An email from Jake in Japan

So we walked for nearly seven hours! And half the time it was in the rain!

Not like Kodiak rain, though. This rain was warm and cooling at the same time.

We took a train out to Kamakura about 11am. There's a street called "Shopping Road" or something to that effect. It's packed with shops, but not like Busan. These places are nicer, trendier, and cleaner. Every other store on the street sells icecream. EVERY store has umbrella holders in the doorway. But shopping wasn't our goal.
We went to a Buddist temple Heath had heard about. It was about a half hour walk, kinda up-hill. Then more up hill. We didn't pay to go inside, becuase photography wasn't allowed inside anyways. Oddly, at the entrance to the shrine a band was setting up. We walked all around and saw a HUGE koi pond, with the weird lilly-type plants that seem to filter water up through the stem then out the top of the plant. Also in the pond were turtles and ducks. (Ducks sound the same in Japanese as they do in English.)

After about an hour walking around there, we headed to McDonalds, which was all the way back at the train station. I had a Big Mac, fires, and a Coke for 550 Yen. Then we walked to the Kencho-Ji Zen Temple, which was about 30 minutes past the first temple. The place was gorgeous, the sun had come out, the artwork was fantastic. Everything you imagine Japan should be like.

Then we walked back to the train station (down hill from this point) to get our bearings and headed out to the Great Buddha. We got there about half an hour before it closed. That sucker his Huge! for 20 yen you can go inside, but we were tired. We walked back to the train station, it rained some more. Then back to the base. That was our day.

I love you very much.

xoxoxoxoxox