Autumn on the Shiraishi Pilgrimage...

Autumn is beautiful on the Shiraishi Island. Come on out and enjoy the autumn colors with the backdrop of the Seto Inland Sea! Enjoy a walk, or a run, on the Shiraishi Pilgrimage or on the many hiking courses available. For reservations at the international villa, contact shiraishireservations at yahoo dot com

Buddhist Festival Nov. 15, Shiraishi Island, #japan

Tomorrow, Saturday Nov. 15 is the annual Bussharito Festival on Shiraishi Island. The Bussharito, a Thai-style temple built to hold some of the ashes of the Buddha, is honored on this special day every year with a goma fire ceremony. The crypt in the basement of the structure is open only on this one day of the year. Everyone is welcome to attend to pass the juzu beads, chant and get purified.

For some reason I cannot get the YouTube video to load, so please click here to watch it on the YouTube Channel.

Meet Shiraishi Island's new character!

Recently the island held a contest to come up with an island character to use for promotional purposes. We had over 50 entries and many very professional ones. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest! We had so many good entries, as a matter of fact, that rather than choosing just one, the island decided to create an amalgamation of all the ideas, which resulted in this seagull!

A few points to note: The straw hat represents that used in the Shiraishi Bon Dance, a designated national treasure in Japan. The overcoat has two blue spots in the shape of Shiraishi Island. At the bottom is shows waves of the Seto Inland Sea.

 

Hanging from the belt are fish and mulberries, two products the island is known for. The star is a "starfish" from the sea and the cat with the fish in it's mouth represents the many beautiful stray cats that grace our island--especially near the port!

 

 The hem of the kimono has a drawing of the Bussharito Buddhist stupa on the island, which is said to hold some of Buddha's ashes. Lastly, the seagull's sandals (Of course even birds wear sandals in Japan!) have crab pincers in the front.

 

We hope you enjoy our new character! We are now soliciting entries for a name, so if you have any ideas, please let us know by leaving a comment.

Some tips on traveling in #Japan this winter

Wikimedia Commons (MD242)

Thought I might share with you some Japan-specific tips on staying healthy this winter while traveling in this country. You can read it here.

Day trips from Shiraishi Island, #japan

We don't have much autumn color here on the island but October is an excellent time to get in some hiking, running, or just lazing on the deck of the Shiraishi International Villa. It's also a great season for bicycling and if you've ever had a yen to bicycle around some of the Inland Sea islands, now is a great time to do it. As a matter of fact, we recommend heading over to Kitagi Island next door for a day trip (see downloadable map at link location). Another great day trip, but for walking, is Manabe Island. Ferries leave every few hours.

 Bicycle path on Kitagi Island (about 20km around the island)

By using Shiraishi Island as a base, and doing day trips to surrounding islands, you can save money and time. We hope to see you this autumn at the Shiraishi International Villa!

Shiraishi Pilgrimage open for the trail running season!

The Shiraishi Pilgrimage autumn trail running season has started! We generally take a hiatus from cleaning the route over the summer since it's too hot to run it anyway, but after a successful weekend of trail cleaning, the route is now ready for a great Fall/Winter. Thanks to volunteers who came out to help clean the trail, now the first part of the pilgrimage path (through shrine No. 17) is open for hiking or running. Thank you everyone for a fun weekend: BBQ and keg on the beach, overnight at the International Villa and trail cleaning the next morning.

More clean-ups will follow, each time doing another section. Here are some photos of the trail. 

The beginning of the pilgrimage path. 

 

One of the shrines along the path.

For the history and some background on the pilgrimage, as well as detailed directions on the course, see the following blog entries:

Blog entry No. 1: Introducing the Shiraishi Island Pilgrimage

Blog entry No. 2: Numbers 80-83
Blog entry No. 3: Myoken Shrine
Blog entry No. 4: Numbers 1-9

My next post will be detailed directions to No.s 10-17, the section we just cleared.

