If you open it, they will come

Our local beach finally “opened” yesterday, which means that the good citizens of Mihara (not to mention the local schoolchildren) are finally free to partake in the beautiful waters without attracting potential condemnation.

Readers may recall that the extended Sushi on a Stick household (including visiting aunts and grandmother) actually tested the beach out a couple of weeks back, before we realised that it had yet to be officially opened, and before Ruby’s school handed down its edict about students not being allowed to swim yet. (Perhaps it was out transgression that prompted the crackdown.) The sun was hot and the water was beautiful but the beach was… totally deserted. Of course. It wasn’t open yet.

It is a lovely beach, carefully sculpted into a crescent shape and provided with nice shady areas, steps for sitting, showers for washing, thousands of drink vending machines and a little stall called Casa del Mare (except that the last bit’s broken off so it looks more like Casa del Mai… the House of Never?). As Sister Rose remarked, it seemed like such a waste to have a beautiful beach sitting there not being used.

But this being Japan, the opening of the beach requires an official ceremony. Thus it was that on Saturday we had a stage complete with PA, a row of seats for the inevitable phalanx of distinguished guests, and various traditional cultural dragons and bells and elaborately dressed priests and other hangers-on:

Eleni and I got roped into carrying a small cultural thing over a distance of about 20 metres to the stage area. What a massive contribution!

As part of the ceremonial proceedings, Eleni’s wadaiko drumming group was invited to perform. This was her first performance in a public arena so she was rather nervous, but it all went well. Here’s some blatantly partisan video evidence:

A photographer from the local council asked me whether it was OK to put Eleni in their glossy magazine monthly magazine, so this could be the start of her media career in Japan.

While Eleni was performing I ended up standing next to the mayor, and this called for a photo of course.

So I think we’ve really raised our profile here in sleepy Mihara. AND we’re free to go to the beach at last!