Kamakura

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Continuing my quest to see a little bit of Japan outside of Tokyo, I spent today in the oceanside town of Kamakura. Kamakura is home to dozens of shrines and temples and the Great Buddha:

Before leaving for Kamakura, I met the guys for breakfast at the hotel buffet. Just before leaving dad's old friend Noburo showed up. I haven't seen Noburo since 1985. It was a little surreal. Per his recommendation, I caught the JR train at Shinjuku for Kita-kamakura - one stop before Kamakura itself. From the small train depot I started wandering, coming upon the Tokeiji Temple after a few minutes. This is the temple for divorced women - it eventually became a nunnery. I spent a lot of time exploring the temple's cemetery - very beautiful and interesting.

I followed a pass through the hills on my 2 km trek to Kamakura station. Along the way there were several interesting temples and shrines to stop at, although I didn't linger too long as my knee had been hurting since last night and I wanted to make sure it held up long enough to see the Giant Buddha and Hase Dera.

When I arrived at the Buddha it was just as awe inspiring as the guide books claimed. The statue survived a tsunami that swept away the temple that enclosed it. Which is even more amazing because the statue is hollow - I paid the 20Y to duck down the stairs into its belly (literally).

From the Buddha I went to Hase Dera, where I spent the majority of the afternoon. The temple was fascinating - filled with numerous buddhas, shrines to dead children, koi ponds and gardens. Most stunning was the famous Hase Kannon - a gigantic statue housed in the main temple.

After I couldn't handle any more stairs I ventured down to Yuigahama Beach. It was rather comical - there is barely any sand, it's pretty dirty, and apparently surfers surf on the 6 inch waves. I saw a windsurfer enjoying the water while I was there.

Once I got back to town I had a low key evening. Dad is still sick and stayed in, and I went for an amazing Teppen-yaki meal with Rudy, Ted and Dave. Now I have the sad task ahead of me of packing. I'll have until 1 pm tomorrow to enjoy Tokyo and then I have to catch the limousine bus for Narita. My time here has been far too short - I was just starting to feel very comfortable and confident here!

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Photos

Baby Buddhas
At Hase Dera, each small Buddha represents a dead child. Morbid, yet beautiful.

Hase Dera Child Buddhas
Often the Buddhas are dressed in children's clothing and hold small toys and trinkets like this Pooh doll.

Lone Cherry Blossom
At Hase Dera.

Windsurfer
I couldn't find any waves, but apparently there is a healthy surfing community in Kamakura. On this day all I could find was a lone windsurfer travelling the placid waters of the Pacific.