The Daily Moooo

Japan Lite: A well-armed goddess

2008-07-23T02:30:00.000-07:00

The Japan Times, Japan Lite Saturday July 19, 2008
A well-armed goddess

By Amy Chavez

On July 2, at the lowest tide of the year, my neighbors and I prayed to the goddess of the sea. The islanders call her Benten (also known as Benzaiten), and she lives on her own special island, just off the coast of Shiraishi Island. Here she convenes with the sea and brings us luck, prosperity (well, most of the time) and protects us from evil.

Benten, the eight-armed goddess of the sea, lives on her own special island off the coast of Shiraishi Island. AMY CHAVEZ PHOTO

It is at this time every year that Benten extends an invitation to us to come and worship her in her own little festival. This very low tide exposes a sandbar that connects her island with ours, and serves as a walkway adorned by a stone lantern that appears to be floating when the tide is high. On normal days, even at low tide you have to trudge out in knee-deep water to get to Benten Island. Perhaps this is to keep out the paparazzi. Goddesses are pretty hot stuff after all.

Nature gods and goddesses are numerous in Japan and reflect a mix of Buddhism and Japan's folk religion of Shinto. And when you live on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea vulnerable to typhoons and high seas, some of your best friends are gods. We rely on them to protect us.

It is said there are over 9 million gods in Japan, and I can count at least 171 gods living on Shiraishi Island. And those are just the ones with physical representations of stone effigies or those housed in shrines and temples. Every step you take on this island is likely to put you in the path of some stone deity. Makes you wonder if there might be a niche market here. For sunscreen, for example? Or how about selling "godgets": gadgets for the gods. Things like lotus leaf pedestals, the occasional staff, and cans of vermilion paint for the torii gates.

When we hear about "raifutaimu employment" in Japan, it seems like a good thing. But it depends entirely on how long your life is. The gods in Japan have been working for thousands of years — lifetime employment to the extreme. It's not easy being a god in Japan.

Yet they continue to protect us, and we continue to pay them protection money in the form of these festivals and offerings of fish, sake, vegetables and money.

The gods probably have a nice tidy retirement package and their own fund manager. Should they ever get the chance to retire, that is.

And so during the Benten Festival, we worship, pray and throw money to the goddess of the sea. Benten is also the goddess of the arts and music (and a few other things), but the islanders here mainly pray to her for good fortune, especially for their businesses on the beachfront.

The Benten Festival is the only day of the year the doors of her small shrine are open allowing her to look out and us to look in.

I took this opportunity to look in and ask her some questions I've always had about Benten.

I poked my head into the opening:

"There are so many Bentens in Japan. How can you be in so many places at once?"

"My family has been in Japan since the sixth century, so I have many sisters," she explained. "We all have the same name, but we differ in certain ways. Some of my sisters have eight arms like I do, but others have only two and play the lute."

"And you all have your own islands?"

"My family has always been into real estate so we chose to live in beautiful spots on the sea."

"I notice you have many godgets in your hands. Could you explain them?"

"I have eight hands and each holds a weapon to protect: A bow, an arrow, a sword, an ax, a spear, a long pestle, an iron wheel, and a rope."

"Wow, that should cover you in almost any circumstance. Have you ever had to use them?"

Not yet, she said.

Noticing a bit of impatience with my silly gaijin questions, I thanked her for her time and left as quickly as possible.

After all, for a goddess, she is well armed.

Bali Lite: Our fine four-fendered friend

2008-07-23T02:24:00.000-07:00

Find out what is one of the most popular cars to rent in Bali in this week's Bali Lite: Our fine four-fendered friend.

Updated Summer Ferry Schedule

2008-07-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

The summer ferry schedule will not change this year, and remains the same as the schedule for the rest of the year. They may add boats during Sundays and O-bon, but these will run on the same time schedule. For directions to the ferry terminals, see the Moooo! Bar homepage.

Sanyo Kisen Regular Ferry (futsu sen)

Fare: 500 yen (pay at terminal)

The regular passenger ferry takes 40 minutes one way from Kasaoka to Shiraishi Island. Shiraishi is the third stop. There is an announcement in English.

Kasaoka Departure times: 8:10, 13:20, 17:50

Return times: 7:05, 11:35, 17:05

Sanyo Kisen Express Ferry (Kousoku sen)

Fare: 900 (pay at terminal)

The express passenger ferry takes 20 minutes and goes directly from Kasaoka to Shiraishi Island. There are no stops along the way. There is no English announcement.

