Beach Nights in Japan
Aaron Ouchi
Seinan Gakin University, Japan
Its 10 pm on a weekday night, what are you doing? I think that most sensible people at this time are either sleeping or doing homework. Of course, I'm not exactly one of these 'sensible people'. Often times I will take this time to for a walk around campus over there at UH Hilo. However, here in Fukuoka, Japan it has been completely different. Now, instead of walking around on UH Hilo campus (which shuts down at 10), I walk to the beach in Japan and just hang out there. The beach, being just a short 10 minute leisurely walk away, has now become a common spot for all the international students as well as our new Japanese friends. We've spent many nights there just enjoying each other's company. We have done many things there, including night time frisbee and, of course, the occasional every night party. However, this is just a small proportion of what we actually do here. We have created our own game called 'ninja' which is a very enjoyable game itself. We've also had nights of just talking over a 線香花火 (small sparkler/ firework).
These night time visits to the beavh remind me of back home, minus all the lights that we have here in Japan. The times that I have spent at momochi hama are something that will always stick with me. Japan let all of us there grow closer together as a group, with new friends and old, and most importantly this trip helped me grow as a person. Aloha!!