Himoningen--Art on Shiraishi Island (Sept. 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28) 11:30 -17:30

If you're coming to Shiraishi Island this weekend, don't miss the himoningen (string people) exhibit by Tokyo artist Syuta. One of his exhibits is the recreation the Shiraishi Bon Dance with string people.

Don't miss his work--it's located inside Matsuura House, at the ferry port. As you get off the ferry, look to your left and you'll see colorful banners and curtains showing you the way. 

Shiraishi Island needs your character ideas! Just 5 days left to get your submission in!

Shiraishi Island needs your character ideas! Click here for more info. Submissions due Sept 24!

September on Shiraishi Island

 If you missed this article on Shiraishi Beach activities in RocketNews24, you can read it here. 

The summer is winding down on Shiraishi and there are just two more days the Moooo! Bar will be open: Sept. 7th and 15th. The 15th is Drink the Bar Dry day, and all alcoholic drinks will be discounted. Also, there's the annual 50 percent off sale in the Moooo! Shop for all your bovine beach needs.

But remember--you can visit Shiraishi Island anytime of the year! And we have no pesky rules for using the beach, so you can swim year-round, have BBQ's and mainly, have the island as your own private paradise.

Thanks for a great summer, and we hope to see you this Fall on the island! Major moo-moos to all.

Saturday, Aug 23 Live Band and Fireworks night on the beach! #shiraishijima #japan

 This Saturday night is the last event of the summer on Shiraishi Island. Every year several local bands come out and play on the beach with the background of the Seto Inland Sea. Following that, is "Japan's smallest fireworks festival." But don't be too misled by the moniker. It may be the smallest fireworks festival but it is pretty powerful! Through contributions from regular customers and local residents, the fireworks are procured and set off from the wooden pier in front of San-chan's. They're so close you can almost reach out and touch them in the sky. Very impressive for a little island like ours.

Accommodation is all booked but there is still room for camping on the beach.

This is one of the biggest nights of the year on the island. Come see for yourself! Facebook page here!

Obon is here!

Obon is here! And the living is good on Shiraishi Island. If you're one of the lucky ones who booked early, then you're in for a fun time on the island over the next several days. While all accommodation is full, people are welcome to bring tents and camp on the beach.

The Moooo! Bar on the beach will be open every day, of course.

The Shiraishi Bon Dance will be performed as follows:

Aug 13, 14 and 15 from 19:30 to 23:00 outside the village hall (near the port)
Aug. 16 20:00 to 23:00 on the beach. Toronagashi ceremony follows with lanterns set out on the sea.

Here is a short video of the Shiraishi Dance (by Evan Staley):

Bye-bye Typhoon 11, Hello sunshine!

 These girls are happy the typhoon is gone :)

Typhoon 11 has passed and normal weather has returned to Shiraish Island! Unfortunately, the ferries will still not be running today, Sunday August 10. But that doesn't mean you can't come to the island! There is a charter taxi service that will bring you out to Shiraishi (or back to Kasaoka) for 8,000 yen one way. If you have a group of 10 people, it's cheaper to hire thi "marine taxi" than it is to take the regular ferry. Keep this in mind the next time you'd like to stay on the island later than the last ferry to the mainland at 5:42 (to watch the sunset, or have dinner on the beach for example).

Hakuto taxi is available 24 hrs a day. Just call them from the port, or make an appointment beforehand: 090-8065-8001 (Japanese only).

The Moooo! Bar will open again tomorrow, Monday. The Obon holiday starts this week--See you on the island!

Ferries stopped to Shiraishi Island for Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014

The ferries have all stopped to Shiraishi Island today. The typhoon is scheduled to hit this area at around 2 a.m. so we hope the weather will be nice by Sunday morning and that the ferries will be running again.

Until tomorrow morning's update, we leave you with a video of one of our regular customers at the Moooo! Bar on the beach:

Stay safe everyone! 

