7. Birthday at Kamogawa Sea World

Laura'a birthday "kiss" from a killer whale

I know I am jumping ahead a bit in my Japan travels, but since last week was my birthday (7/18), I just wanted to recant a wonderful story about my birthday trip to Kamogawa Sea World, last year while I was in Japan. I had such a grand time, that whenever I look at the photos, I am reminded of one of the most fun days I have ever had!

Yes, Kamogawa is a tourist town. Many Tokyo residents drive down to Kamogawa to surf, or see the magnificent flower fields or to visit our very own Kamogawa Sea World. Now mind, you Kamogawa's Sea World is not as large as the US attractions but to me, that's what makes it special. You can actually see all the show's in one day, without feeling like you are rushed running from one end of the park to another like in Florida or California. The Kamogawa Sea World has the brilliant blue Pacific Ocean as its backdrop, so you are truly in a "sea world". Neslted in within the coastline, the theme park offers a spectacular view as you casually walk along its path, gently touched by an ocean breeze and occasional spray.

Tobayama-san, Laura and a killer whale

On my birthday last year, I chose to spend the entire day at the park on my own, just strolling and enjoying a most beautiful, sunny, peaceful day. My friend had dropped me off in the morning and pointed out the free shuttle bus back to my local Jusco shopping mall, where I would later take a train and another bus to get home to Soro ( my neighborhood). On of my adult conversation students, Tobayama-san, gave me a 50% coupon to go toward my ticket...yeah, I love a bargain! Her husband, as I understand, was one of the primary organizers for having Kamogawa Sea World built there. 

My day started off beautifully and I enjoyed walking through the park once just to get a feel and then I headed for the sting of shows. First, the Beluga show. The white Beluga whales, with the large cushy foreheads, are actually from the dolphin family. They are so smart, so graceful and very friendly. Next stop was the dolphin show. No matter how old I get I am still amazed and giddy watching them doing their wonderful jumps and flips in mid-air. There, I got to see the bottle-nosed "Flipper" dolphin and also a black-sided dolphin; smaller and sleeker in size. My third show was the killer whales, and off I went, when to my surprise, I met Tobayama-san who was waiting for me at the entrance. What a treat! I could not have asked for a more wonderful guide. The whales were so popular with the audience and I was lucky to get to see an entire family performing together: Mother, Father, sister and new baby sister orca. Next stop the entertaining California Sea Lions. They made me laugh so hard. They are so smart and fun to watch! As you can see by my later photo...both of us with ear to ear grinsJ Time for lunch and we went next door to the SeaWorld hotel for a Viking-style ( buffet) lunch. Yummy! After lunch, Tobayama-san had an incredible surprise for me...a free backstage tour! That is where I got to touch belugas, bottle-nosed dolphins, and killer whales. But the highlight and definitely my favorite picture, was receiving a "kiss" from a killer whale. I cannot fully express the exhilaration...poised over the tank, I saw this great mass of black and white skin and a mouth full of teeth, surging from the water depths, up out of the water to lick the side of my face...a "kiss". It was as if I was 8 years old, I was so tickled with excitement!!!

Bottle-nosed dolphin

But before I forget, I must mention "mambo" (hopefully, I spelled that right), the symbol of Kamogawa, an incredibly large sunfish. When I saw large, I am talking really big, bigger than a grown man. This fish is not only large but very flat in appearance, with a high and low fin, protruding from the top and bottom of its body. This specimen was believed to be the largest on record, but sadly, it died shortly before I left for America.

I spent the entire day at Kamogawa Sea World and thanks to Tobayma-san, I will always have an incredible memory and wonderful photos from that day! 

Beluga whale      With a grinning sea lion...the resemblance is uncanny:)

That is a really hard birthday to beat. I have had a few others that will always remain on my mind too: When I turned 12, I was in Alexandria, Virginia on a summer school field trip to an archaeological excavation at a Civil War site. It was there that my friends and teachers threw me a surprise birthday party, my first birthday away from home..very sweet. My next biggie was 25, and my friends in Kuala Lumpur brought me a big fruit cake at midnight to celebrate my birthday. And then just yesterday, my summer school students at Riverview High treated me to a surprise birthday, complete with cake, ice cream, pizza...the works. That was a really special day too.

The Mambo...Note: size see man's arm in pic!

Next #7: the scenery of Kamogawa

(to be continued...)

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