{"id":821,"date":"2008-05-22T00:15:15","date_gmt":"2008-05-21T15:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2008-05-22\/821"},"modified":"2008-05-22T00:15:15","modified_gmt":"2008-05-21T15:15:15","slug":"camping-with-anthony-day-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2008-05-22\/821","title":{"rendered":"Camping with Anthony, Day 4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 150 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Day 4 of my camping trip\nwith Anthony<\/a> started early, as usual, but without the prospect of\nhaving to move the tent (as I did<\/span> the previous day<\/a>), I looked<\/span> forward to a day<\/span> of fun.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 20 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nAlready Up for Hours<\/span>\n8:15am, Kotobikihama (Kyoto Prefecture, Japan)\n<\/div>\n\n

Anthony's new\nfriends<\/a> had returned home the previous evening, but now he had May and\nMonet to play with, and added new friends Emma and her older brother,\nBenjamin, as well.<\/p>\n\n

Kotobikihama beach is large – about a mile<\/span> long – with\nseveral distinct sections. This morning, we headed out to the main part of\nthe beach, which is quite a distance<\/span> from the campground, around a bend<\/span> on\nthe shore....<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 32 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>1250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nKotobikihama Beach<\/span>\nmain area\n<\/div>\n\n

The main area is huge, and apparently filled to capacity during the\nsummer. It's got three<\/span> important things going for it that no other beach in\nJapan has:<\/p>\n\n

  1. No smoking allowed.<\/p>

    It's the first non-smoking beach in\nJapan, and as far as I know,<\/span> the only one. That doesn't mean that everyone\nhonors it (smokers aren't known for courtesy nor common sense), but it's a\ngood<\/span> start.<\/p><\/li>\n\n

  2. It's unbelievably clean<\/i>.<\/p>\n

    Most beaches in Japan are, frankly, disgusting piles of trash. Just filthy. This beach was spotless<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n

    When Anthony and I came to this part of the beach on day 2 of our\n trip, I also brought<\/span> a metal<\/span> detector along (a Garrett Ace\n 250<\/a>) and the results\n were quite different from the last time I used<\/span> a metal<\/span> detector at a\n Japanese<\/span> beach (Shirahama, about 15 years ago).\n Back then, I had to<\/span> wade through all kinds of trash, but found a bucketful<\/span> of 500-yen coins ($5 coins), so it was\n quite financially rewarding, if not tiring because of the sheer magnitude of trash.<\/p>\n\n

    This time, I found<\/span> essentially nothing<\/i>. Over the course of about an hour, I found<\/span> one 10-yen coin, two pull tabs,\n and maybe a couple<\/span> of other random pieces of metal. I could<\/span> go 15 minutes with the machine on “all metal” mode, at maximum sensitivity,\n and get not the slightest twitter. I kept checking<\/span> my own wedding ring just to make sure that the batteries hadn't died, or something.<\/p>\n

    Kotobikihama is amazingly<\/b>, wonderfully<\/b> clean.<\/p><\/li>\n\n

  3. The sand “sings”.<\/p>\n

    When you shuffle along the sand at just the right speed, you get a singing<\/span> tone from your feet. It's sort of<\/span> odd in the same way\n that crystal glassware can suddenly sing when rubbed at just the right speed. The sound<\/span> isn't as clear or beautiful as crystal,\n but it's noticeable. The beach<\/span> name – kotobiki<\/i>, \u7434\u5f15<\/span> – literally means “to play a koto<\/a>”.<\/p><\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n

    This is all nice and fine, but the real<\/i> attraction is a stream<\/span> cutting right through the sand...<\/a><\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 18 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nSmall Stream Bisecting Kotobikihama<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

    This is quite different from the hot river<\/a> below the\ncampsite, which is a small<\/span> trickle from the overflow of a bath.<\/span> This is a\nreal<\/span> stream that cuts through the sand, forging its own path that changes\nfrom day to day.<\/p>\n\n

    It cuts through some thick areas of sand, making banks up to perhaps 10\nfeet high, sometimes quite sheer....<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 135 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nStability Test<\/span>\n( it's not<\/b> stable, which makes it fun )\n<\/div>\n\n

    Of course, there's the whole “ocean” thing to explore as well....<\/p>\n\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 130 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nMonet, Arthur, and May <\/span>\nchecking out the ocean\n<\/div>\n\n
    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 170 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nNote To Self: Ocean Is Cold<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

    The stream is fresh water and cool, but compared to the ocean it's\nrelatively warm, so play goes back and forth between the two.<\/p>\n\n

    When Anthony and I had visited two days earlier, the stream dove pretty\nmuch straight into the ocean, but today it had a long<\/span> bend running almost parallel,\nbefore finally joining the salt water...<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 18 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nWhere the Stream Meets The Ocean<\/span>\n( at least for the time being )\n<\/div>\n\n

    I find this kind of movement to be really interesting, and I'd love to\nbe able to take a time<\/span> lapse movie over the course of a week<\/span> or two.<\/p>\n\n

    The kids don't care, of course, except that it means that they can smash\ndown all the sheer edges of the stream, and know that they'll be back again\nsoon...<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 34 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>800 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nMust · Crush · Walls<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

    New friend Emma (five or six years old, in the blue flower hat above)\nalso joined us. Her dad is<\/span> from London and mom from Kyoto. She was fast<\/span>\nfriends with this group.<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 112 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nEmma, Anthony, and Monet<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 130 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>350 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nEmma Working the Cliffs<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 170 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>750 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nHaving a Hat<\/span> Moment<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

    May was sort of the odd man out, being the only one not 5 or 6 years\nold, but she was a joy<\/span> (the minute or so captured above, excluded).<\/p>\n\n

    Arthur is great with kids, and here enlisted them to build a special<\/span>\nkind of sand castle using a dripping<\/span>-sand technique that my former\nboss once showed me<\/a>....<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 75 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>750 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nBuilding the Magical Castle<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

    He then explained that it was magical, and that if they chanted the\nproper magical spells, it would allow whoever stood inside to fly. So he'd\nmake up some magical-sounding silly words\/sounds and all the kids would\nrepeat, and then the one in the castle would jump, and sure enough, they felt\nthat they could jump just a bit<\/span> higher than normal...<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nWorking the Magic on May<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 48 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nAnthony's Turn<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 62 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nRapt Attention<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

    Once that was done, he played some patty-cake with the girls....<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 65 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/9, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nQuality Time<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

    Arthur is really such a kind and gentle soul. On the way<\/span> back to camp,\nwe stopped by the outside bath to clean up a bit,<\/span> and when he realized\nlater that he'd still had his wallet in his pocket, he just smiled and took\nit in stride.<\/p>\n\n

    Also, at one point in the afternoon, an amazing wind came out of nowhere\nand blew down his tarp and almost flattened our tents. It had been<\/span> hot and\nstill, when suddenly a cold<\/span> wind whipped up. For everyone<\/span> else in the\ncampground it was just a pleasant<\/span> breeze, but because of how our tents were\nright at the top edge of a sloping<\/span> sea-facing cliff, they got blasted by a\nfunneled<\/span> jet of air that was almost tornado-like in its localized fury. For 15 minutes<\/span>, Arthur, I and another<\/span> man who ran to our aid held down my\ntent, until the wind stopped as suddenly as it had started.<\/p>\n\n

    It was all quite surreal, but Arthur's calming attitude (he has a calm<\/span>\nattitude about everything) was contagious, and so we looked on the bright\nside and were thankful for the cool breeze.<\/p>\n\n

    Later, Arthur made another castle with the kids at the beach below our\ntents, then went snorkeling a bit.<\/span> He used to<\/span> be a professional<\/span> diver, so\nthis is familiar territory for him.<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 105 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>350 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nBenjamin, Emma, and Monet<\/span>\nsee Arthur off on a snorkeling dive\n<\/div>\n\n

    In the evening, I got out<\/span> my tripod to try to capture some sparkler action...<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 26 mm — 1.6 sec, f<\/span>\/6.3, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

    I also tried a family portrait of Emma, Benjamin, and their folks, but 15\nseconds is a long<\/span> time to ask a couple<\/span> of kids to stand still....<\/p>\n\n

    <\/a>\nNikon D200 + Nikkor 18-200mm f\/3.5-5.6 VR @ 22 mm — 15 sec<\/span>, f<\/span>\/3.8, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span><\/span>\nWarm, Fuzzy Family Portrait<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

    The lights on the horizon are from fishing boats, I presume.<\/span> They were\nreally<\/i> bright, casting shadows even though they must be 10 miles\naway.<\/p>\n\n

    Continued here...<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Day 4 of my camping trip with Anthony started early, as usual, but without the prospect of having to move the tent (as I did the previous day), I looked forward to a day of fun.<\/p>

    Anthony's new friends had returned home the previous evening, but now he had May and Monet to play with, and added new friends Emma and her older brother, Benjamin, as well.<\/p>

    Kotobikihama beach is large – about a mile long – with several distinct sections. This morning, we headed out to the main part of the beach, which is quite a distance from the [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2,18,3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}