Typhoon Alert, Shiraishi Island, #japan

Typhoon 11 is headed our way (and to the rest of Japan), so the Moooo! Bar and all the other places on the beach are closed today as we make preparations for the typhoon. The progress of the typhoon is available on the Japan Meteorological Agency website. It looks like it will hit this part of Japan Saturday and Sunday. So things should be back to normal by Monday morning.

If you have a reservation for tonight or this weekend on Shiraishi Island, please make alternative plans! The ferries will stop at some point (maybe even today) and should you make it to the island, you'll be stuck here until at least Monday morning.

We will keep you posted on the ferries and as soon as we hear they have stopped, we'll put up a new blog post.

In the meantime, stay safe!

Sunny day today (Aug. 7) on Shiraishi Island, #japan

Seto Inland Sea forecast...

Shiraishi beach during the week :)

You're probably wondering about the weather forecast--so are we! There appears to be a typhoon headed this way, which is projected to arrive over the weekend. We'll keep you posted here on the blog, as these things can change rather quickly. Not all typhoons make landfall, and if this one does, we'll update you on the ferry schedules should they be affected. They may even stop running depending on how close the typhoon comes to us. For now, however, we're just waiting out the rain! 

San-chan's--the only restaurant on Shiraishi Island, #japan

If you're coming out to the island, you'll probably have at least one meal at San-chan's, since it's the only restaurant on the island. You can order regular Japanese fare such as yakisoba, udon, fried rice and sashimi, or, for the more adventurous, you can order some finer delicacies such as these:

Read more about Creepy Creatures from the Seabed that you can eat! 

New car ferry to Shiraishi Island increases options for tourists

We are happy to announce you have more options for getting to Shiraishi Island (Kasaoka-shi, Okayama) than before. The Fuji Line is now operating out of Fushigoe Port in Kasaoka (the same place the orange direct-to-Shiraishi car ferry leaves from) and will stop at Shiraishi Island on it's way to Kitagi Island. That means you can use the same ferry to get to both Shiraishi and Kitagi. From Kitagi, the Fuji Line turns around and heads back to Kasaoka via Shiraishi.

The times leaving Kasaoka are:
9:25 and 15:25
The times returning to Kasaoka from Shiraishi are:
11:01 and 14:32

Here is the entire schedule, in case you'd like to include Kitagi Island in your trip:

7:15 Lv. Kasaoka direct to Kitagi Ar. 8:05
9:25 Lv. Kasaoka, Ar. Shiraishi -- 10:08, Ar. Kitagi -- 10:28
10:28 Lv. Kitagi, Ar. Shiraishi 11:01, Ar. Kasaoka 12:30
14:00 Lv. Kitagi , Ar. Shiraishi 14:32, Ar. Kasaoka 15:25
15:25 Lv. Kasaoka, Ar. Shiraishi 16:10, Ar. Kitagi 16:32

Keep in mind that Kitagi Island has 2 ports of call. For full details on drop off and pick up points on Kitagi, see this link (Japanese)

Shiraishi Island completely booked for Obon #japan #inland sea

Sunset from the Moooo! Bar

Sunny skies all week! Come out to Shiraishi Island and surround yourself with beauty and nature. 

Note: Island accommodation is all booked out for the Bon period (Aug 12-17). Camping on the beach, however, is still available (and free!) if you bring your own tent. Accommodation only available for dates before and after the Bon period only.

International Villa availability for August: 2 or more rooms are still available for Aug. 1, 5, 6, 8, 18-21, 25, 29-31. All other dates are completely booked, but other Japanese-style accommodation may be available on the beach. Contact us at shiraishireservations at yahoo dot com for availability. 

Tip: For Japanese-style accommodation, weekdays are always available, but weekends fill up quickly.

Movies on the beach!

