Wanna party?

I learned that Banana boat is a thing. So, without thinking twice I bought a ticket for 2 days and 1 night. After the blood, sweat and tears gone behind the semester, summer holiday had finally started and this seemed like a perfect way to welcome it.

The beach is located in Saganoseki, Shirahama. It takes around 1 hour in car from Beppu.

We arrived at the party around 3 pm and instantly, most of the crowd went towards the continuous nomihodai with an endless supply of beer and other drinks. I took that time to go and check out the whole area.

When you reach white beach, the first thing you see is the sign with a very much graffitied Van, which I am still not sure works. Looking around, it almost felt like I'm not in Japan anymore.

The workers dressed in Bikini's and the guys just chilling in their T's and shorts. The DJ playing his beats, and people dancing around, that's not a scene I come across in Japan very often.

Everyone always seems so busy or in the middle of something and now seeing everyone around me being so relaxed and happy, it was the perfect break from life i'd been wanting.

There's a little walk down a hill-like path which leads down to the beach. At the top, there are people drinking, dancing to the constant beats being played by the DJ's.

Down at the beach, people are swimming, going on the Jet ski's banana boats and on the side you'll notice the beautiful ladies sunbathing and chatting away. The whole scenario felt like a scene out of a movie and I decided to just sit down take in everything around me.

The water under my toes are so clear, I can see every little pebble and shell. If I knew how to swim, I think my 2 days and 1 night would not see land. Given the whole Corona situation, there weren't many people at the party. But that didn't affect my mood at all.

The beach felt more personal. The warm sensation of the sand between my toes, and the cool water touching it every now and then slowly sucked away all the stress of the last semester.

There were big white rocks (hence the name I believe) that have been weathered by the sea and its salt and formed into something that I can't quite describe. The feeling of walking on those rocks are not something I can describe with the words that I know. In essence, it was heavenly.

They had thought of everything. There was a shower, cabins filed with drinks. The staff started preparing for the BBQ as the night loomed in. People started gathering around, helping out with the grilling, eating, dancing to the music.

As the night started coming to an end, a few of us decided to come down and spend the night at the beach. Although everyone's cabin's were upstairs and the tents were not enough to fit all of us, we spent the night merrily under the stars, laying on those luscious rocks.

Somehow, in that moment, the whole world seemed perfect. As if stress had been something I'd never known before.