Hi, friends!

Do you know "Sea Hares" ?

We call them "AMEFURASHI" or "UMIUSHI".

Strictly speaking, AMEFURASHI and UMIUSHI seem to be different kinds of creatures.
I used to play on a seashore when I was a kid.
When I found an AMEFURASHI (or an UMIUSHI),  people around me always said "this is AMEFURASHI but another name is UMIUSHI.  You have to remember both names".
This is the reason why I still can't tell the difference between them.

I can find these AMEFURASHI-like, UMIUSHI-like creatures when I scuba dive.
They move slowly at the bottom of the sea.
Touching them, I can feel the smooth surface.
Sometimes they spit out a purple liquid when they sense danger.

  *My scuba diving friend, Mr. Imai took these pictures.

I don't think they have many fans because some of them don't look so attractive.
But I like them because they are humorous.

One day when I was launching under water with my diving gear, I saw two Sea Hares, big and small, on a sea weeds.
They were swinging back and forth, giving their bodies to the tide.
They looked like they were having a nap in the spring water.

So I made a Haiku with this scene...

アメフラシ　春藻に親子　寄り添ひて (*in Japanese characters)
Amefurashi Harumo ni Oyako Yorisoite

Sea Hares,
Father and son on a sea weed
Together in the spring water!

Clarence