Surfin' Shikoku

Ikumi Beach Guesthouse, Kochi, Shikoku

We make so many excuses, but a well-deserved rest doesn't necessitate an expensive international flight. Just over the Awaji island bridge, Shikoku harbors one of Japan's best kept secrets: Ikumi beach — a wide stretch of sand and surf surrounded by lush green mountains and fresh country air. Who knew that such an idyllic island paradise was just a few hours away? The very idea of a few days on a sunny Shikoku beach is enough to make you forget about the hustle and bustle of your workaday lives.

To make matters better, Ten, owner of Tennoji's beloved Tin's Hall, has opened the Ikumi Minshuku to give work-weary souls a place to unwind. The guesthouse is cozy and small, feeling a lot like someone's weekender that we've all been invited to.

With two large rooms which sleep six and four small rooms for doubles or singles, the minshuku can accommodate groups of all sizes. Each room is fitted out with air conditioning and a supply of futons. All you need to bring is a toothbrush and a towel.

Ikumi beach is a wide bay flanked by rocky out-croppings blanketed with shrubs. Tree-laden mountains rise steeply from the ocean, dominating the landscape, vying with the sky for attention. It's not as hot down here in Ikumi; offshore breezes cool sweating brows and sunburned skin. The noisy chirrup of the cicadas is nearly drowned out by the roar of crashing waves.

Little crabs scuttle from shady crevice to crevice; follow their example: it's best to be careful about sun exposure. Except for a few sunbathers, nearly everyone is busy out on the water: surfers bobbing on their boards, boogie borders spinning on breaks, body surfers careening into shore, and families splashing in the shallows.

Although a native of Osaka, Ten has been exploring the few places in Japan worthy of the name “surf spot.” He first started taking daytrips to nearby beaches in Wakayama and Ise, that is, until he discovered Ikumi beach and the Shikoku surf scene. Ikumi is a world class beach, drawing visitors from around the globe, playing host to local and international surfing competitions. Both WCT and APS heats have been held there, featuring surfers like Kelly Slater, CJ Hopgood, and Aussie, Joel Parkinson.

Despite the international recognition, Ikumi is a beach for all skill levels from super beginner to seasoned veteran. You can borrow boards from the minshuku for free and Ten can get you a discount on surf lessons. If you're lucky, he'll show you a few pointers himself.

Ten is a man who takes his own advice, “It's important to get out of Osaka from time to time.” He has left Osaka in more than capable hands in order to live out a life's dream of sun and surf. Under his manag-ment, the guesthouse has already become immensely popular. On any given weekend, you'll find scores of people of all ages, nationalities, and occupations. “This place is for everyone. All you need is respect for nature and the ocean.”

Having just returned from a stock trip, you can almost see the tension drain from his face as he settles into a captain's chair on the patio. “Home sweet home”, he remarks as he peels off his shirt. He grins wildly as he recounts his trip, “It was so hot in Osaka. Too busy. Too fast. I just wanted to kick back, relax, take my shirt off.”

If the water is quiet and the waves are small, a trip to the river or any of the local waterfalls will be arranged. Mountain chilled water, verdant forests and a stony riverbed make the river just as nice a place to visit. For an added adrenaline rush there are plenty of high places for jumping into some of the river's deeper points. Or you can give your muscles a soak after a long day of surfing; Shikoku is home to many an onsen.

Ikumi is a four hour drive from Osaka, but it can be reached just as easily via public transport. Buses leave Osaka for Anan or Tokushima, where you can take the JR line to the end of the line. The minshuku has a free pick-up service. Give them a ring when your train pulls into Kannoura station. A few minutes later, a blue weather-worn van will pull up. With a honk and a smile, Hide will welcome you to Ikumi.

Hide has been working with Ten for a few years, running the old DHK in neighboring Kaifu. Five months ago, when Ten started up the minshuku, he asked Hide to come with him. As Ten's right hand man, Hide is a regular fixture and an integral part of the hospitality that makes the guesthouse such a great place to stay. This is more than just a business, it's a way for Ten and Hide to share what Ikumi has to offer: good breaks, good food, and good friends.

The nightly rate of ¥3,500 includes breakfast. What better way to start the day than to wake up to a protein packed meal — sausage, eggs, toast, hash browns and a side salad — much needed fuel for an almost uninterrupted day of the ocean.

Ten also runs Da Hawaiian Kitchen —known as DHK — Ikumi's only internet burger café. Burgers come in three varieties: regular, hungry and yokuzuna. The lunch set is your choice of burger served up with a healthy helping of potato wedges and a bottomless soda, starting from ¥700. Appropriately, DHK has a few dishes which feature the beloved canned lunch meat of the Hawaiian islands, Spam.

I'm not a surfer in the loosest sense of the word, but I feel like one bobbing in the water, waiting for the next set of waves to break, meeting the locals — all of us soaked in the camaraderie that come from a shared respect for and admiration of the ocean. There's such an immense rush of connected-ness that comes from harnessing the ocean's power — from catching a wave and feeling it propel you to the distant shore.

I find this lifestyle really attractive. I can picture myself living here, blending in with the locals, burned the deep chocolate brown of the surfers here, letting my hair grow long, wearing less clothing, making less money, needing less because the days are filled with surfing and the nights are filled with the sleep of the physically spent. I could think of far worse ways to live life.

This is what Ten hopes to share with you. Shake those city doldrums from your hamper-ed limbs; drive those concerns out of your mind. For just a little while, at least, become a local. Relax. Slow down.

Text and Photos: Jessica Chan