Return to Okitsu Beach
It has been a while since I have taken the time to gather my thoughts and post. There has been much that has been swirling around my heart as the summer heat rises, and energy can be sapped.
There are times the world is overwhelming. There is too much stimuli. Not only too much, but it is often distorted through the lens of propaganda and misinformation. The constant stream weighs heavily on my as I make my way.
It with all these emotions that we packed up the car and headed for the annual Slump Tennis beach BBQ party. What is Slump? That is a good question. It is a casual group of friends that all play tennis together. I, myself, don’t chase the fuzzy yellow ball, but my wife does.
Okitsu beach is on the southern end of series of beaches of Katsuura on the Chiba Peninsula. It is a quiet town, that in it’s glory days was a small thriving fishing port. Those days are long gone, but the fisherman’s boats and nets still trek out into the open Pacific Ocean.
Okitsu beach is a place for families. There are nearly no groups of boys hoping to pick up some bikini clad girls. None of that here. Just lots of families gathered together for a day of fun in the sun.
We were lucky that the skies were a bit overcast which kept the mercury low. The day before had seen a high of 35C (95F). The sun poked out from time to time, but for the most part it was a lovely day with out searing our flesh.
It was great to let the cold salty waters wash over my overloaded heart and mind. Just to get away from the city sprawl and reconnect with the beach of my youth. I love to just wander around the old town, and walk up and down the small sandy stretch of beach.
The beach is littered with fragments of Japanese blue and white porcelain pottery. No one has been able to tell me why there is always so much pottery to be found on this beach. Do the fisherman just toss bowls into the waves when they are done with them? Some of the pieces have had their sharp edges polished by the surf and the sand.
I was thankful to be away from it all. To be able to relax with some friends, have some good food, play a little beach baseball, and to wander with my camera.
When the times are as turbulent as they are these days the first tragedy is the truth, we need the time to reconnect and sort though and discard the unneeded. The day at Oktisu Beach helped to put it all back into proper perspective.
