Is that a dead sea turtle?

Yes. That is a very large and very dead sea turtle on the beach in Kamakura. One guy, who was apparently called in to deal with it, dug a hole and then proceed to dissect the entire turtle and then bury the pieces of it in a very shallow grave on the beach. It was a very long process involving two very large knives and took place while we ate dinner. All we wanted was an ocean view and we got a "show" with it.

Besides stumbling upon something you would never even imagine witnessing in life, the day proved to be very fruitful. With in 30 minutes and at one location, I was able to not only finally find postcards in Japan, but also find something that cost under 1$!. For 25 cents, I was able to go inside a very large budda. Even though the inside was not much of anything, I would have paid it just to stand at the door because I finally found something cheap.

Sake: The Wine of Japan

We were provided a Sake tasting at school. While it was certainly weird to drink at school and not have to hide it in water bottles and the like, it was a lot of fun. We got to try lots of different sakes, from the highest grade to the one that comes in a milk carton. We even got to try pairing it with cheese and dried squid. The dried squid won.

Fun fact about sake: It's distillation process is longer and more complex than wine.

We also got sushi with it.

Japanese Baseball Fans Are Better

Last night we went to a baseball game at Tokyo Stadium. The Giants vs the Swallows.... While the teams were not as good as what you see back home, the fans are diehard. The constant chanting, cheering and coordination of the entire stadium as well as matching props and outfits was amazing. Section leaders at home should be ashamed of the limited and short rallying they can get the fans to do. Here. One guy starts one cheer, choreographed hand movements included, and everyone goes for it. And not just for a minute. For an inning. Video of this will come soon. While I may think twice about attending a game back home, you won't have to ask me twice here. Sakamoto!!!

A McDonald's Cheeseburger is better in Tokyo

While fastfood is not something I eat, i am drawn to such establishments for their very refreshing chocolate milkshakes. A quilty pleasure of mine. After 3+ weeks of traveling in heat, I broke down and went to the McDonald's where only in Tokyo could you spend $10 on a cheeseburger, small fries and a small milkshake. It was worth it to find out that the cheeseburgers are indeed better here. The last time I had a McDonalds cheeseburger was about 2 years ago in upstate ny on one of my many long drives home from VT. That burger was an instant regret and quite possibly one of the worst non-burger tasting things ive ever had. But here in Tokyo, it seems their meat may not be quite as processed and lo and behold, was that a little bit of pink in my burger! Yes, here they are not cooked super well done but somewhere about medium well which is just find by me. The burgers are still dainty in size and carry loads of ketchup and mustard to make up for it as well as the very small one pickle which makes you wonder as to why they ever bother putting it on there but at least they are edible. If it weren't for my shame of portraying the stereotyped fat, fast-food eating american and hefty price, I may consider stopping by again.

Shanghai

Beijing

Seattle