Kamakura

This weekend was a hoilday here in Japan, so I headed outside the city once again. This time Oliver and I took a train for an hour and a half to the small surf town of Kamakura, famous for it's 65 temples and shrines! We stopped just outside the town centre to check out some Zen temples, that were said to be the most beautiful. The first one we visited, Engaku-ji, was surrounded by beautiful cedar forests, tranquil ponds and gardens, and some lush bamboo (as you can see!). It was absoultely stunning. There was also a shrine called Shari-den which is said to house one of Buddha's actual teeth. It is closed to the public, so you can only peer curiously past a gate toward the building.

Our next stop was Tokei-ji, better known as "Divorce Temple". It became a refuge for women of abusive and disgruntled marriages. They had to stay at the temple for three years to receive an automatic divorce. The temple grounds were surrounded by blankets of moss and dark forest, and in the back area, lay a peaceful nun's cemetary.

We headed along the road, poking around another temple's grounds, until we were finally able to find the the "Daibutsu Hiking Course". For a tourist town, you'd be surprised at how poorly things are marked!!!By sheer luck we were able to find our way a long a hiking trial of sorts ( it seems that in Japan, "hiking" means walking along a paved road that happens to be in the woods, lined with drink machines and convenience stores....) and we made our confused way to the "money washing shrine" Zeniarai-Benten. By entering through a cave, which comes out into a little grotto, you can test your luck ( and virtue I suppose) by washing your money in this sacred water. It is said to double your, probably small, fortune. I am still waiting for my 1000 yen to grow to 2000....

We next stumbled aimlessly back along the "hiking trail", which now was begining to resemble the good old Baden Powell, and wound our way towards the greatest attraction of Kamakura.....the Daibutsu!!!!!!! ( the great Buddha). This amazing staue looms at a height of 13.25 meters, and wieghs an enormous 121 tons. Its substantial size was probably the only reason that it wasn't swept away in the great tsunami wave in 1498 that washed away the temple then housing the statue. The Buddha itself was cast in 1252. The breathtaking scenery and emormity of the statue made for a very sublime experience!

We then meandered towrds the beach of Kamakura, and walked along the sand, watching the surfers playing in the waves, and Japanese ladies stumbling down the beach in high heels. After another bout of confusion and lost wandering, we came across a magnificant graveyard, along the top if a hill we hadn't meant to climb. From there we walked back to the station to eventually collapse at an okonomiyaki restaraunt. Full day!!! Kamakura, excellent!