Tokyo: Day 4

Today we set aside Tokyo and headed to Kamakura and the surrounding area. This area is about a 1-hour train ride south of Tokyo and is covered in shrines and temples. On the way there we passed through Yokohama and caught a glimpse of Fuji from the train.

We stopped in Kita-Kamakura first. This is the northernmost part of this area. When we got off the train we went first to the Engaku-ji Temple. On the way there we saw a group of Japanese boy scouts on a trip. This temple area is still a working monastery, so most of it is off-limits.

This temple houses a bell that was cast in 1301 and is 8 feet tall. It's at the top of a hill with tons of steps to get to it. But other than the bell there was also a great view where we could see Fuji.

After this we walked a ways to the Kencho-ji Temple. This one is a Zen temple that is also a working temple.

We then went to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shinto Shrine. This one has many gates that are all over the place - lots of entrances to the shrine. We ended up going through a gate in the back and went through the shrine from the back to the front. We got to see another wedding taking place there. There is also a pretty famous bridge here.



We then walked down the main street in Kamakura where we saw a Catholic church and ate lunch at an Italian restaurant. Christy had pizza that wasn't pizza. It was more like a large Communion wafer with a few globs of some white cheese, a mushroom spread and a little olive oil. Christy said, "I know I'm eating only because I'm chewing." Christy also tasted some raw salmon, but that was enough for her. The coffee was really good.

After lunch we walked to the train station and ended up taking a bus to Hase. When we got to the last stop before the bus headed back, they told us we had to get off. We headed to the Kotoku-in Temple to see the Great Buddha (Daibutsu). This bronze Buddha is 37 feet tall and was cast in 1292. Christy's quote of the day: "My God is bigger than Buddha, but that's one really big Buddha."


Next we went to the Hase-dera Temple. This temple houses the largest carved wood statue in Japan. It's a 30-foot tall gold-covered statue of Juichimen Kannon, the 11-headed goddess of mercy. The bad thing is that we couldn't take a picture of her, but we bought a postcard.

There is also hundreds of stone figures of Jizo, the savior of children. Mothers who have lost a child come here and place offerings for protection of their child.


After this we headed to the train station in Hase, switched trains in Kamakura, and headed back to Tokyo. We got to our hotel without getting lost. (Finally!)

Since Christy's pizza at lunch time was not pizza, she wanted to get pizza for dinner. The hotel has a menu for Domino's Pizza in the room, but we were unable to order it ourselves. I don't know why, but I couldn't get the phone to dial out or it was always busy. The girls at the front desk were kind enough to order it for us, and Domino's delivered it right to our door. We ordered the American Special, which was pepperoni with onions. Not what we would have ordered back home, but it was good anyway. Christy drank hot cocoa and I had a Dr. Pepper.



February 9, 2009