Kasaoka Departure times: 7:25, 9:10, 10:50, 14:15, 16:30

Return times: 8:37, 10:22, 13:42; 15:27, 17:42

"Shiraishi" Ferry (Orange) (leaving from a different terminal)

Fare: 450 yen (pay on board)

This car ferry takes 40 minutes and goes direct from Kasaoka to Shiraishi Island with no stops along the way. It carries passengers as well as cars and motorcycles. Small light cars 2,320 yen, big cars 3,040 yen.

Kasaoka Departure times: 9:00, 11:00, 14:40, 17:00

Return times: 7:55, 10:00, 13:35, 16:00

Sea Day--Otsukaresama!

2008-07-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mai (left) and Shawn (second from rt.) who sent this photo! It was great to see you guys again at the Moooo! Bar. Hope to see you again for the Moooo! Fest on the last Sunday in September. Moooooooooooo!

One of my favorite people: Lillian!

Sea Day

2008-07-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

"Uncle"

"Uncle," came to the beach over the Sea Day weekend with his owners. They brought along Uncle's swimming pool so he could keep cool. Kawaiiiiiiiiii! Look for a Japan Lite column about Uncle in the near future.

Toys!

Go ahead, leave your toys out in front of the Moooo! Bar....:)

Matt Moriagari

2008-07-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Junko, Kentaro, Matt and Laurie

Laurie and Matt (middle) surrounded by locals (left to right: Masayan, Jun, Sea-kun, Paul, Ah-san) at the "Matt moriagari" on their last night at the Moooo! Bar.

*moriagari in japanese is the climax, crest, or most exciting point and is often used to describe the best part of an event.

Today is the end of the Festival of Matts, as Japan Lite readers Matt and Laurie leave the island after a 4-day stay (also their honeymoon!). True herd members now, they know how to moooo and do it with style. Their secret: Train with a couple of double moogaritas....Moooooooooooo! We will really miss them!

Today is Sea Day, another great day to be mooing at the Moooo! Bar.

Mooin' in the Rain

2008-07-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

Carol & Co. (in the rain!)

Shin-chan and Man-chan

We're off to a rockin' weekend at the Moooo! Bar. Yesterday was a beautiful day until about three o'clock when the sky started looking rather ominous. We watched it rain on the mainland from the Moooo! Bar (over the water) but thought that the rain would do the usual and miss us. Not! It poured for about 15 mins. then cleared up again a half-hour later. Mooin' in the rain....

In the evening was the Shiraishi Dance demonstration, with over 100 locals from the mainland coming out. I couldn't watch the dance as it is down the beach a bit from the bar, but Matt and Laurie reported that it was paparazzi-like as the visitors seized the opportunity to photograph them! Gaijin are still a bit unusual in these parts, so there was lots of attention. The islanders are different, however, and will not bother you. I've probably dashed any of their visions of gaijin being exotic :)

The evening closed at the Moooo! Bar with Shin-chan playing guitar for us among some quiet lowing among herd members.

Now, on to today! Moooooooooo!

Shiraishi Dance

2008-07-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

Just another gorgeous sunset from the Moooo! Bar

Masayan, one of our favorite "converted" locals.

Friday night there was a lot of mooing at the Moooo! Bar as people showed up out of nowhere for a moogarita. The evening started off with just a couple of herd members, then five campers showed up and another couple staying at the villa. After that, a few locals stopped by and soon the bar was mooing just like a normal summer evening. Good people, good fun!

Tonight at 7:00 on the beach is a Shiraishi Bon Odori (dance) exhibition. Come see this Cultural Treasure our island is famous for!

And of course, we'll be mooing at the Moooo! Bar till late. Mooooooooooooo!

The Upcoming Long Weekend

2008-07-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hyogo yachties giving the Moooo! pose...(or the "almost Moooo!" pose)

It's getting into the crazy moo season at the Moooo! Bar. This past week we had the "Festival of Matts" as we've had three customers named "Matt" come out and we've got another one coming at the end of next week! Welcome Matts! Next time I'll have to put out the welcome mat.