Movies on the beach at San-chan's have started! Every evening this summer they'll be showing a flick. Kick back with a cold one and enjoy the summer on the beach!

Cultural Differences on the Beach, Shiraishi Island #japan

Yes, you can rent a table and hammock for your bags!

There are several umi-no-ie (seaside structures) on the beach on Shiraishi that will rent you shade. For 500 yen per person you can have a nice place to sit for the day and even bring your own food and drink. The Moooo! Bar also offers this service. We provide a table (can fit up to 8 people) and a hammock. The fee includes the use our changing room.  Of course, you can also have drinks and desserts from the Moooo! Bar and Calfe delivered to your table.

It's an interesting cultural difference, but the Japanese tend to rent the tables and use them to put their stuff on. Foreigners, on the other hand, sit at the tables and put their bags and stuff on the sand.

Great Sea Day Weekend on Shiraishi Island #japan

We caught this sleeping bovine at the Moooo! Bar on Sea Day :)

Wow, what a great Sea Day weekend it was! We were blessed with great weather and everything went swimmingly. 

This guy brought his own para-sailing rig!

 

Even Urashima-taro showed up!

The island is fully booked for Obon (Aug. 12-17), but you're welcome to come and camp on the beach. The Shiraishi Dance will be performed every evening during Obon. I'll post a schedule soon. 

If you need reservations, you can contact us at shiraishireservations at yahoo dot com

Hope to see you on the island!

See you on Sea Day! #shiraishi Island #japan

 

Manabe Island, two islands away from Shiraishi

We're deep into Sea Day weekend, a long weekend in Japan as Monday is a national holiday. The island is booked out accommodation-wise but come on out for the day, or, you can always camp on the beach (free).

We understand the weather forecast is for unstable conditions for today, but the forecast was the same for yesterday and we had sunny skies on Shiraishi. Remember, despite the showers you are experiencing on the mainland, we don't get them here! Damp air hugs the mainland, never touching our island paradise :)

If you plan to come o Shiraishi for more than a day, may we suggest a side trip to Manabe Island.

Paradise Returned...Shiraishi Island, Japan

So much for the forecast of rain for the next few days--now the forecast is for sunny skies with a few clouds! Even yesterday, when it was pouring down in the morning and we thought the day was lost, by noon the sun was out and everyone was enjoying the beach. Don't let the rain on the mainland get you down--come to sunny Shiraishi Island!

The vagina well, Shiraishi Island

 What?! You haven't read about the vagina well yet? Read about it here.

This week on Shiraishi Island

Shiraishi Island rocks!

We had a gorgeous day on Saturday and lots of people came out to the island to celebrate the beautiful weather. In addition, we had a demonstration of the Shiraishi Bon Dance on the beach in the evening where everyone could participate and learn the 800-year-old dance. What a great evening!

Rain is in the forcast for the next few days but we're still going to be having fun, even if you don't come--so don't miss out, come anyway and learn how to enjoy Shiraishi Island in the rain!

Here's one idea: Visit some of our sacred rocks that I wrote about for RocketNews24. We have a few power-spots on the island and some amazing natural rock formations. Read up and see what you have to look forward to!

Ferries to Shiraishi Island stopped for Thursday, July 10

Ferries to Shiraishi Island will stop tomorrow. The last ferry to the island is tonight at 6:05, and the last ferry leaving is 5:42.

Thursday, July 10, there will be no ferries running on account of the typhoon. Friday is still up in the air, so to speak. I'll update the blog as soon as we know when the ferries will start running again.

The Moooo! Bar will reopen as soon as the typhoon passes (we're going for Friday at this point) so we can all start enjoying moogaritas on the beach and sunsets as soon as possible!

Bring us back those sunsets!

Typoon Update: Shiraishi Island, #japan

Typhoon 8 seems to be slowing down and losing power. The central pressure is up to 970hPa with maximum wind speeds of 65 knots at the center. It is likely to lose even more power after it hits Kyushu.

