Kamakura & Ski Trip
Kamakura (Feb. 17, 2006)
Pictures are towards the bottom of the February set.
Kamakura…well, there are a whole lot of temples and shrines - and in the summer, there are supposedly beautiful beaches. However, there’s no beaches in the winter. 
Historically, Kamakura was the center of power for the Minamoto shogunate in 1192 until about the 14th century, when Kyoto became the imperial seat. Kamakura remained a power center for a while thereafter, but now is mainly a beautiful area to visit historic shrines and temples.
We started the day by taking the JR from Shinagawa station out to Kamakura station, where we met our guides, who were very pleasant. From there, we headed to the “Fifth of the Five Great Zen Temples: Jomyoji.” Here’s a view from the top (which is also a cemetary); here’s a separate view from near the front entrance to the temple.
Following Jomyoji, we headed to Hokokuji, which is, among other things, well known for it’s bamboo. There’s a lot of it, as you can see in the picture. Like many of the area’s buildings, much of it was decimated during the Great Kanto Earthquake and then rebuilt. Not to be morbid, but there were also ancient tombs here, as well as some slightly less morbid buildings.
Following that, we went to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, one of Japan’s largest, oldest, and biggest shrines, and is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto and samurai in general. It’s also one of the most visited shrines, with 17 million sightseers every year. Also, you get to climb up a lot of steps, which is always enjoyable. I had takoyaki for lunch, as did Gail, who was ecstatic at the thought of it. We also met a dog.
We met up with the rest of the group and took the Enoden railway out to Hasedera (Hase Temple), one of the main temples of the Jido sect of Buddhism. It is most famous for the statue of the Kannon, the Buddhist “goddess” of mercy, who possesses eleven heads (and does not let you take pictures of her). However, you can take pictures of items around the temple, such as a giant bell (a common sight at Buddhist temples), the main temple building, myself with a representation of the Buddha, and views of almost all of Kamakura down to the sea.
The day ended with a visit to the Great Buddha, who is certainly Great and is definitely a Buddha. The Great Buddha is another survivor - this time of a tremendous tidal wave which destroyed nearly everything else in the area. (Here’s a picture of myself, Kaitlin, and the Buddha.)
That’s not entirely true. The day actually ended, back in Tokyo, with us taking pictures of our food. Pizza!
Ski Trip Coming Tomorrow (Hopefully!)
A teaser:
