Pirates and Ice Cream

I have near-daily tinges of regret that for how close I live to the ocean, I don’t see it often enough. Sure, I glimpse the water from the train to and from school…if I’m sitting in an east-facing seat. But I rarely get my feet wet.

On a recent beach kick (it was still in the 80’s here a few weeks ago), I visited two nearby spots—Mochimune and Miho—each with their own perks.I’d previously visited Mochimune, but hadn’t taken the stroll north of the main beach to The Playground. Picnic lunch in tow, Davin, Jackson, and I found ourselves at the most spectacular play area I’d ever seen: showy, multifaceted, dangerous. We sat on a grassy hill and watched the hordes of little pirate wannabes clamber around the ship, swing back and forth on ziplines, and build sandcastles mortared with water from the concrete wading pool and waterfall. Such an elaborate amusement in such a small town.On a late afternoon a week later, our destination by bus was Miho Beach, in the opposite direction—on a peninsula northeast of Shizuoka City. Less kid-friendly and more a spot to enjoy the whispering pines and take in an ocean sunset, Miho offers a few forested trails as well as a beach view of Mt. Fuji if the weather abides.The slightest outline of the mountain, center:And while Mochimune is BYO, Miho boasts a row of snack stands serving up soup, sweets, and oden (a disgusting regional specialty which basically amounts to soaking chunks of mixed meats and root vegetables in the same vat of liquid until every item is soggy and uniform in taste). The mango was a tasty choice, however, and the sunset, though filtered through the twisted pines lining the beach, mighty fine.