At this rate, we will only get some wind and rain on Shiraishi and nothing too much to worry about.

Soon back to that wonderful island life of sunsets and moogaritas in a hammock on the beach!

Typhoon 8 Update, Shiraishi Island #japan

Typhoon 8 should be arriving in Okayama on Thursday. It is already losing strength and will probably continue to do so as it moves up the coast of Japan. Being that Shiraishi Island is in an inland sea, usually the typhoons lose their strength by the time they reach us.

The ferries to the island will stop, but it's hard to say when as it depends on the conditions of the typhoon. We'll keep you posted and let you know as soon as we hear about the ferry schedule.

The Moooo! Bar on the beach is closed until further notice. We're thinking everything will be clear by Friday.

Waiting out the rain on Shiraishi Island...

Kayaking is available on Shiraishi Island

It's been raining for a couple days on the island, and a typhoon is headed this way so we're just waiting it out! We expect the weather to clear by Friday and to have a great weekend.

In the meantime, if you'd like some insight into the history of the island's bathing traditions, click here.

It's Summertime--Come to Shiraishi Island! #japan #setonaikai

 Kompirasan, shrine to fisherman and seafarers on Shiraishi Island

 It's July and summer is finally here! We hope to see you on the island. 

The Shiraishi Island International Villa is booked on the following dates thus far. Other places to stay (minshuku and ryokan) are available, but email us for availability at shiraishireservations at yahoo dot com

The villa is completely booked on the following dates:
July: 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22
August: 7, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28
Sept: 13, 14, 20, 29, 30

Our recommended reading for today, for the intrepid traveller making their way out to Shiraishi Island: A few secrets about island life, in particular, the toilets. Keep in mind that the Villa and all minshuku and ryokan on the island have modern, flush toilets, although squat toilets are still prevalent.

This sunset could be yours....!

...for just 3,500 yen per night at the Shiraishi Island International Villa in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. But get your reservation in soon, because the villa fills up quickly.

The International Villa is already fully booked on the following dates:
June 28
July 12, 13, 19-22, 24, 25
August 7, 10-12, 15, 16, 22-24, 26-29
Sept 13, 14, 20, 29, 30
Oct. 1, 4

So a duck walks into a bar...

 

 

Lucky Ducky

Yes, we really had a duck at the Moooo! Bar today! I'd say it just goes to show how popular the bar is becoming--we had some goats come last year! Hopefully this is a sign that a bovine stampede is coming soon :) Moooo!

Shiraishi Island, where all your ducky dreams come true.

Meet the Amanos!

 This house name plate says "Amano" The name is made up of two kanji: heaven and field.

When you come to Shiraishi Island, one of the first things you'll notice is that a lot of people have the name Amano. Out of 570 people on the island, 92 are Amanos! 

Meet some Amanos and find out why we have so many people with this last name! There are lots of photos too.

Moooo! Bar opens Sunday, June 1....

The Moooo! Bar opens tomorrow! Are we ready? Of course not! But that's okay because good things come to those who moo. We'll surely be ready by then. Afterall, we have 24 hrs....

In the meantime, check out Amy's article on Shiraishi Island in RocketNews24 where you'll meet some of our resident vegetables, including Daikon Bob:

See you soon on Shiraishi Island!

Coming Soon: No.s 18 to 26 on the Shiraishi Island Pilgrimage #japan #setonaikai #setoinlandsea

Our second Shiraishi Island Pilgrimage Clean-up was a great success! Thanks to all the volunteers who came out both Sundays to help clear the pilgrimage for another year of journeying to the 88 sacred sites on the island. I will continue blog posts introducing the route of this 300-year-old Buddhist pilgrimage so that you can come out and experience it for yourself. So keep posted for the next installment, which is numbers 18 to 26! Here is a hint of what that part of the route has to offer:

The beach near No. 25 on the Shiraishi Island Pilgrimage.

