Day two! First stop was Hokokuji Temple, famous for its bamboo garden. Pictures, go!
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| I love how, in Japan, you can go from metropolis to forest in almost no time |
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| Not sure why it's wearing a tuque... |
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| Bamboo garden! |
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| More garden |
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| A cool dragonfly that we saw |
Next stop was Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, one of the most famous temples in Japan, certainly the most famous in Kamakura. Pictures!
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| Torii gate at the entrance |
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| Cool bridge bro |
Unfortunately the lotus plants weren't really in bloom. The story goes that the lotus plants on either side of the bridge represented the two families that built up Kamakura: one side would bloom white, the other red, the families colours. However, today, the plants have mingled, so red, white and pink show up on both sides.
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| Lotus...? |
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| This is a pineapple stand - yup, you can go buy a piece of pineapple on a stick |
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| On our way to the temple! |
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Weddings are often held in this pavillion - it was too hot that day, though,
so we didn't get to see one =( |
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| Who's this guy? |
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| The guards got upset at me for taking this picture... |
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Next stop was Komachi-dori street, which is famous for Kamakura lacquerware. Here are a few other gems that I found:
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| Gotta love the random French! |
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| Ghibli store! |
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Next, we went to Hasadera Temple. The garden here was so beautiful, I had to take pictures.
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| He looks so happy! |
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| Before I get questions, no, that's not a swastika; yes, Hitler ripped off the Buddhists |
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These small statues, called 地蔵 (じぞう, jizou) are laid in memory of
miscarried and aborted children, or children who die very young |
Now, I found out that my camera can take panorama shots and actually stitches them together for me - here are a couple that I took of views from the temple. Unfortunately, they won't look amazing in the blog, so I suggest clicking on them to get a better view.
The day's final stop was the 大仏 (だいぶつ, daibutsu), or Great Buddha. It was actually built in 1252, and was put together with over 30 different moulds. A pretty impressive feat, I would say...
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| Gate leading up to the 大仏 |
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| People posing for pictures |
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| It's actually really big. |
This statue has survived countless earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis... The priests at the temple tried time and time again to build a roof over the statue, but it would always get destroyed. The statue, however, has remained largely unharmed...
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It's customary to make sandals for statues of divinities, allowing them
to go out for a stroll, if they should so desire... |
One of the "cool story bros" about the 大仏 is that the currently US president, Barack Obama, actually visited the statue as a child. He returned there in 2009, and is quoted as saying
"I looked up at that centuries-old symbol of peace and tranquility — the great bronze Amida Buddha. And as a child, I was more focused on the 'matcha' ice cream ..."
Since then, a myriad of shops have opened up selling Obama-cha, green-tea flavoured ice cream like he had as a child. Here is a sample, though this one was swirled with sweet potato:
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Obama-cha (green tea) and sweet potato ice cream
I had this for about 30 seconds, and you can already see it melting... |
Finally, it was time to head home. On our way back to the station, we happened upon a 100Y Shop, like the dollar stores back home. Here are a few gems:
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"A soft towel with the feeling that the touch is very sufficient"
Nice. |
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Promenades dans Paris:
On nous demande toujours quelle race est ce chat-là.
Eh bien nous disons: on ne sait pas... on ne sait pas,
nous-mêmes, qu'est-ce que c'est comme race..." |
And then! In one of the stations, outside the bathroom...
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| Who the heck needs a map of the bathroom?! |
Finally, it was time for the long train ride home. A few of us were more tired than others...
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| Poor Tanaka-san... |
That's it for the Kamakura trip!
