I went on my honeymoon to Hachijojima 🏝️!

It's been a while since my last post...
It's me, Saori, always moving at my own pace!

This time, I'd like to share some happiness with you all 😄💞

Last week, I finally went on the honeymoon I'd been longing for!

To Hachijojima 🏝️🌿🌿🌿

The rainy season hadn't ended yet, so the clouds were really puffy, but it was a very fulfilling three days!

Day 1: Falling for the Reeves' muntjacs!

The highlight of the first day was the Reeves' muntjacs ❣️

The name 'muntjac' is cute in itself,
but they were so small and had a light, bouncy way of walking,
which was just adorable 💕

They look cute, but they actually have quite sturdy fangs.

I don't have any good photos,
and the muntjacs' mouths are hidden in these, but 💦

Maybe they thought I had food,
but many of them would bounce right over when I got close,
and it really made my heart flutter ❣️

The gelato at the adjacent visitor center was also delicious 😋

Day 2: Filled with the warmth of the island

We rented electric bicycles and went cycling 🚲

…but,

we were both so exhausted by the endless hills leading to our destination that we decided to turn back halfway.

While we were stopped to rest along the hilly coast, a man in a passing truck
called out, "Honeymoon?" and gave us some passion fruit. ✨

It was so warm and touched our hearts.

We forgot to take pictures of us riding our bikes or the stunning coastal views, but
these two red fruits are proof that we made it that far!

After resting at a cafe for a while, we decided we just had to go!
So we took a taxi to...

Uramigataki Hot Spring. 🌿

An open-air bath surrounded by lush greenery.
It's a mixed-gender bath where you wear swimsuits. ♨️

The water temperature was just right, and the water quality was great.
And believe it or not, it's free!

It was only for a short time, but we had the place all to ourselves!
It felt so open and was a truly special experience. 😌

The Uramigataki waterfall right nearby looks like this!

...
You can't even tell where the waterfall is in the photo. 😅

It seems like it hasn't rained much lately,
so the water volume was low. 💧

But we were able to go behind the waterfall and enjoy a nice walk around it. 🚶

Day 3: Completely enveloped by nature

On the final day, we headed to the sea in the morning. 🏝️
We enjoyed some snorkeling!

The sea around Hachijojima is deep in color due to the Kuroshio Current,
and it's known as the deep azure "Hachijo Blue."
The clarity is outstanding. ✨

And what makes our hearts race the most is...

meeting sea turtles!!

Hachijojima has a high encounter rate with green sea turtles,
and they say you have a 90% chance of meeting them even while snorkeling!

On this day, we were able to see two sea turtles up close. ✨

They didn't seem to want to run away at all, and we were able to observe them from so close!

It felt like we were swimming together. 😆💕

We also saw fish like these...

I looked at the spangled emperor thinking it looked delicious,
and when I looked it up, it turns out it really is delicious as sashimi or pan-fried in butter 🤤 lol

I was a little scared to go into the ocean for the first time in over a decade,
but the instructor was so cheerful and attentive
that I was able to enjoy it despite my nerves!

In the afternoon, we went to Hachijo-Fuji Fureai Ranch!

The fog was intense, but if the weather is nice,
you can see a magnificent panoramic view of Mt. Mihara, the ocean, the Hachijojima town area, and the airport.

The cows were just relaxing in the highlands~

There was also a calf that had made a little escape, which was adorable 😂💕

I love highlands like this.

I sat on a bench overlooking the entire ranch,
feeling the peaceful, quiet air with almost no one else around.

(It reminded me of when I went to the Kirigamine Highlands in Nagano by myself 5 years ago,
when I was struggling and wanted to quit the railway company I had just joined.)

Just being there was so comfortable,
it was such a calm and peaceful time.

And when I get happy...

I was taking selfies. lol
I even took a video of myself for once, ignoring my husband 😂

It's a bit embarrassing to think, 'Wow, I really love myself!' but

in reality, when you are truly fulfilled by what you love,
I think it's only natural to love yourself like that.

Right now, I've just finished a course on total affirmation psychology,
and I'm in the middle of answering questions to get to know myself better,

and by coming to this place this time,
I was able to reaffirm what I 'like' and what feels 'comfortable' to me ❤️

The end of the trip was a hamburger 😋

Eating a hamburger by the sea was incredibly delicious ✨

A free summer 🍉 Make yourself happy!

Although I didn't take photos of everything and there are things I couldn't write here,
the places I wanted to go and the things I wanted to do,
it was a fulfilling trip where I did it all 🧡

We are already in our second year of marriage, but this was a honeymoon-like trip we finally managed to take!

I've had a lot of worries until now, but

it's okay to enjoy yourself freely,
it's okay to make yourself happy.

I've finally been able to
water myselfso to speak.

It was truly so much fun!! ✨

Summer is still continuing 🍉
For you who have watched this far,
I hope you have a sparkling summer too 😊🌴