Kamakura - Japan's first feudal capital and an obligatory daily trip while in Tokyo. It's very easily and quickly accessible, as the journey with JR regional train (Yokosuka line departing from Tokyo Station) takes less than one hour.
The day is beautiful, warm and sunny. I regret I took so many clothes, as I will need to carry them throughout the day.
Kamakura has a lot to offer to the visitors. Knowing that I will not have time to visit all the city's attractions, I have to make my choice and I decide to see four temples and the Great Buddha.
I start the visit in the Hasedera Temple - a temple of the Jodo sect, famous for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddes of mercy. The entrance costs 300 yen and the visit starts in a lovely and very pleasant garden, with a pond, and little statues of gods. The temple itself is located a bit higher, there's a great view on the city and on the ocean. In the temple, there's the 9,18 meter tall, gilded wooden statue of Kannon, which is regarded as one of the largest wooden sculpture in Japan. Each face of the goddess has a different expression, signifying that the deity listens to the wishes of all types of people.
The temple, and all this complex around are really beautiful. I feel it could be a great and relaxing place if only... not all those tourists all around in huge numbers! No, not Western tourists, but Japanese ones. It's the Golden Week in Japan and all Japanese have holidays, so they visit their national treasures :)
Ten minutes walk from the Hasedere Temple there's the symbol of Kamakura - the Great Buddha - a bronze statue of Amida Buddha which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13,35 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan (Nara's is the highest). There's a huge queue standing to enter the interior of the Buddha, but I decide to skip it (I don't even know what is inside). Too many people, too little time and too hot!
I decided to run to the next temple. Or maybe not really run this time, but to take a bus. It costs 200 yen, and it brings me (after a lot of time as there's a big traffic) to the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu - Kamakura's most important shrine. On the way I see the very Leonidas, and I instantly feel like home ;-)
The shrine itself didn't impress me that much, but there was some interesting spectacle with dressed-up actors ongoing. The temple is beautifully located, in the green scenery, surrounded by ponds. It could be really an amazing experience to walk there on its own, if indeed on its own... ;-)
I realize that my plan to visit my top five sites is becoming a question mark. There's very little time left, and the Japanese temples close very early (around 4PM-4:30PM). I literally run to the next place from my list, which is Hokoku-Ji - a Zen temple. It's impossible to take a bus this time, it's fully packed, so I have to walk like 20-30 minutes up the hill. Finally I arrive and I see another huge queue. I already know it's not gonna be a zen visit... After 20-30 minutes' wait, I manage to buy my ticket and I can enter the place. The temple itself is not very spectacular, I don't even think that anyone cares about the temple. Everyone is here because of the bamboo madness aka bamboo forest located nearby. It's really beautiful, and despite all this crowd, quite peaceful.
It's 15:30, and the last point in my agenda, which is Kencho-Ji is being closed at 16:30. I don't know what to do, to rush there, or just leave it. On the one hand I'm really tired, I don't even know where exactly this temple is, and I think I could return it at the end of my trip when I will be back in Tokyo for a few days. But since apparently Kencho-Ji is the best place to visit in Kamakura, and because I don't like to give up, I give it a try. And it was a win! I made it within time, and actually the sites are not being closed at the indicated time, they just don't allow new people to enter. But once you're there, you'll still have some time. And it was perfect. Nearly empty, quiet, peaceful. I could feel the atmosphere of this most important Zen temple in Kamakura and Japan's oldest Zen monastery.
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