Photo: Guntsu (luxury hotel) passes by the Moooo! Bar

We apologize for not updating the blog for so long. The environment due to the coronavirus has been so volatile, that we felt it was difficult to follow the ups and downs of the virus situation with its near daily changes. 

On June 20, Okayama Prefecture was relieved of its State of Emergency status and the number of new coronavirus cases has dropped considerably. This is great news, however, until more citizens are vaccinated, we hesitate to open the Moooo! Bar to full capacity. 

At the moment, the Moooo! Bar is open on weekends to all, but during the week by appointment only. So while we are open every day, we are not actively encouraging guests to come until we ourselves have been vaccinated, a process which will not be complete until August 8th. We thank you for your patience and understanding. 

In the meantime, San-chan's on the beach is open every day (they're all vaccinated) serving both food and drink. 

Stay safe and we hope to see you during Obon, from August 12-16. (No news yet on whether the Shiraishi Dance will take place this year. We will keep you posted).

Moooo! Bar on the Beach open from July 1st! #shiraishiisland #setoinlandsea #japan

Just another Shiraishi sunset as seen from the beach. Yep, happens almost every day.

Okay, it's settled: The Moooo! Bar will open this year! It was a close call, but since the coronavirus has been limited to Japan's cities, we decided to capitulate to herd demand on Shiraishi Island and open the barn doors for the summer season.

We're aiming for an opening on July 1, but we'll be offering a shortened, mini-moo version of our usual selves as we're short on staff and will continue to be understaffed throughout the summer due to COVID-19. In addition, some of our menu ingredients are sourced from Australia and the US (such as the teats for the Udder Parfaits), so some items will be on hiatus until we can procure substitute items. Moogaritas, Pina Mooladas and other cocktails, however, are still plentiful. So come on by, kick up your hooves and join us for another one of those spectacular Shiraishi sunsets! See you soon.

Lowing softly,

Amy

Head Cow, Moooo! Bar

2020 Shiraishi Island Update for Golden Week

 The renewed Otafuku Hotel lobby

2020 Shiraishi Island Update for Golden Week

The Moooo! Bar will be closed for Golden Week (April 29-May 6) this year. The International Villa is also closed at the moment due to COVID-19. San-chan's, however, is open as is, I believe, Shiraishi Guest House.

The Shiraishi Kukai Trail Race has been cancelled for May 6. Hopefully it is just post-poned till Autumn, but we're waiting to see how things pan out.

Otafuku Ryokan has been bought out by the Chanter Group, who owns a few hotels around the prefecture. They have remodeled the inside and are running an Italian restaurant as well. They are open for overnight stays.

If you do come out to the island over the holiday period, please wear a mask. Thank you!

Bussharito Festival Nov. 15, Shiraishi Island #japan #setonaikai

The days and nights are getting cooler on Shiraishi Island, so it's a great time to go hiking and experience panoramic views of the Seto Inland Sea. From the top of Shiraishi's 160 meter point, you can see both Honshu and Shikoku! Clear blue skies, plenty of "relax time" for reading, and the Bussharito Festival on the 15th (a Buddhist festival with a goma fire ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Thai-style temple) define November on the island.

Typhoon 19 (Hagibis) Update, Shiraishi Island, Japan

We ended the Moooo! Bar season with Typhoon 18 in September (no damage) but the beach bar will not be opening again until next summer. Now typhoon 19 is bearing down upon Japan, but thankfully this area has been spared. The ferries have stopped for today, Saturday, but hopefully will resume tomorrow.

The Shiraishi Island Fall Festival will go ahead as planned, taking place on Sunday, Oct. 13. Everyone is welcome!

If you're looking for something to read about Shiraishi Island, here is an article I wrote for Writer's in Kyoto website about the island's history through the eyes of one of its residents: Seto Naikai Reminiscence.

Moooo! Bar open this weekend on Shiraishi Island #setonaikai #beachbars #Japan

We've been watching Typhoon 15 and it looks like it will miss us completely--yay! The forecast is for sunny skies all weekend. The Moooo! Bar will be open!

Ferries up and running again to Shiraishi Island #japan #setonaikai #shiraishiisland

 

 We're happy to report there was no damage to Shiraishi Island due to Typhoon No. 10 

All ferries are up and running as normal. See you on the island!