That’s one big Buddha
and not all that far away
one little island
My dad suggested we get out of Tokyo for a bit of a day trip
while he was visiting. With the days running out on his visit as well as my time
in my apartment and my stay in general, today seemed like a good day to do it. I
planned a trip for us to go down to Kamakura and Enoshima, south of the city. We took some trains in the morning, making the trip all the way down. When we got to Kamakura I used my orientation skills and we had a nice walk to Kōtoku-in. The area leading up to the famous temple is very nice, with some cool shops and nice local scenery. There are some cool little things to see, like the red-hooded lady statues pictured below and signs featuring one of the earlier uses of the Swastika, as a symbol of auspiciousness in Buddhism.
The temple itself, Kōtoku-in, is very impressive, standing at over 13 meters. We paid just 200 yen to get in, about 2 Canadian dollars, and immediately after passing through the pay gate, it was pretty awe-inspiring. The Buddha statue, which I knew was going to be big, was much more grandiose than I expected. The area was fairly flooded with tourist groups, yet there was still an air of calm around the Buddha. You could pay to go inside, for just an additional 20 yen. It was definitely worth the 20 extra cents to see the inside, feel the inside workings and have a chance to get a glimpse of the construction methods. The Buddha is made of many large metal panels attached to each other. My dad said he found the place very impressive and I had to agree. There is even a poem by Rudyard Kipling about the destination, called "Buddha at Kamakura" which you can check out here. I especially like the line about "beef-fed zealots".
Following the beautiful sights of Kamakura, my dad and I hopped on the very old tram-style train line that runs over close to Enoshima. Enoshima is a small island/peninsula just off the coast. It is connected to the mainland so you can walk right onto it. The place is very picturesque, with a temple and an observatory right in the middle of the tiny island with beaches surrounding it on all sides. It also offers great views of Mt. Fuji, but unfortunately it was a hazy day so you could only just barely make out the outline of Fujisan. On top of checking out the temple, after taking the escalator that goes up the steep hill, my dad and I did go in the water for a bit, which was nice. I also got to sprint up the steps after he forgot his sunglass clip-ons, which was a good workout, but not the most enjoyable thing to do.
It was a long trek back home after, but it was nice to be greeted by Aykut when we got back. He came and had some tea with us as I organized my stuff to move out of my apartment the following day. I'd be remiss not to thank my good friend Kaz back in Vancouver, because he recommended Enoshima. My mom kept asking me if I'd go to the beach, which I wasn't really dying to do, and Kaz suggested going to Enoshima and doing Kamakura the same day. It is definitely a worthwhile day trip coming from more Northern Tokyo, and is a place I'd spend a lot of time if I lived closer.
The temple itself, Kōtoku-in, is very impressive, standing at over 13 meters. We paid just 200 yen to get in, about 2 Canadian dollars, and immediately after passing through the pay gate, it was pretty awe-inspiring. The Buddha statue, which I knew was going to be big, was much more grandiose than I expected. The area was fairly flooded with tourist groups, yet there was still an air of calm around the Buddha. You could pay to go inside, for just an additional 20 yen. It was definitely worth the 20 extra cents to see the inside, feel the inside workings and have a chance to get a glimpse of the construction methods. The Buddha is made of many large metal panels attached to each other. My dad said he found the place very impressive and I had to agree. There is even a poem by Rudyard Kipling about the destination, called "Buddha at Kamakura" which you can check out here. I especially like the line about "beef-fed zealots".
Following the beautiful sights of Kamakura, my dad and I hopped on the very old tram-style train line that runs over close to Enoshima. Enoshima is a small island/peninsula just off the coast. It is connected to the mainland so you can walk right onto it. The place is very picturesque, with a temple and an observatory right in the middle of the tiny island with beaches surrounding it on all sides. It also offers great views of Mt. Fuji, but unfortunately it was a hazy day so you could only just barely make out the outline of Fujisan. On top of checking out the temple, after taking the escalator that goes up the steep hill, my dad and I did go in the water for a bit, which was nice. I also got to sprint up the steps after he forgot his sunglass clip-ons, which was a good workout, but not the most enjoyable thing to do.
It was a long trek back home after, but it was nice to be greeted by Aykut when we got back. He came and had some tea with us as I organized my stuff to move out of my apartment the following day. I'd be remiss not to thank my good friend Kaz back in Vancouver, because he recommended Enoshima. My mom kept asking me if I'd go to the beach, which I wasn't really dying to do, and Kaz suggested going to Enoshima and doing Kamakura the same day. It is definitely a worthwhile day trip coming from more Northern Tokyo, and is a place I'd spend a lot of time if I lived closer.
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