I have only read a little about Kamakura. It is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan, the nation's most populous settlement from 1200 to 1300 A.D., and the seat of the shogunate and the regency during the Kamakura period.
Since our Rose Garden Shinjuku hotel was in Tokyo, we took the train from Shinjuku Station to Kamakura, arriving at Kamakura Station in the early morning. We decided to visit the Kotokuin (Great Buddha) shrine first.
When I first looked at the Kamakura city map, I was impressed by the number of shrines and temples in the immediate vicinity. There were so many that it would take multiple days to visit them all. We decided to focus on the major attractions first, as we only had one day.
We walked through downtown Kamakura from the train station, which was pretty empty except for occasional tourists. We marveled at the number of Italian restaurants and vending machines. You'd think you might be in Italy (except for the Japanese signs and pristine cleanliness). We saw a street vendor selling freshly baked Japanese dumplings on one street corner and decided to sample them. They were so fresh and delicious!
On the way there, we stopped by Kamakura Gelato to cool off in the scorching heat.
The gelato was extraordinarily delicious and the color of the flavors was so bright! We really enjoyed the blueberry and match flavors! Such excellent gelato! How did they make the colors pop like that? (When Inna and I made match-flavored gelato, we could never get it to look that bright green.)
The streets were crowded with tourists, and we eventually went to Kotokuin temple. The temple is renowned for its "Great Buddha" (大仏 Daibutsu), a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha, one of Japan's most famous icons.
According to the Wikipedia link:
There was nothing inside except the metal pieces that made up the statue. It was impressive. It took some significant engineering effort to cast the multiple pieces and assemble them here.
We decided to continue our travels by visiting the nearby Hasedera Temple. We stopped by to sample some interesting Japanese snacks on the way there.
They were freshly baked rice crackers and quite lovely.
The way to Hasedera was uphill and crowded with Japanese tourists. It felt like Disneyland.
When we arrived at Hasedera and paid our admission, we were given a number to when we could walk the Hydrangea path. We wanted to know how long it would be before our number was called.
The views from the top were fantastic, and there were many beautiful buildings to explore.
For a Buddhist temple, it had some beautiful gold Buddhas on display.
There were many other beautiful buildings and gardens.
We thought about eating lunch here, as a restaurant was open, but Hasedera Temple was so busy that we worried about waiting for a very long time.
We waited a bit for our number to be called but realized it would take too long, and there were so many other temples to explore.
There was even a tiny Bamboo grove, where we rested from the heat and took a few photos while waiting.
Eventually, we decided to skip the Hydrangea Path (see video for what we missed) and return downtown to sample something delicious in a Japanese eatery. While looking for lunch, we found a street vendor selling delicious-looking shaved ice. We really enjoyed it!
We hoped to sample some Japanese curry at Woof Curry - but the restaurant was mobbed - so we decided to press on. Eventually, we did find an open Japanese restaurant, but I did not like the food there (one of the only times in Japan). Perhaps I was not ready for the "authentic" Japanese flavors yet.
Having rested, we decided to visit one more temple - Engakuji. Getting there required taking the train one stop north, so we returned to the Kamakura station and boarded the train.
The Engakuji temple had quite a significant ground, and we spent much time strolling the beautifully manicured grounds.
According to Wikipedia:
It was a beautiful temple with lots of shade to hide from the scorching summer sun.
By this time, we were getting tired, so we returned to Tokyo and found a nice restaurant for dinner. We returned to the nearby train station and boarded the train to Tokyo. However, we boarded the wrong train. We hoped to return to Shinjuku but ended up at Tokyo station instead.
Since our Rose Garden Shinjuku hotel was in Tokyo, we took the train from Shinjuku Station to Kamakura, arriving at Kamakura Station in the early morning. We decided to visit the Kotokuin (Great Buddha) shrine first.
When I first looked at the Kamakura city map, I was impressed by the number of shrines and temples in the immediate vicinity. There were so many that it would take multiple days to visit them all. We decided to focus on the major attractions first, as we only had one day.
We walked through downtown Kamakura from the train station, which was pretty empty except for occasional tourists. We marveled at the number of Italian restaurants and vending machines. You'd think you might be in Italy (except for the Japanese signs and pristine cleanliness). We saw a street vendor selling freshly baked Japanese dumplings on one street corner and decided to sample them. They were so fresh and delicious!
