After visiting Hakone, we made our way to Shizuoka to stay the night. The hotel we stayed at was a traditional inn on the shore, complete with an onsen. When we arrived, our chaperone told us to put on yukata and head downstairs for dinner. I helped my friends put on their outfits when we got to our room, and then we headed down.
In the elevator, everyone was tense as three older Japanese men stared at us. Looking back, the situation was quite humorous. I imagine it was strange to see three non-Asian teenagers and one Chinese teenager—who was frequently mistaken for being Japanese—together in a tiny city, loudly speaking English and dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.
Dinner was fantastic, although some of the dishes were definitely acquired tastes. Our traditional dinner was quite large and featured several courses, including excellent sashimi with real wasabi rather than the horseradish-based wasabi that is more commonly served outside Japan.
That night, after all the stores had closed in the sleepy city, we walked around and explored a nearby park with some of the other people we had met on the trip. It was a beautiful night, with empty streets in the quiet seaside town.
As we made our way up the stairs and onto our sleeping mats on the tatami, I realized that there was a kyusu sitting on the table in the middle of our room. The next morning, I made sure that all four of us woke up early to have tea. We brewed some fukamushicha that I had bought earlier on the trip, drinking it from the kyusu as soon as we woke up—before breakfast and still in our pajamas.
I sat there enjoying the tea. It was delicious, the environment was beautiful, and I was sharing the moment with my friends. It was an awesome place to be.
The next morning, we took the bus to Kamakura to see the Great Buddha. I lit some incense, bought a slot-machine keychain at a Buddhist temple—crazy statement, I know—and even went inside the Buddha statue itself. Sadly, there wasn't anything particularly interesting inside the statue. The Great Buddha is hollow, however, and visitors can enter its interior, which is a pretty remarkable experience in itself
Afterward, we headed to Enoshima to explore the small, beautiful island. It is a popular tourist destination in Japan, although it seemed somewhat less popular with foreign tourists than some of the major destinations we had visited. The island is extremely rocky and filled with caves, shrines, temples, and interesting statues. There is also a lighthouse observation deck and plenty of shops and restaurants.
At the end of our journey on the island, I had one of the best meals of my life: pork katsu with rice and egg. The katsu was perfect, and so was the egg, which was used almost like a sauce for the pork.
This was one of the most fun days of my life. The tea, the katsu, the places we visited, and the people I shared it all with made the day unforgettable. I'll remember it for the rest of my life.