Kaileigh+S

Yokohama- Bay of Ye-Do

USS Powhaten- June 14, 2010

Dear Pope-

The climate in Feb.-Mar. is pleasantly cold and warm- the temperature ranges from 30. to 70. Fahrenheit- rain averaged...35-for much wheats & beans 5 or 6 inches high- trees in blossom- I saw cotton & tobacco- tea-sweet potatoes-carrots-turnips-carious dried fruits and fresh fruits-fish & shell fish- they have meat like pork beef chicken-poultry are kept mostly for eggs and meat-various foods to be eaten-lots of them are traditional.

They can be weak... they can be defenseless-they can also be strong and sometimes able to defend themselves. Other nations think of them as very weak people... they are not always right. Their swords and culture are beautiful- hand made and full of detail and complexion. They build things very finely-lots of details and being able to show that this was made with a glint of their culture here and there-signs such as dragons and very fine designs can symbolize Japan.

Many ways of dressing-very old and traditional people (married) dye their teeth black & shave off eyebrows-very few do that- Men do not look like Europeans as lots used to say-men were once confused with the europeans because of light complexions with rosy cheeks. Ways of dressing are very much alike as they are over here-shorts, t-shirts, jeans-for festivals the females wear kimono's- very fancy silk-made robes. Some males also wear kimono's-sometimes another kind of formal wear.

The climate seems almost perfect in February and March at least- the soil is rich and their culture is very neat. Japan's climate gets extremely hot around the summer... not much snow in the winter- a farely warm place to be. Temperature's in the summer usually range from 60-90 degrees, and can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower temperature's in the winter- precipitation is usually just rain-no heavy monsoon season like India, but rain can fall heavy around June- It's the world's largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas-and the second largest importer of oil. Wines, champagne's and cordials delight them....most are careful drinkers.

Their houses are of stone with tiled roofs-or of wood-or mud with beautifully thatched roofs. Sometimes with concrete. Even the best houses are very simply furnished-some can be very detailed. All generally sit on the floor which is covered with matting- there is at least one room in the house with a straw floor-they where high and low straw sandals which are left outside... also more modern clothing and shoes-lots of ancient garments are of silk for the rich& cotton- hair styles are also very simple... for males a short length cut- for girls long hair, and sometimes cut short if that is what they choose.

Pollution is pretty bad in some places- especially in major cities such as Tokyo, sometimes the skies turn gray because of the amount of pollution-Japan has a population of around 127,078,679...area is 145,882 square miles-the currency is yen, 100 yen= 1 dollar for us... 1000 yen=10 dollars. Japanese children enjoy kite flying and origami. Japan is surrounded by ocean- an island off the east coast of China- surrounded by the water bodies of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan.... like hawaii, japan is made up with many islands, mostly one major one.

Now my Japanese wanderings are finished and now i must leave to head off to Shanghai, China-but i will miss the culture and complexion of this country and i won't forget my time spent here.