where to chill out in Shizuoka this summer

Summer in Japan conjures up many images, particularly that of sweat and humidity. Or slightly more pleasant thoughts like festivals (matsuri) and fireworks (hanabi), and well, all the festival food (chocolate covered banana, anyone?) In any case, staying cool is always a goal, though a lofty one – that is, until you're sitting in chilly over-air-conditioned trains and shopping in frigid stores. Which leads me to this month's Japan Blog Matsuri topic: Hot Fun in the Summertime! hosted by Loco in Yokohama. *Oh, and I apologize in advance, but most of the links are Japanese sites - use that Google translate if you need to!

a beach off the beaten path

Spring this year has been abnormally cold. And wet. For awhile it felt like I was back in Seattle, just enduring a typical Seattle winter of cold and wet... Granted, the temperature wasn't freezing, but it hovered near it, and just above. Though Golden Week brought lovely warm weather, and the rain seems to have settled down for spring, I was in the mood for a beach vacation. With Thailand and Malaysia and other warm places out of the running for now, my husband and I settled on planning something nearby, to celebrate our first anniversary. This is no easy feat, if you want something affordable, but not cheap, plush, but not filled with tourists, and something with non-smoking rooms (of course, if you smoke, then you can have your pick of almost anything in Japan).