A DAY IN KAMAKURA

DEAR BOYS AND GIRLS,
TODAY I HAD THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF ALL, THE BEST DAY SINCE I HAVE BEEN IN JAPAN. 16 TEACHERS WOKE UP VERY EARLY AND MET MY JAPANESE FRIENDS IN OUR HOTEL. THEIR NAMES ARE HOSHIDO-SAN, YOSHIKO AND THEIR DAUGHTER, YOKO. THEY TOOK ALL OF US ON AN ADVENTURE. FIRST WE TOOK A SUBWAY AND THEN A TRAIN. WE ARRIVED AT A BEAUTIFUL TOWN CALLED KAMAKURA. KAMAKURA IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN TOKYO. IT IS MUCH SMALLER, NOT AS MODERN AND NOT AS BUSY. IN THIS CITY THERE ARE MANY BUDDIST TEMPLES. REMEMBER I TOLD YOU THAT BUDDISM IS A RELIGION? HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A BUDDAH? THE JAPANESE PEOPLE PRAY AT THESE TEMPLES AND PRAY TO THE BUDDAHS. IT IS SO INTERESTING!! WE SAW THE BEAUTIFUL TEMPLES, THE MAGNIFICENT GARDENS, SO PEACEFUL AND LOVELY. WE EACH BOUGHT A JOURNAL AT THE TEMPLE AND TOOK THE BOOK TO EVERY TEMPLE WE WENT. JAPANESE MEN WROTE BEAUTIFUL WORDS IN THE BOOK AT EACH TEMPLE. I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW IT TO YOU! AFTER THE FIRST TEMPLE WE GOT BACK ON A TRAIN AND WENT TO ANOTHER TEMPLE. THIS PLACE WAS JUST AS PRETTY AS THE FIRST PLACE. WE WALKED AND WALKED, SHOPPED, HAD A WONDERFUL JAPANESE LUNCH AND THEN WE SAW LITTLE CHILDREN DRESSED IN THE MOST GORGEOUS CLOTHES. AT THIS TEMPLE THERE WAS A CEREMONY FOR CHILDREN. IN JAPAN WHEN CHILDREN TURN 2 MONTHS OLD, THEN 3 YEARS, THEN 7 YEARS, THEIR PARENTS DRESS THEM UP AND BRING THEM TO THE TEMPLE FOR A SPECIAL BLESSING. IT IS A SPECIAL CEREMONY. WE SAW LITTLE GIRLS IN KIMONAS, SOME BOYS TOO. EACH CHILD WAS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN THE NEXT. WE KEPT SNAPPING PICTURES AND THE PARENTS WERE SO PROUD TO HAVE US TAKE THEIR CHILDREN'S PHOTOS. THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL CEREMONY THAT HAPPENS ONLY WHEN A CHILD REACHES THOSE AGES. AFTER THE CEREMONY THE FAMILIES GO OUT FOR LUNCH AND THE CHILDREN GET PRESENTS. I LOVED SEEING THIS SO MUCH, IT'S BEEN MY FAVORITE THING SO FAR.

AFTER THAT PART OF TOWN, WE WENT TO ANOTHER PART OF TOWN, AGAIN BY TRAIN. THIS TIME WE SAW THE LARGEST BUDDAH IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. YES, YOU ARE READING THIS RIGHT: THE LARGEST BUDDAH IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, AND IT WAS HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD. EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT A BUDDIST, I STILL PRAYED. I PRAYED FOR THE GOOD HEALTH OF MY FAMILY, MY FRIENDS AND ALL OF YOU!! I PRAYED THAT WE WILL HAVE A GREAT YEAR IN SECOND GRADE AND THAT YOU WILL ALL DO WELL AND LEARN SO MUCH! IT WAS VERY SPECIAL.

WE LEFT THAT AREA AND THEN TOOK 3 SUBWAY RIDES TO GET TO A SPECIAL TRAIN STATION. THIS TIME WE GOT ON THE BULLET TRAIN. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS? THIS IS THE FASTEST TRAIN IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. IT WAS BRAND NEW AND BEAUTIFUL. NOTHING LIKE OUR TRAINS BACK HOME. SO COOL!! OUR DAY WAS STILL NOT OVER. FROM THERE WE WENT ON ANOTHER SUBWAY AND WENT TO A NEW PART OF TOKYO. THIS PART IS CALLED SHIFUDO. PEOPLE TOLD US THAT SHIFUDO IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE BUSIEST STREETS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. YUP, YOU READ THIS RIGHT: THE BUSIEST STREETS IN THE WORLD! THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF YOUNG ADULTS ALL OVER THE PLACE; SHOPPING, HANGING WITH FRIENDS, WALKING, ETC. I NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE THIS. MY FRIENDS AND I JUST STOOD ON A BRIDGE AND WATCHED IT ALL. THEN WE CROSSED THE STREET WITH ALL THESE YOUNG PEOPLE AND TRIED TO TALK TO THEM. BUT, NO ONE WANTED TO SPEAK TO A BUNCH OF AMERICAN TEACHERS. THEY WERE TOO BUSY RUNNING WHERE EVER IT WAS THAT THEY WERE GOING. I TRIED TO GET PHOTOS, BUT IT WAS TOO DARK AND THEY WERE TOO BUSY WALKING. I BET WHEN I GET HOME WE CAN LOOK IT UP ON THE INTERNET. IF YOU WANT YOU CAN LOOK UP BOTH KAMAKURA AND SHIFUDO ON THE INTERNET. LET ME KNOW IF YOU DID.

FINALLY, ONE MORE SUBWAY RIDE BACK TO THE HOTEL AND THAT IS WHERE I AM NOW, TOO TIRED TO EVEN GO OUT FOR DINNER. I HAVE TO PACK BECAUSE TOMORROW WE FLY TO A NEW ISLAND IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. CAN YOU FIND OKINAWA ON OUR MAP? THAT IS WHERE I WILL BE TOMORROW AND I AM SO EXCITED. I MIGHT EVEN GET TO GO TO THE BEACH!!

I LEARNED SO MUCH TODAY ABOUT JAPAN AND THEIR RELIGION, THEIR PEOPLE, THEIR CEREMONIES. IT WAS WONDERFUL!! REMEMBER, THERE IS NOTHING AS SPECIAL AS LEARNING NEW THINGS IN LIFE. I CAN'T WAIT TO COME HOME AND TEACH YOU EVERYTHING. YOU BETTER MAKE SURE THAT YOUR BRAINS ARE READY TO LEARN EVERYTHING I HAVE TO TEACH YOU!!
GOOD BYE TO TOKYO! HELLO, OKINAWA!!
I MISS ALL OF YOU!
LOVE,
MRS. WILLNER