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We stayed two days at a youth hostel in Minami-Izu. For those not familiar
with the concept, it's basically a frills-free hotel, where, depending on the
number of people staying, you could be sharing a room with a few
strangers. The idea began in Europe as a cheap way for young people to
travel through the continent. It's less than half the price of most
hotels and just as comfortable. We lucked out on our trip, being the only
two people staying there one of the nights, and both nights having our own
rooms. |
| One of the beaches in
Minami-Izu. Even in the winter, it was a beautiful place. |
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| The man who ran the joint was an odd but interesting sort of fellow. He
was a 74-year-old Japanese man, a former sailor for the Japanese Imperial Navy
in the closing days of World War II. On our last day at the hostel, I
noticed he was dressed in the traditional black suit of somber occasions as worn
by Japanese men. He explained that he was going to a memorial service for
a friend who died a year ago. He then asked if I attended ceremonies like
that as a Christian. I told him, "no...no...Judagene desu,"
meaning I was Jewish. His eyes lit up and he told me that he had been to
Israel back in 1964. He had a friend there. He then clapped his
hands and stomped his feet, singing "Shalom Alacheim." Dana and
I were pretty amazed that, after 36 years, he remembered the song, nearly
perfectly! |
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The owner of the youth
hostel. |