Friday, August 19, 2011

atami:: a day at the beach

we love the beach and wanted to take muu-beans so he can share a little bit of the sun and sand. we've been to kamakura, our nearest beach, in spring. so we decided to explore a new beach spot - atami.

atami (熱海) is located in the eastern tip of shizuoka prefecture and only a 40-min bullet train ride away from tokyo. known for their onsens, there is even a teeny hot spring foot bath right at the train station. in its heydays, atami was a honeymoon hotspot but now it looks a little worn out and tired.


someone looking not so worn out in his little aloha shirt and lei! 
he was every bit the beach bum!


little colorful japanese beach people!

after a fifteen minute trek, we were at the sunny beach only to realize that we were the only ones without the full beach garb. we only had a picnic mat and towels which paled in comparison to others with full camping tents, swish beach chairs and a whole barbecue set up. 


musashi got into the water. and when we say "got into the water"... we use that loosely to describe a panicked puppy clawing onto our shoulders for dear life. all he did was get this tootsies wet and was all freaked out.


not much of a water baby... 


so we let him roam on the sand while we took long dips in the deliciously cool water. and he spent the rest of the afternoon chasing the waves and flirting with beach chicks. he was so pleased in his sandy salty state that we felt bad when we had to hose him down...

by the time we were done at the beach, it was a little late. we followed trip advisor's recommendation to terre et mer who delightfully offered us a terrace seat so muu could join us at lunch. i still don't understand why the name is in french but the japanese - italian menu was so delicious and different from the regular ramen options we found nearby.


for starts, we had a salad with organic locally grown vegetables.
the freshly-caught suzuki sashimi is also a local specialty.


prosciutto served on a bed of veggie tomato pasta. simple but sooo good!
and to round off the meal, we were served coffee and a creamy panna cotta. 

we were happy campers at the end of the meal! their dinner menu is more extensive and fancy and the chefs can whip up vegetarian meals upon requests. definitely check them out if you're in the area. 

we took our cue from our puppybear who has passed out over lunchies and hopped on the train home.
the little man was so tired he slept the entire way home without a squeak.
maybe we'd get him a little floatie next time..

p.s. another fun fact in atami
only in japan! :)

xx

19 comments:

  1. Muu look so happy and his aloha shirt is cool.
    I want to go to beach too but still don't have time to go :( only went to pool yet..

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  2. pics of a happy pup...great way to kick start the weekend :)

    that looks like a mighty fun outing!!!

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  3. That dog is so adorable, the nicest little dog ever, you look great in your lovely baiting suite and that food looks incredible, I’m drooling all over the screen! Your have a lovely blog and I'm a new follower! Hope you'll like my blog and follow back!

    Pop Culture&Fashion Magic

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  4. My Rusty loves the water! They're so cute when they swim. Hope little Muu will want to do it one day.

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  5. You look beautiful! What a wonderful place. My dog doesn't like to swim, either, but enjoys crunching up shells. That meal looks lovely - the sea air always makes me so hungry! xxx

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  6. @AdeLheid

    he was happy until he realized that he was meant to go swimming! :)

    we've been to the beach a couple times this summer. the japanese water is sooo warm and yummy! hopw you get to go soon!!

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  7. @Sara

    hello sara! :) welcome! :) i'll pop over to pay you a visit too! xx

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  8. @fernoftheforest79

    i think some dogs are made to swim and some (ie mine) are not...

    our friends have daschunds and they swam like little fishes! muu scrambles around like a kancheong spider.. sad.

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  9. @Mrs. Exeter

    crunching up shells!? does that give him tummy ache!? haha! air makes me hungry period. i eat around the clock! :)

    happy weekend dear!

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  10. Malteses hate water. Period. Fur rug displays the same actions as Muu. Clings onto your like a real baby - short legs tightly wrapped around your waist and paws on your shoulders. Oohhh they are lil funny cowards :P

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  11. @Andrea

    awww for real!? i had hopes that he would be swimming in the sea with us one day! bummer...

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  12. Gal!! Get a little float for your muushi ! He will love the water in nooooo time. Lol thats what I did for my rikki. *winks* -jerine

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  13. @Anonymous

    i'll definitely take that advice! :) keep you posted if we've made a water baby out of him! xx

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  14. Once we put her in the jacuzzi with us. I think the bubbling of the water irritated her skin as well. Maltese have very sensitive skin and she broke out in patches - forgot for the moment what's that called. Fungal infection or something. Ever since, she hated going into the water. Hates showering too.

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  15. Awww... your musashi is absolutely adorable! He looks really pleased in his aloha shirt! Great photos! I can practically feel the sun, sand and sea sitting in my office cubicle looking at the photos!

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  16. @Andrea

    awww poor muffin! muu seem to be ok after the sea swim. we'll try a float this weekend when we go again if not then we'll live him alone! :)

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  17. @mrslimvoyage

    awww thanks! :) i take a peek at this set of pictures whenever i feel bored at work too! x

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