Half a year in the sea of Izu. A special day to retrieve wine aged on the seabed. Shobuzawa in Higashi-Izu, a short trip from Tokyo. The summer blue sky and calm sea. This day's diving had a slightly different purpose than usual. We are going to retrieve the wine sleeping on the seabed. 🚢 Six months ago, to the seabed of Izu. This January. We placed wine and sake in special cases and sank them to the seabed of Shobuzawa. The location is a sea popular among divers for its sunken ship. About six months later. In July, the day of retrieval finally arrived. How has the bottle spent half a year underwater changed? 🍾 To the sunken ship. Searching for wine sleeping on the seabed. The sea on this day is calm. We head out to sea by boat and start diving. The first goal is to retrieve the liquor that has been on the seabed for half a year. We check the case underwater and proceed with caution. Then, the case slowly rises to the surface. The case that emerged from the sea was covered with shells and marine life. What was once a new case has transformed into something that looks like a "part of the sea" over six months. Once safely retrieved onto the boat, it’s a reunion after half a year. 🌊 The next 21 bottles go back into the sea. Retrieving is not the end. On the second dive, we will transport the liquor to be aged next to the seabed. This time, we sank a total of 21 bottles, including wine and sake. From land to boat. And from the boat to the sea. We carefully transport the case containing the bottles to the seabed and set it up. The next time we meet will be in about six months. We plan to retrieve it around January 2027. 🍷 Wine, sake, and the sea of Izu. When thinking of a trip to Japan, many might picture the streets of Tokyo, temples in Kyoto, hot springs, and Japanese food. However, Japan is a country surrounded by the sea on all sides. If you look a little towards the sea, there is a completely different sense of time in Japan than that of city tourism. Diving in the sea of Izu to retrieve wine sleeping on the seabed. And sinking the next wine for six months later in that sea. Such a day is a unique experience in the sea of Japan. What kind of taste will the liquor retrieved from the seabed have? I will share more about it next time. 🇯🇵 A special day by the sea in Japan. 🌈 Hokule'a Shonan is a small diving shop located in Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. About an hour by train from Tokyo. We guide you to enjoy the sea of Japan, focusing on Shonan and Izu, for day trips from Tokyo. The theme is, "Let’s embark on a journey to an unseen world!" Through diving, we hope you can enjoy the beauty of Japan's sea, its rich nature, and the time spent by the seaside. The tours are limited to small groups. Beginners and those who haven't dived in a while are also welcome to join. We also offer guidance in English. How about adding a day by the sea to your memories of your trip to Japan? We will suggest the best seas for that time based on your diving experience and travel schedule. Please feel free to contact us.