Another Golden Week has come and gone, which means it’s officially back to work for me tomorrow…  As I’ve written before, Golden Week is a string of Japanese national holidays from April 29 to May 6, in which many in Japan enjoy several consecutive days off from work.  This Golden Week I decided to get away from it all by going to Ikumi beach in the little town of Toyo for a little rest and relaxation under the sun.  Ikumi beach is located 2-hours south of Tokushima City near the Tokushima/Kochi prefecture border and is popular for being a surfing beach.  Tokushima is home to seven public kaisuiyokujou (swimming beaches or seaside resorts), and several surfing beaches.  Shikoku Island is home to some of Japan’s best surf, the beaches face right into seasonal oncoming typhoons, have warm water, are not too crowded; and have a huge variety of reef, beach and river mouth breaks for surfing enthusiasts.  In 1997 Ikumi beach hosted the Tokushima Pro Surfing World Championships – won by 8 time world champion, Kelly Slater.  Although I don’t surf, I prefer surfing beaches to take in the sun, because there’s nothing more relaxing then having a cooler full of beer, a beach lounge chair, and a front row seat to some great surfing theater for entertainment…  the next best thing to being courtside…