"My favorite places"

I like traveling very much. I like visiting somewhere I’ve never been to before. And I have been to many places inside and outside Japan. Among those places, I’m going to introduce the three of my favorite places. Two of them are in Japan, Kamakura and Okinawa, and the other is in US which is San Antonio, Texas.

I visited Kamakura for the first time this summer. My sister just moved to Kamakura from Yokohama so she invited me to her new house during the summer vacation. Both Kamakura and Yokohama are in Kanagawa prefecture which is close to Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Kamakura is a very old city with a long history and you can see that as you walk around the city of Kamakura. It has many temples and shrines all over so I went to see some of them. It also has small modern cafes, shops and bars stands along the streets. It has a mixture of history and modern culture in the city and I love the unique atmosphere. It’s quiet, relaxing, quaint and fashionable. Kamakura is the city which contains good elements of both the old tradition and the new fashion at the same time.

Okiniwa is another favorite place to visit. I went there for the first time when I was in junior high as a school trip. But it was November and it had already been getting colder. And the
weather wasn't really good the whole time I was in Okinawa so I couldn't experience the best of Okinawa that time. I really found how amazing Okinawa was last summer. I went there with my friends and stayed for a few days in summer vacation. The weather was fantastic everyday during I was in Okinawa. The oceasn was incredibly beautiful. I spent all day hanging out at the beach so I got tanned no like before. The food is another reason why I like Okinawa. Soki-soba is Okinawan noodles and it's really good and my favorite. Once you arrived in Okinawa, you would feel like you're in somewhere outside Japan. You will feel very happy and welcomed by the island. You can escape from life in reality and forget your stress. Okinawa is such an attractive place.

San Antonio is the third favorite place to introduce. When I was 16 and 17, I was an exchange student in San Antonio, Texas. I went to school called St. Anthony Catholic High School for one year. I have so many memories about San Antonio. In San Antonio, you will hear many Spanish everywhere in the city as well as English. San Antonio faces the border between US and Mexico, so there are many Mexican people live in San Antonio. They have Spanish radio station, Spanish TV program, and delicious Mexican food. At my school, at least 50 % of the students were Mexican or Mexican American. They sometimes talk to each other in Spanish. The school had Spanish class and many students were taking it. I used to hangout with friends from the dormitory where I stayed the whole time during I was in San Antonio. We often went to movies and a shopping mall together in the weekend, and played pool and watched TV at the dorm. San Antonio has a tourist attraction called “River Walk” in its downtown. It’s an artificial small river and has many restaurants and bars and souvenir shops along the river. It’s a very beautiful place with colorful booths, music from bars and many people from all over the world.

I have introduced my three favorite places. First, Kamakura, I like its atmosphere. Second, Okinawa, I like it because it makes me feel as if I’m in a totally different world. And lastly, San Antonio, I have many special memories of spending my 16 and 17 of life there. They’re all my favorite places. I would like to visit there once again or even more. I would also like to visit more places and find more to be my favorites.

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