The Aegean Sea is renowned throughout the world for its crisp blue sky and azure, gentle waves. Thus, you can imagine my disappointment when, instead of picturesque islands scattered here and there in an ocean of blue, I saw nothing but dull gray clouds every day throughout my trip, only punctuated by the occasional light rain.

When I heard that the first sushi restaurant on Santorini Island had opened recently, I could hardly wait until suppertime--and instead went out to the restaurant early.

In front of the restaurant, I saw three young people chatting. A young man, who had trained in a Yokohama sushi restaurant for a year, said, “We are closed tonight because it is rainy,” with a happy look on his face. When I looked at the restaurant, there was a counter and circular tables lined up on the terrace facing the ocean--yet there was nothing to keep out the rain. Although I wanted to eat sushi so much that I would have agreed to eat under an open umbrella, there was nothing I could do.

When I got up early next morning, the weather was clear and sunny for a change. I immediately went out for a stroll in the vicinity of the hotel. Completely white buildings, which are unique to this island, are lined up in tiers with the ocean in the background. On one white roof by the roadside I spotted an old, crumbling boat; it was clearly placed there for decoration. The main part of that particular building was hidden out of sight; the rooftop was the only part on display.

At close inspection, one could see some Greek characters at the tips of the boat's oars. Probably the owner of the house had carved them rather than putting up a normal doorplate. The sign casually blended in with the surrounding scenery. What a fitting presentation.