Black Ship Festival, Shimoda

Theoretically, Jeff and his folks are on their way back from Kyoto, but I can't get a hold of them. Or anyone else, for that matter. I suspect someone forgot to pay the phone bill.

Anyway, we had a fabulous time in Shimoda. My fourth trip! Such a great place. I think I would like to retire there. Have to make some buckets of money first.

Coincidentally, it was the 69th Black Ship Festival, which celebrates the opening of Japan to the US by Perry and his fleet of scary black ships. Kind of odd that they celebrate an invasion and humiliation, but whatever. There's also a Shimoda festival in which they remember this chick Okichi who was forced to "keep house" for Townsend Harris, the US Consulate left there, separating her from her lover. When this guy went back to the States, he left her there, where nobody would touch her and she drowned herself. Seriously. There's a neat article on the whole Black Ship and opening the country to the barbarians thing here.

We got down there just in time for the fireworks that kicked off the festival weekend. Fantastic display. There were also taiko drummers that danced with us by force.















We went to the Paradise Cafe, of course, afterwards. No Keni. Apparently he and his wife were off on vacation, but there was a new bartender called Ross, the bizarre Andy from London and his dog Lamb, and my favorite person to drunkenly sing Pogues songs with: David Nix. His wife and one of his daughters were there, too, so now I believe in their existence.















Midnight, and Jeff's birthday, was approaching rapidly, and the bartender was insufficiently inspired, so I hissed "just give me something flaming or sparkling or something!" Andy ran off somewhere and came back with a large pack of fireworks (while I settled for getting Jeff a double shot of tequila - which proves my love, as anyone who knows me and my no-tequila-for-Jeff-in-my-presence rule knows). The staff was totally cool with the sparklers burning in the bar, though we had to go outside for the bigger stuff. The kids had passed out in Grandma and Grandpa's room next door at Ernest House, and we adults got all kinds of sauced.















The next day, Jeff's proper birthday, we had lunch at a lovely place where Rich ate rice.







Happy birthday Jeff!







We ended up downtown looking for an ATM that was open past 12:30, where the matsuri was going full-swing. There was the usual matsuri food and games, plus one of those portable shrine things covered with musicians and lots of old ladies dancing. All kinds of people were walking around in Black Ship period costumes, as well as American sailors from a Navy destroyer there for the occasion.












































































Another night at the Paradise Cafe, this time with a BBQ and shooting off fireworks on the beach. We were joined by this twelve-year-old kid Daniel who spoke like a 19th-century scholar, and his journalist parents (I swear I can spot a fellow Jew within two sentences. It's amazing. Not really. Their New-Yorkness is what really gave them away). Rich & Mary Lou didn't make it too late, as we had messed them up the night before.















Sunday was a beach day, at the Sand Ski beach we had driven by on the day before. We had never been there before. Really cool rocky beach with little tide pools for D to explore and corral tiny crabs in, and a huge sand hill to ride down on plastic toboggans. We had a little picnic on a grassy patch and enjoyed the warmish and windy day. The kids, and Jeff, got sand in their every orifice.






























































The trip back took, naturally, twice as long as it took to get there, but the 'rents got to see the Spiral Bridge and some great mountain views. Still no Fuji, tho, sadly for Mary Lou, who keeps hoping to catch a glimpse. Maybe she saw it on the shinkansen to Kyoto.

One more weekend with the folks, including the night they are watching the kids in Tokyo: Friday night! You're coming to the party, right? You'd better. Very sad that Kevin has to miss it, since he was so excited. But if you haven't heard, he has TB and will be in the hospital for at least 2 months. See Helen's blog for details (a link is to the right). This would be the part where I say to keep Kevin in your prayers, but I'm not into that stuff, so I'll just say to send Kevin your happy thoughts, because this sucks for him. And for Helen.

There was supposed to be a cool montage of all the music and dancing and stuff from the festival, and some footage of the sand-skiing, but I am experiencing technical difficulties, so maybe next time. You can, however, see more pictures of our picturesque weekend here.