Kamakura

A great visit to Kamakura yesterday. The train ride getting there proved a bit more difficult than planned as it turns out there are 2 train stations in Yokosuka, one for the Keikyu line that goes through Oppama and one for the JR lines. But as there are about 18 busses connecting the 2, it wasn't that much of a problem. That way I got to spend more time in Yokosuka and see Foreigners! English- speaking! Even some black people! Wow!

Kamakura used to be Japan's capital during the Kamakura period. That means it is packed full of temples (65, one of which has a giant Buddha) and shrines (19) that were erected on the sites of the different houses and palaces. It also has a wonderful beach with some nice surfing waves and even more hawks than at Miura-Kaigan, and a (natural?) pass through a cliff with some tombs carved into the walls of it.

I started off by the biggest tourist hit (because the closest to the train station? probable...). It's an alley lined with cherry trees (not in flower yet) and that ends in a huge temple complex et the center of which is the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine. There are lots off small shrines surrounding it and lotus ponds (also not in bloom) with some nice carps and ducks.

Then I kind of followed the signs visiting several different styles of temples and shrines. It's like that that I found the path to the Shakado pass. It's not very big but quite impressive due to the beautiful forest surrounding it. There are big warning signs in Japanese on both sides with a well-worn path in between, so I guess it takes more than a sign to stop a japanese sightseer.

On the other side of the pass I stumbled upon the most wonderful of temples, while being completely lost having lost sight of the little green signs. It was completely empty and yet the temple was very nice, with very intracate wood carvings above the entrance. The entrance clerc was kind enough to give me lots of explanatory panflets (all in Japanese, but with a nice map) and so I found my way up tons of winding stone steps to some small shrines, and a wonderful view of Kamakura, with Mt Fuji in the background.

On the opposite side of town there is the second big tourist attraction : Kotokuin temple, with a 13m tall seated Buddha statue. That is really very impressive. And of course one mustn't gorget the giant Buddha's sandals, made by the local schools. Right behind that temple is a very nice hiking route that wanders along the top of the hill throught very nice forests. It ends near another shrine, this one accessible through a tunnel. You come out in a small valley where a waterfall comes straight out of the cliff. There is also a series of caves with various small shrines inside. A very different style from the flashy shrines in the center of town.

I finished off the visit by buying a senbei wrapped in seaweed : a large toasted rice cracker dipped in soy sauce. Very good.