacific Ocean from the Palau Pacific Resort at sunset.

Hoping we will all be able to travel safely & soon,

umi no hi

So, goya is on its last leg. With the combination of a/c and little sun, the leaves seem to have dried up..boo! Since the building facelift guys have the day off today, I'm leaving it outside in hopes that it'll revive...

Today is Umi no Hi (literally Ocean Day). I've written about this holiday before here. This photo was taken back in 2003 (pre-blog) on a trip to Okinawa. I think this was near Manzamo. On this particular trip we met up with my long-lost relatives which I wrote a little about here.

We're literally melting over here but I hope you have a great week!

umi no hi

Today is Umi no hi (Ocean Day), here in Japan. It is a national holiday. It is a day to thank the ocean for its blessings (seafood), and to wish for the prosperity of Japan which is surrounded by the sea.

Unfortunately, most of the oceans near mainland Japan do not look beautiful like the ones in New Caledonia. In fact, I was once really shocked to see the waters near Osaka harbor--greyish, black...eww! What can I say, I was spoiled growing up in Hawaii.

Hope you are enjoying Summer.

umi no hi

Today is Umi no hi (Ocean Day). It is a national holiday and Satoshi has the day off. It has been raining with lightning and VERY LOUD thunder--off and on for the past couple of days.

Since we didn't have a chance to get to the ocean today, I thought I'd share with you a photo of a mambow (sunfish), on a recent trip with my family to the Osaka Aquarium.

And a photo of Manzamo in Okinawa, which was taken a couple of years ago. It is a beautiful area but, this cliff was actually a site where many Okinawans plunged to their deaths for fear of being captured by America during the War.

Lastly, I wanted to share a way to keep cool. Have a bowl of cold soba (buckwheat noodles). This version is called oroshisoba. Oroshi is the term for grated. You can put whatever toppings you wish--I served our soba with wakame (kelp), chirimen jakko also called shirasuboshi (dried young anchovy), thinly sliced nori (dried seaweed), oroshi daikon (grated turnip) and an umeboshi (pickled plum). The sauce called tsuyu--in the cup, is diluted a bit with water for dipping.

Have a good week!