We are getting ready for the big long weekend, called "renkyu" in Japanese. Sea Day (umi no hi), which is a national holiday, is on Monday, and it is one of our biggest days of the year. Everything is fully booked on the island although I herd yesterday that San-chan's had a cancellation, so there is one room available. Get it while it lasts!

There will be extra ferries on for the Sea Day weekend, but the ferry schedule will remain the same.

Many people have emailed to let me know they are coming out this weekend. I can't wait to moo with you all at the Moooo! Bar. Join the herd! Mooooooooooooooo!

Sunset Cruise

2008-07-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Taylor (16) and Livia help Paul put up the sails on Tuesday's sunset cruise.

A sunset cruise is the perfect way to end the day and to see the beauty of the Inland Sea. Make your reservations early by emailing shiraishireservations at yahoo.com We can take up to 10 people.

Cow Appreciation Day!

2008-07-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Cow Appreciation Day! Drink specials at the Moooo! Bar all day long. Moooooooo!

Another great weekend!

2008-07-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

DIY Gaijin Colin Ferrel pulls up to the Moooo! Bar in his boat.

We had a busy weekend at the Moooo! Bar with lots of fun people stopping by. Matt Kaufman who writes "Hollywood Japan File" for Kansai Time Out was here for the weekend. Matt, who is from Brooklyn, gave our N.Y. Cheesecake the thumbs up, which I was really happy about. The Moooo! Calfe opened this weekend, serving parfaits, milkshakes, flotats, cheesecake, and chips & salsa.

Shiraishi Beach is never too crowded!

Mt. Misen, Miyajima

2008-07-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

"Sculptured nature" on Mount Misen

Read about the holy mountain of Misen, where tengu goblins live, in this week's Japan Lite: Climbing Mount Misen.

Moooo! Calfe Menu

2008-07-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

Moooo! Calfe

Ice Coffee/Ice Tea 300 yen

Cheesecake 450 yen
NY Style Cheesecake 550 yen
Cheesecake set
Cheesecake + Ice coffee/tea 650/750 yen

Fruit Parfait Ice Cream 500 yen

*Milk Shakes 600 yen
Banana
Banana-Chocolate
Caramel
Banana-Caramel
Chocolate
Vanilla

*shot of Kahlua, add 200 yen

Coke/Rootbeer Float 400 yen

Chips & Salsa 700 yen

Bowl of pretzels 300 yen

Nuts 300 yen

Sunset Cruise this weekend

2008-07-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

Classic Shiraishi Sunset

Sailing is booked for this Monday and Tuesday but we have a Sunset Cruise this Sunday with space still available for four more.

Toast the sunset with a glass of wine and some cheese while relaxing on deck with our wine and cheese Sunset Cruise! On every evening throughout the summer. Price: 3,000 yen per person.

Moooo! Calfe

2008-07-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ice cream float

The Moooo! Calfe, next to the Moooo! Bar, debuts this Sunday. We have added a few items to this year's ice cream menu and now will be serving:

Fruit parfaits, root beer floats, Coke floats, Milkshakes (Banana, Choco-banana, caramel, caramel-banana, and chocolate), Cheesecake and chips and salsa. We also have an array of ice teas and ice-coffees.

New York Style Cheesecake

Amazing Sunset

2008-07-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was one of the best sunsets of the year so far, and was a great way to end a busy weekend. It started out as above, a normal but beautiful Shiraishi sunset.

With time, it got pinker and pinker.

By the end, all the locals had come out on the beach to watch, some bringing guitars, and they played and sang to the sun and the sea until the blushing sun's rays had disappeared completely.

New herd members inaugerated

2008-07-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

Amy, Paul, Ben, Kyle

Thanks to Japan Lite reader Ben who brought his friends out to the Moooo! Bar for the weekend. Ben said he has been trying to get to the Moooo! Bar for two years now, so we are glad he finally made it!

Ben and Kyle, doing the Moooo! pose and looking like studs in their new Moooo! Bar t-shirts.
They have officially joined the herd. Moooooooooooo!

I had lots of good laughs with you guys. Thanks for a mooing weekend!

Herd members arrive

2008-07-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

Cattle call: Herd members started arriving on Saturday

Saturday and Sunday proved to be great days at the Moooo! Bar with lots of herd members coming out to share in sun and fun, not to mention the moogaritas involved. The Yacht Race was a bit, um, slow, due to the lack of winds but the Opening of the Sea and the Insect Festival went ahead without a hitch.

