On the morning we left Kawaguchiko and Mount Fuji, a large earthquake in the ocean off Kamchatka caused tsunamis along the eastern shores of Japan including Kamakura, a seaside surf town where we were headed. Trains into Kamakura were suspended, so we took two trains that got us to Yokohama and then found another train that took us as far as Ofuna. From there we took a short monorail ride, followed by a bus, and finally a 30-minute walk up and down the hills of Kamakura. In the 35-degree heat. With all our backpacks. By the time we made it to our hotel, we were super hot and tired, but super thankful to be there.
Our surf lesson for the next morning was cancelled due to the tsunami advisory and the beach was closed. But by about 11am, the beach reopened and so we walked the 15 minutes along Kamakura’s main street to get there. We swam in the waves and enjoyed the breezy, sunny weather for a few hours and then returned to our hotel to shower and change. For dinner, we found an Italian restaurant that had amazing food and a lovely atmosphere including a small train that rattled past every 30 minutes or so.
During dinner we arranged for a surf lesson the next morning at 7am, so after a good night’s rest we were up at 5am to eat breakfast, dress for the beach once again, and pack. After leaving our backpacks at the hotel, we took the small train we’d seen on repeat the night before on a 20-minute ride across the city to the beach just to the south. There we met up with our surf instructor at Sakura Surf and Sports, who gave us a few pointers and training on the sand, before leading us into the water.
Rowan and T went first, and after just the second try, they were standing on their boards like pros. By the end, I’d managed to stand and ride a few times, while the boys had consistently done it over and over again. We all loved it! It was so much fun just even resting by our boards in the water, waiting for our turns to give it a go. Looking at the blue, blue sky, the undulating waves, while floating in the warm water in our wetsuits.
After two and a half hours, we finished our lesson, but all three of us felt it wouldn’t be our last time surfing, for sure.
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