On Saturday, we took a day trip to Kamakura. Kamakura is about an hour away from Sangubashi in Tokyo if you take the train. The train is probably the most convenient way to get to Kamakura. Kamakura is famous for a couple things. One thing it is famous for is all of its beautiful temples. It is also famous for the “Great Buddha” (Kamakura Daibutsu). The Daibutsu is a bronze statue of Buddha, which is in the Otokuin Temple. It is 13.35 meters tall, which makes it the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. You can walk into the Buddha for about �200 (A little over $2). Hanging next to him is also a set of extremely large tatami (traditional, Japanese sandals). They were supposedly made specifically to fit that statues feet – just in case he would ever decide to get up and walk away. Interesting. The temples in Kamakura are very beautiful, but our group discovered that it is more than adequate to go to see one temple (in addition to seeing the Great Buddha). Each temple is beautiful, but they all begin to look the same after a while. It is more sensible to take your time at one temple and really enjoy it, perhaps go to one more, and then head for the Great Buddha. One of the temples we went to was the Engaku-ji temple in North Kamakura, which I would recommend.
Below are some pictures of the Great Buddha and two Kamakua temples, including the Engaku-Ji Temple:
Be careful while you are there to check the prices of restaurants before eating. Almost all the restaurants in Kamakura are a bit expensive. At least about ten dollar lunches for a small amount of food. If you want to save some money, eat before you go. The trains around the temples and the Great Buddha also get pretty crowded (all the time). Try to avoid traveling on the trains in that area during rush hour (about the same time as rush hour in the U.S.), when it is the worst. We, unfortunately, had to travel back during rush hour and we were literally stuffed into the train (being pushed in by the station hands). Not only was it hard to get a good breath of air, elbows were in faces, faces were in people’s chests, and other body parts were angled haphazardly in more strange directions. My feet didn’t touch the ground because we were shoved in and the person next to me did not move their feet over, I fell (my feet left the ground, but I could not fall over because people on either side of me were propping me up simply by being there) and lost my footing, the person next to me took my feet space and my feet were no longer on the ground. However, I was securely squeezed between so many bodies that it did not matter. I was being held upright by everyone else and I was also holding onto the train’s handles which are attached to the ceiling of the rain. Imagine that. Rush hour is an experience in Japan, if you want to try it out, make sure it is a short train ride! Luckily, we got off at the next station!
A picture of a rather common sight to see during rush hour:
That’s all for now!
Location: Kamakura, Japan
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Cool post. Those temples look amazing. And I can’t wait to see those trains when I go to Tokyo, haha.
Cool post. Those temples look amazing. And I can’t wait to see those trains when I go to Tokyo, haha.