Shiraishi Get Away Weekend

We had a truly terrific time over the weekend on Shiraishi Island with our friends. Shiraishi is truly a gem. Quiet. Rural. Incredibly slow pace. It is an island of fishing and tending to gardens. A perfect get-away from the Japan of our everyday lives. Especially with good friends. (The throw-back nature of Shiraishi Island is perfectly captured in this article. Shout out to our friends the Carrothers for digging up that article.)
I mean what more can you ask for?

A wrap-around porch with this view:
Great hiking trails. We went on two excellent hikes while we were there. Our kids led the way, while the other younger set traveled in kid-carrier backpacks.
. . . With a rewarding view of the Seto Inland Sea from the top:
Mike, Ilena, and Jacob also took the three mama-san bikes (read: old single gear grocery carrying-type bikes) that were provided by the Villa on a trip around the perimeter of the island.
A small beach (which we had entirely to ourselves) to throw around the football, frisbee, search for crabs and starfish, and play in the sand.

We also cooked up a storm - and really enjoyed our meals together through the magical idea of the kids eating in a first shift and then going off to play and then to sleep, followed by a later adult dinner shift.

The communal aspect of the living space and kitchen was great. We shared our feasts with a German couple the first night and an American couple and quiet wandering Norwegian the second night. (It was the least we could do after subjecting these poor souls to all of our early rising children!)

By night we gamed - Sequence, Jenga, and especially Euchre. (Speaking of Euchre, we have surely met more U.S. mid-westerners living in Japan than we have living in the East Coast of the U.S. So, yes, we have learned how to play Euchre.)

When our gaijin posse packed up and headed back to the Ferry, we think the population of Shiraishi took a big hit.