More photos of the weekend to be posted soon, but in the meantime, check out this week's Japan Lite at the Japan Times Online: Truly, it's a jungle out there!

Benten Festival (Benten Matsuri)

2008-07-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

Benten--Goddess of the Sea

Friday was the Benten Festival, when we pray to the Goddess of the Sea for a prosperous and safe summer on the beach and in the water. Benten lives on Benten Island, which is a small island off of Shiraishi. Anyone who has been to Shiraishi Island will know Benten Island as it is rather prominent, with it's only resident being Benten in her own special shrine which houses the goddess, pictured above.

Benten Island at the lowest tide of the year.

Benten is a separate island in itself, but at low tide, you can walk out to it. You can read more about this yearly festival in a previous article I wrote for the Japan Times: Benten--Goddess of Luck and Watercolors.

Bali Lite: The New Mobile Office

2008-07-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

This week's Bali Lite is up at the Bali Times: The New Mobile Office.

Accommodation this weekend

2008-07-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Umibiraki--the priest blesses the sea

Accommodation on Shiraishi Island is all booked this weekend at the International Villa, Minshuku Harada, San-chan's and the Beach House. If you want to come out and stay overnight, let me know and I can try to arrange some alternative accommodation. No guarantees, but if you are willing to rough it, we can usually come up with something.

Schedule of events for this weekend:

Saturday July 5th
Moooo! Bar opens

Sunday July 6th
8:00 am Shiraishi Yacht Race

10:00 Mushi Okuri Festival (Shinto festival to send off all the bad insects on the island) Starts at the temple.

10:00 Umibiraki--Opening of the Sea (Shinto festival to bless the sea and make it safe for swimming)

11:00 Moooo! Bar opens

Island Explorer Trip

2008-07-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

A street cafe in Tomonoura

Manabe Island street

A couple of our German guests joined us for an Island Explorer cruise yesterday, in which we set out in our Japanese fishing boat and visit various islands in the Inland Sea. We visited Mannabe Island (Mannabe Shima), Mushima, Sensui Island (Sensui Jima) and Tomonoura on the mainland. We ended the day with a barbecue on the beach at Shiraishi--how relaxing!

A reminder that the Opening of the Sea is this Sunday, July 6th and the Moooo! Bar will be open every day after that. Also this Sunday is the Shiraishi Yacht Race and the Mushi Okuri Festival (sending off of bad insects!). It looks like it is going to be a great weekend, so come on out!

Mooooooooo!

Moooo! Weekend

2008-06-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

Ken and Greg, mooing

It turned out to be a Japan Lite reader convention of sorts at the Moooo! Bar this weekend. I knew we had quite a few foreigners booked but I didn't realize they were all Japan Lite readers until after I met them and the confessions started coming out. We all had a great time at the Moooo! Bar and also sailing and motorboating. Such fun people!

Ken and Greg (pictured above) are tour guides and had just finished guiding a group of 28 Australian train enthusiasts around Japan. They saw the group off at Narita then headed straight to Shiraishi for some R&R. They had good things to say about Minshuku Harada, where I booked them into, and said there was so much food they didn't see how anyone could eat so much. Harada-san is a great cook. It was nice to hear such good things from tour guides, the real pros!

Raju and his family and friends from Kobe

Great fun and a great weekend. I hope to see all of you again. Moooooo!

Omishima Sunset

2008-06-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Sunset from Omishima Island, in the Seto Inland Sea (enroute to Miyajima)

The Moooo! Bar is open today (rain or shine!) with special guests Ken and Greg, tour guides from Australia and also long time Japan Lite readers. They'll be here a few days and they said they planned their trip to coincide with a Sunday Moooo! Bar opening....thanks guys!

Also, we saw off Olga and Cornelius this morning, a Dutch couple who stopped by Shriaishi Island on their yacht as they are traveling around the world. They have been gone for five years already and they said they have really enjoyed Japan so far because of the interesting culture. Although they were here for four days, I nearly missed them as we didn't arrive back from our sail until yesterday morning. A lovely couple they are and we all had dinner together last night. Thanks Olga and Cor! Moooooooo!

It's still the rainy season in Japan. Read about it in this week's Japan Times Online: Japan Lite- The rainy season, brought to you by snails.