On the way there, we stopped by Kamakura Gelato to cool off in the scorching heat.
The gelato was extraordinarily delicious and the color of the flavors was so bright! We really enjoyed the blueberry and match flavors! Such excellent gelato! How did they make the colors pop like that? (When Inna and I made match-flavored gelato, we could never get it to look that bright green.)
The streets were crowded with tourists, and we eventually went to Kotokuin temple. The temple is renowned for its "Great Buddha" (大仏 Daibutsu), a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha, one of Japan's most famous icons.
According to the Wikipedia link:
The bronze statue probably dates from 1252, in the Kamakura period, according to temple records. It was preceded by a giant wooden Buddha, which was completed in 1243 after ten years of continuous labor, the funds having been raised by Lady Inada (Inada-no-Tsubone) and the Buddhist priest Jōkō of Tōtōmi. That wooden statue was damaged by a storm in 1248, and the hall containing it was destroyed, so Jōkō suggested making another statue of bronze, and the huge amount of money necessary for this and for a new hall was raised for the project.[1] The bronze image was probably cast by Ōno Gorōemon[2] or Tanji Hisatomo,[3] both leading casters of the time.[4] At one time, the statue was gilded. There are still traces of gold leaf near the statue's ears.[5]When exploring the Great Buddha, we managed to get inside. There was a narrow corridor to enter the statue, which was crowded with people.
There was nothing inside except the metal pieces that made up the statue. It was impressive. It took some significant engineering effort to cast the multiple pieces and assemble them here.
We decided to continue our travels by visiting the nearby Hasedera Temple. We stopped by to sample some interesting Japanese snacks on the way there.
They were freshly baked rice crackers and quite lovely.
The way to Hasedera was uphill and crowded with Japanese tourists. It felt like Disneyland.
When we arrived at Hasedera and paid our admission, we were given a number to when we could walk the Hydrangea path. We wanted to know how long it would be before our number was called.
The views from the top were fantastic, and there were many beautiful buildings to explore.
For a Buddhist temple, it had some beautiful gold Buddhas on display.
There were many other beautiful buildings and gardens.
We thought about eating lunch here, as a restaurant was open, but Hasedera Temple was so busy that we worried about waiting for a very long time.
We waited a bit for our number to be called but realized it would take too long, and there were so many other temples to explore.
There was even a tiny Bamboo grove, where we rested from the heat and took a few photos while waiting.
Eventually, we decided to skip the Hydrangea Path (see video for what we missed) and return downtown to sample something delicious in a Japanese eatery. While looking for lunch, we found a street vendor selling delicious-looking shaved ice. We really enjoyed it!
We hoped to sample some Japanese curry at Woof Curry - but the restaurant was mobbed - so we decided to press on. Eventually, we did find an open Japanese restaurant, but I did not like the food there (one of the only times in Japan). Perhaps I was not ready for the "authentic" Japanese flavors yet.
Having rested, we decided to visit one more temple - Engakuji. Getting there required taking the train one stop north, so we returned to the Kamakura station and boarded the train.
Engaku-ji is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa prefecture to the south of Tokyo.
The Engakuji temple had quite a significant ground, and we spent much time strolling the beautifully manicured grounds.
According to Wikipedia:
The temple was founded in 1282 by a Chinese Zen monk Mugaku Sōgen (1226-1286) at the request of the then ruler of Japan, the regent Hōjō Tokimune after he had repelled a Mongolian invasion in the period 1274 to 1281. Tokimune had a long-standing commitment to Zen and the temple was intended to honour those of both sides who died in the war, as well as serving as a centre from which the influence of Zen could be spread. According to the records of the time, when building work started a copy of the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (in Japanese, engaku-kyō 円覚経) was dug out of the hillside in a stone chest during the initial building works, giving its name to the temple.
It was a beautiful temple with lots of shade to hide from the scorching summer sun.
By this time, we were getting tired, so we returned to Tokyo and found a nice restaurant for dinner. We returned to the nearby train station and boarded the train to Tokyo. However, we boarded the wrong train. We hoped to return to Shinjuku but ended up at Tokyo station instead.
It was tough to tell which train we were on until, using my PocketWiFi, I determined we were traveling away from S.H.
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