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We didn't *just* sit in the Kamogawa compound for 2 weeks. If we were feeling adventurous we could explore the town or go on one of their day-trips. Of course, we still had to be back home by 9:00 p.m. One day we all went to the beach. No, not the beach that was 5 minutes away and down the mountain; this time we went to a beach that was far more epic (and about an hour away).
Unlike our small, relatively private beach, this beach was huge. It wasn't quite crowded compared to Florida standards, but there were plenty of 日本人 to interact with. After the short bus ride, we all stumbled off the air-conditioned bus into the harsh, beating sun. Knowing that it wouldn't be long before we were all walking 焼肉, The Crown split a 千五円 bottle of sunscreen （$15).
After leaving the shaded beach store and stepping onto the scalding sand we were split up into two groups and handed ropes. At first I thought we were playing tug of war, and it turns out we were. But not with each other... with the sea.
Slowly I realized that our "sea-food barbecue" needed to be caught before we could eat it. After pulling in at least a mile of rope we finally pulled in our catch. It was pretty decent considering the Pacific's over-fished seas.
After we finished, a group of Japanese kids ran up to investigate the newly caught fish. Of course, they weren't content with just looking. Or touching for that matter. At one point they even tried to eat a freshly caught, small 貝 (squid). Granted, in Japan eating raw things is the norm, it took a frantic shout of "食べないで" to get the boy to stop lowering it into his mouth.
Here they are, playing with dead fish.
Afterward, we began the barbecue. The grills were sooo hot, that almost no one was able to cook on them. If you stepped within a meter of the grills you immediately felt like you yourself were cooking. Likewise, most people left their food on the grill to burn. I on the other hand, stuck it out and had some of the best food of this trip.
There wasn't any cheap water around, so we bought some Soda's from the vending machine. Japanese soda cans, like most things, are much more tricked out than their American counterparts. I mean, look at the Dr. Pepper girl:
The activities didn't just end with the barbecue. Afterward, not only did we get to watch a hardcore 空手 (karate) troop of Japanese kids train IN the ocean, but we also got to play some volleyball (or whatever it's called).
Finally, we ended the day by visiting the rice fields on the way home. We were all tired so they weren't THAT exciting, but in retrospect they were pretty beautiful.
