"Hakuna matata, what a wonderful phrase..."

You've just gotta love the expression, "No worries."
(as well as the song, "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King, which I'm now singing...)

In Japanese, the word is "daijoubu"( だいじょうぶ). Its literal translation is "Hey, dude, it's okay...don't worry about it!" Something like that, anyway. :)

"Daijoubu" is definitely on my list of top five most-used Japanese words/expressions, and it's quite likely to be part of my vocabulary for life.

There's no place like the beach to put me in the mindset of "no worries." I'm happy to live so close to the ocean, especially now that it's summer!

Without further adieu, here are the beach photos from the sayonara party weekend that I promised to share...

Tina put her foot in the ocean for what she said was the first time in two years! She's the new ALT from Scotland who I've been hanging out with recently. I had pictures of her bowling, but you couldn't see her well, so now I'll properly introduce her:
Everyone, meet Tina. Tina, meet everyone. :)

After taking the above picture, our group decided that we could probably find a better beach, a little farther away from the cabins where we stayed. So we hopped in the car and found...

This.
Beautiful blue ocean + nice sand + mountain view = gorgeous!
I swam in the FRIGID, "this-is-so-cold-it-feels-like-melted ice!" water with a few of my brave/crazy friends to the little island that is pictured.

After lunch, everyone else went shopping, but I joined up with a few other friends and went back to the beach. I love the beach. And then we had a little photo shoot...

Ah, the sparkly ocean, which looks to be warm water of a tropical place. Looks can be deceiving.

Playing with the camera angles... :)

My sweet Japanese friend, Chiharu, is moving to Europe next month!
Even though I only see her about every three months since she lives a bit far away from Kuji, I will miss her dearly.

Turns out that seagulls like Pringles. :)

I have a few more fun beach photos, from when Lauren and Jennifer were visiting...

Group shot at Noda Beach.

~love~

Searching for seashells along the seashore.

Doesn't this picture looks professional!? Nice work, Jennifer!

Lauren found a starfish!

While I love to soak up the sunshine, I don't typically see Japanese people out enjoying it. I almost always spot a few fishermen out on the beach in Kuji, but I've never seen anyone (else, besides me!) out on a blanket, taking a nap or reading a book.

Oh well...daijoubu!

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For my latest entry in "Keep Shining," click here.