Friday - Day trip to Kamakura
When we were in Japan 12 years ago, our visit to the Kamakura Buddha was a real highlight, and we wanted to share this with the kids and Natalie. Julie has had a picture of the Kamakura Buddha in her office for years.
We woke up in our spot in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and embarked on a day trip to the small coastal city of Kamakura.
Kamakura (鎌倉) is a coastal town in Kanagawa Prefecture, less than an hour south of Tokyo. The town became Japan's political center, when Minamoto Yoritomo chose it as the seat for his new military government in the late 12th century. The Kamakura government continued to rule Japan for over a century, first under the Minamoto shogun and then under the Hojo regents.
After the decline of the Kamakura government in the 14th century and the establishment of its successor, the Muromachi government in Kyoto, Kamakura remained the political center of eastern Japan for some time before losing its position to other cities.
Today, Kamakura is a small city and a very popular tourist destination. Sometimes called the Kyoto of eastern Japan, Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines and other historical monuments. In addition, Kamakura's sand beaches attract large crowds during the summer.
We just happened to whiz by this structure on the train.
Ofuna Kannonji (大船観音寺) is a temple of Soto Zen Buddhism, located in Ofuna ward of Kamakura city. It is famous for the huge white statue of Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) which is 25m tall and weighs 1915 tons. The construction of the temple and statue started before WWII and completed in 1960. The Kannon incorporates stones from ground zero of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to commemorate those who died in the explosions of the atomic bombs.
There is some irony here, or perhaps hard earned cause for reflection, as Ofuna was also the site of a notorious WWII POW camp.
Kamakura itself is a really charming town. It spans a few stops on the regional rail, and it is all very walkable and approachable. The surfing is well regarded for Japan and there is a bit surf culture along the water. The beach is actually a black sand beach, similar to some of the beaches in Hawaii and other volcanic islands.
The real reason we were there was to complete our pilgrimage to the The Great Buddha (Kamakura Daibutsu).
The Great Buddha of Kamakura (鎌倉大仏, Kamakura Daibutsu) is a large bronze statue of Amitābha, located on the temple grounds. Including the base, it measures 13.35 metres (43.8 ft) tall and weighs approximately 93 tonnes (103 tons).[1] According to temple records, the statue dates from around 1252, during the Kamakura period, which it is named after.[2]
The statue is hollow, and visitors can view the interior. Many visitors have left graffiti on the inside of the statue.[3] At one time, there were thirty-two bronze lotus petals at the base of the statue, but only four remain, and they are no longer in place.[4] A notice at the entrance to the grounds reads, "Stranger, whosoever thou art and whatsoever be thy creed, when thou enterest this sanctuary remember thou treadest upon ground hallowed by the worship of ages. This is the Temple of Buddha and the gate of the eternal, and should therefore be entered with reverence."[5]
We returned to Tokyo for a somewhat late dinner at an informal table grill spot near the Airbnb.
After we got the rest of the family back to the sleepy spot, Julie mentioned that she had seen a really interesting strip of night spots in little allies. It turns out that this area is called Shinjuku Golden Gai.
Shinjuku Golden Gai (Japanese: 新宿ゴールデン街, Hepburn: Shinjuku gōruden-gai) is a district of Kabukicho within Shinjuku, a special ward of Tokyo, Japan.[1] It is composed of a network of six narrow alleys, connected by even narrower passageways which are about wide enough for a single person to pass through. Over 200 tiny shanty-style bars, clubs and eateries[2] are squeezed into this area.
What a fun area this was. Each spot had a completely different aesthetic, with a host holding court and a small group of clientele. It's much easier to meet strangers in this kind of format! I'm sure some of these spots are rowdier than others, but we found one that fit our vibe and had a great time.
On our way home, we actually found late night batting cages!
Unfortunately, after we hit our mattress, a party began on the floor beneath us at our Airbnb hotel. It was Friday night in Shinjuku of course... The music seemed to crank up over the course of the night and became unbearable between 3 and 5am, leading to a crummy night of sleep and some load banging on their door. Shinjuku is a very vibrant area, and while we were glad to have experienced it, we would be more careful about selecting lodging here next time around.
Another lesson: stay outside of Tokyo, or reserve a higher budget for your Tokyo accommodations, or you might be a bit shocked at the quality of your stay. We kept our budget pretty steady from Tokyo to the smaller towns, and we had beautiful, clean accommodations everywhere else. In Tokyo ... there was always something that seemed a bit unsavory ... cramped, noise, roaches. Eep!
