Saturday, August twenty-third was our six month Japanniversary. We celebrated on Monday by having a picnic on Kamakura beach. A picnic on Kamakura beach looks something like this - a rainbow-striped plastic tarp set on the dark volcanic sand, fluttering a little in the breeze; spread out on the tarp are two kinds of sushi, fried rice and yakisoba, some kind of sweetened fried shrimp, and a liter of lemon tea. Despite looming clouds earlier in the day, the weather was cool, sunny, and breezy.
After lunch we walked up and down the shore collecting seashells. There was a lot of trash on the beach, which was a little disappointing. A sign by the bathroom says, “Japan’s beaches are beautiful if you don’t look at your feet.” Zing! Japan 1, Litterers 0. We dug a bright red cell phone from a pile of kelp. Oh well, score one for litter.
After being here for six months, I feel it’s fair for me to express at least a preliminary opinion of the country. We’ve gotten to see and do a lot so far, and plenty of those experiences directly contradict one another. It’s hard to summarize the feel of an adventure from its midway point, so here are ten completely subjective and immediate opinions about life and living in Japan (by Joe Davenport and Holly Parker).
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