Tokyo Day 1: Kamakura

We made a day trip south of Tokyo to Kamakura. Kamakura is an old city with a fascinating history. Kamakura became the seat of power during the Kamakura Period of Japan, around 1185 - 1333. During that time, Buddhism also flourished in Kamakura. There are around 65 Buddhist temples in Kamakura and at least 19 Shinto Shrines. I could have spent all week exploring this amazing city.

Our first visit in Kamakura was to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, Kamakura's central shrine.

Approaching the Shrine, is the Wakamiyu-oji, a 1.8 km road leading to the shrine. This road was designed by Minamoto no Yoritomo (the political leader at the time) to imitate Kyoto's Suzaku-oji. Today the road leading to the shine has cars shops, and a walking path all leading to the Hachimagu. It's an impressive sight.

While I was getting my shrine book stamped, Seth found a koi pond adjacent to the Hachimangu. He and the kids enjoyed ice cream and feeding the fish.

My stamp from the Hachimangu

The pigeons were super aggressive and would all land on you if they smelled food. If you held real still they would calm down and eat out of your hand. The kids thought it was pretty neat. I thought it was creepy and gross. Caleb thought it was terrifying.

Next we walked over to Hokoku-ji:

We saw paths off to other shrines a lot the way, but unfortunately didn't have time to explore them.

The Hokoku-ji itself was impressive and had beautiful grounds.

Our main reason for visiting this temple, though, was for the bamboo grove.

A tea house in the grove

A beautiful garden behind the temple.

After walking back to our car parked near the Hachimangu, we drove to the  Kotoku-in in order to see the Daibutsu Statue. The Aomori Buddha is taller than the one in Kamakura, but the Kamakura statue was built around 1252 while the Aomori statue was built in the 1980s. The Kamakura Daibutsu was originally housed inside a temple hall, which was destroyed in a storm in 1334. 

 writing on a bronze slab behind the statue

Buddha's sandals

We had such a great time in Kamakura. Just driving through town is amazing, as you pass by beautiful shrines and temples everywhere you look. I wish we had more time to spend here. Making a day trip from Tokyo to Kamakura is totally worth it, and I highly recommend it.