Looking Back at Our Very First Summer in 2024 at "Ikken-yado Sameura"
Hi everyone! We are Ikken-yado Sameura, a private vacation rental in the heart of Shikoku (the Reihoku region of Kochi Prefecture), operating inside a beautifully renovated traditional Japanese house.
We spent half a year restoring this lovely old home, which had stood empty for 10 years, and finally opened our doors in February 2024. Now, we are welcoming our very first summer! Thanks to so many wonderful guests coming to enjoy the river, our August has been incredibly busy. We are so incredibly grateful.
The Pure Asemi River Taught Us the True Meaning of "Mizu-iro" (Water-Color)
While chatting with our guests, something one of them said really stuck with us: "Coming to this river made me finally understand why we call this shade of light blue 'mizu-iro' in Japan."
Think about it—water itself is colorless and transparent. Water in a glass has no color. Yet, in Japanese, the word for light blue is literally "Mizu-iro" (水色 — water-color). Our guest mentioned they always wondered why a transparent liquid inspired the name for light blue.
But looking at the Asemi River right near our inn, it suddenly clicked. "Ah, it really is the color of water." Hearing that made us realize just how true it is. The Asemi River is, without a doubt, the perfect embodiment of mizu-iro.
As we’ve mentioned in other posts, a river doesn’t become this beautiful light blue just because it's clean. Even if water is perfectly clear, if you pour it into a black bowl, it looks black. In a river, it all comes down to the color of the riverbed stones. The Asemi River looks so beautifully blue because its stones are naturally whitish.
The Science and Art of Natural Light Reflection
To get a little technical, why does a white riverbed look light blue instead of just white? It comes down to physics and how our eyes perceive light. Our eyes recognize "mizu-iro" because it is the exact wavelength of light that water ($H_2O$) absorbs the least.
When sunlight enters the water, wavelengths on the red and orange end of the spectrum are easily absorbed. However, blue wavelengths pass through and are not easily absorbed—which means they get reflected. These reflected blue light rays are what travel back up and reach our eyes.
For our eyes to perceive this perfect "mizu-iro," you need a rare combination of three things: perfectly clear water, a whitish riverbed, and the right depth (usually a few meters). If the rocks at the bottom are black, or if the water is murky, you won’t get this color. This is also why the deep ocean looks like a deep "marine blue" rather than a light mizu-iro—the deeper the water, the more light is absorbed, making it look darker. But here at the Asemi River, when the bright summer sun pours down, the magic alignment of clear water and pale stones creates a flawless, natural palette of light blue.
A Little Bonus Trivia: Why is "Cha-iro" (Tea-Color) Brown?
Speaking of color mysteries, we used to have a similar question about the Japanese word for brown: "Cha-iro" (茶色 — tea-color). We wondered, "Wait, isn't Japanese tea green?" (It would make sense if it were named after roasted barley tea, but standard tea in Japan is green!)
We finally found the answer when we learned about the history of Chinese tea. In China, oxidized teas—like Oolong tea or black tea—have historically been the mainstream. When tea was first introduced from China to Japan centuries ago, it brought along the name "Cha-iro" for that rich, reddish-brown color. Later on, non-oxidized green tea became the favorite in Japan, but the original name for the color brown stuck around!
Speaking of tea, did you know that at Ikken-yado Sameura, we actually have our own tea bushes in the garden? From May through September, our guests can pluck fresh, vibrant green tea leaves right from the branches and brew their own completely raw, fresh tea!
If you want to experience the true colors and flavors of nature, please come visit us in the Reihoku region, right in the heart of Shikoku. We can't wait to welcome you!