Our first Moooo! Bar video on Vine (and first ever video on Vine!)

(To stop the video, click once on the video screen. To get it to play again, click it once.)



Thanks to everyone for a great Golden Week holiday! Golden Week for us is something equal to "Let the cows out of the barn day" in Europe, when the cows get their first taste of spring after a long winter and kick up their hooves! The Shiraishi cows productive and managed to get the Moooo! Bar up and running! Over this holiday period, we welcomed many spring visitors to the island: kayakers, hikers, campers and plenty of guests at the Shiraishi International Villa, all who enjoyed Moogaritas and Pina Mooladas on the beach in addition to Seto Inland Sea sunsets and nightly bonfires. What a great way to start out the 2014 season!

Also, this is my first video on Vine! Not the best videography, I know, but hopefully better ones are to come! To get the video to stop, just click once on the video screen. If you don't click, it'll endlessly loop the 6-second video (apparently, one of the appeals of Vine videos). Vine makes it easy to show you what's happening on Shiraishi Island--in just 6 seconds! Stay tuned for more videos of Shiraishi Island and the Seto Inland Sea, Japan.

Note: The Moooo! Bar was open only for Golden Week holidays. It will open again in June (weekends only) and July and August (every day). 

Still a few rooms open for Golden Week, Shiraishi Island International Villa!

 A customer relaxing at the Moooo! Bar on the beach, Shiraishi Island

 

The Shiraishi International Villa is filling up quickly! The following dates are already fully booked: May 5, 17 June 28, July 19, 20, 21, 22. Only one room is left for July 9, 10, 12 and Aug. 7. We still have two rooms left for Golden Week May 3 and 4.

If you've missed the boat this year for the villa, we can still book you into Amagiso Ryokan, Minshuku Harada or San-chan's.

All reservations (even for the villa) should be made through Shiraishi Reservations at shiraishireservations at yahoo dot com

Shiraishi Pilgrimage trail ready for Golden Week #japan

A big thanks to the 20 or so volunteers who came to help clean the Shiraishi Pilgrimage route! We had a great day out in nature, cleaning the ancient path to enlightenment. Now is a great time to take advantage of the cleared trail and visit the 88 different sacred sites on Shiraishi Island! A map of the 10km route and details are available at the Moooo! Bar on the beach.

Shiraishi Henro Michi Clean-up April 27 #shiraishijima #japan

Tomorrow is the first Pilgrimage Clean-up of the season! Thanks in advance to all who are coming out to help save the Shiraishi Henro Michi, a mini version of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. We'll meet at 10 am in front of the Shiraishi Island ferry ticket office. First, we'll head to the beach for the shimabiraki ceremony and then we'll head off to clear the pilgrimage route of fallen trees, leaves and other debris. After the clean-up (about 3 hrs), we'll head back to the beach to the Moooo! Bar for some Otsukaresama drinks!

If you are coming to help tomorrow, you have a choice of two different ferries. The Shiraishi Ferry leaves Fushigoe Port in Kasaoka at 9 am. The other ferry is the Sanyo Kisen Express ferry leaving from Kasaoka Port at 9:10. Both arrive Shiraishi Island around 9:40.

Cleaning tools will be provided but please wear your own gloves. A fine day to frolic in the forest with the gods!

If you can't make this clean-up, please come to the second one on May 11. Contact us at shiraishireservations at yahoo dot com

Moooo! Bar on the beach open for Golden Week!

The Moooo! Bar on the beach will be open for Golden Week. We'll open April 27 and stay open until May 6. The bar will then close until June, in which we'll open on weekends only. July and August we'll be open every day. Come join the herd! The moogaritas are waiting for you on Shiraishi Island...

Spring on Shiraishi Island #japan

Sunset from the Shriaishi International Villa last night...

The cherry blossoms have almost gone and the warmer wheather is creeping into the island houses day by day. People are once more outside tending their vegetable gardens, going for walks and sitting on the engawa of their traditional Japanese houses. Spring time on the island is idyllic! 

There is an Orienteering event on the island April 20, which means they're clearing parts of the Shiraishi Pilgrimage for it. Lucky you! This year there will be even more of the pilgrimage trail available for hiking. In addition, we have two pilgrimage clean-ups organized (April 27 and May 11) in which we ask volunteers to come help us keep the pilgrimage tradition alive here on the island. Of course, the regular hiking course is always maintained and gives you excellent views of the Seto Inland Sea year-round. The ancient pilgrimage route appeals to those more interested in Japan's history and Buddhist culture. Speaking of Buddhist culture, also on April 20 is the Spring Kobo Daishi Festival at the island temple. See description at www.moooobar.com

The international villa is also filling up quickly, perhaps due to the fine weather. May 17 and July 5 are fully booked and there is just one room left on the following dates: May 10, 11 July 9, 10. For reservations, contact us at shiraishireservations at yahoo dot com.

Hope to see you this spring on the island!

Shiraishi Island International Villa under New Management

 Shiraishi International Villa sits on a hill overlooking the Seto Inland Sea

Shiraishi Island's most popular accommodation is under new management as of April 1, 2014. Amy and Paul from the Moooo! Bar will be taking reservations and managing the International Villa for 2014 and beyond.

We take off our hats to Kazu-chan, the former manager who steps down March 31. She successfully made this lodging a favorite destination for foreign travellers and expats alike for the past 20 years. Her loyal customer base comes back to Shiraishi Island and the International Villa again and again. Thank you Kazu-chan!

Whereas previously reservations and management were two separate entities, Amy and Paul aim to make the popular Villa even more comfortable for guests by offering them a seamless experience from booking their reservations to looking after guests once they arrive.

 Relax and take in the views of the sea from the deck of the International Villa

The International Villa fills up fast for the summer months, so please secure your reservation as soon as possible by contacting Amy at shiraishireservations at yahoo dot com (Reservations for the Villa can now be made up to 6 months in advance).

Note: The International Villa is already fully booked for July 9 and 10.

Cherry Blossom Viewing on Shiraishi Island, Okayama #japan

It's March in Japan and you know what that means--it's almost time for cherry blossom season! This year San-chan's cherry blossom party will be held on Shiraishi on April 6 (Sunday) starting at noon. The price is 3,500 yen per person, all you can eat and drink! More information on their Facebook Page.

Shiraishi has an amazing collection of cherry blossom trees located in the side of the mountain affording spectacular views of the Inland Sea. Add to that our colorful cast of characters (Man-chan, Kio-chan & Co.), and it's truly a one-of-a-kind party.

 

The view from the cherry blossom site, Shiraishi Island

While you're out and enjoying the spring weather and cherry blossoms on, why not stay overnight at the International Villa? For just 3,500 yen per person, you can relax and enjoy your island time in style. For reservations, contact us at Shiraishi Reservations: shiraishireservations at yahoo dot com.

Shiraishi Island, 2014

Welcome to 2014, sure to be another mooing year at the Moooo! Bar on Shiraishi Island. It's still pretty cold here, but we're starting to get summer reservations in for the International Villa and San-chan is in the throes of planning the annual Cherry Blossom Viewing Party for April. As we get closer to springtime and the cherry blossoms bloom up the coast of the Japanese archipelago, we'll have a better idea of an appropriate date. It will be a Sunday though, most likely either the last Sunday in March or the first Sunday in April. If you're in the area, don't miss the Cherry Blossom Party! It's one of the most beautiful spots on the Inland Sea.

We'll also be updating the Moooo! Bar website soon. We're having some difficulties due to browser incompatibility, so we ask your patience. We'll have a full schedule of events up shortly.

Until then, enjoy yourself and we hope you're having a happy new year! Moooooooooo!