Day two in Kamakura had our intrepid group set out on our own for the first time on the trip, trying our hand at navigating the Enoden Electric Railway line and walking along the hills in the area, exploring more temples and dropping down to the beach for a bit.
The Enoden line is special for its 100+ year history and also because it provides last mile connectivity to towns which are otherwise underserved by the JR rail network. And, for tourists, because it connects to some of the more famous temples in the Kamakura area. Our first ride on the line turned out to be something of a lucky one, assuming you’re something of a transportation nerd like I am: We scored the retro-car, an older rail stock vehicle which still runs on the line. I didn’t realize that at the time but still got a couple photos to memorialize the trip.
After a quick ride from Kamakura to Gokurakuji we set out on foot to explore the temples, shrines and waterfront.
Hasedera Temple
The temple is famous for its 11-headed goddess covered in gold leaf but that didn’t do much for me. I was rather smitten by the temple grounds however, with spectacularly manicured gardens and views out to the ocean.
Also at Hasedera is the Benten-kutsu Cave. This is a small (very, in some places) stone cave with a number of icons resting in cut outs around the sides. Most are lit by candles, casting a soft glow over the entire cave and creating a spectacular scene.
The fish swimming about were fun, too.
Great Buddha (Daibutsu)
As one of the largest Buddha statues in Japan the Daibutsu site gets many, many visitors. A whole bunch of school groups were there taking class photos while we were on the grounds; I resisted the urge to try to blend in. The statue dates back to 1252 and sits approximately 13 meters tall. It is impressive in the way it dominates the space but was also a bit of a let down, perhaps because the large ones we saw in Myanmar were tremendous. Still, quite an impressive site and it has aged well despite tsunamis and earthquakes which have done damage to the surroundings.
Two days of temples was enough for us (or at least for me) and so it was time to move on in our trip, north to Tokyo where the energy levels and crowds were at a much different level.
More posts from the Japan 2015 Vacation
Related Posts:
- A pilgrimage to Mt. Kyaiktiyo
- Thousands and thousands of temples on the plains of Bagan, Burma
- Lots and lots of Buddha in Vientiane, Laos
- Luang Prabang’s Pak Ou caves and a cruise on the Mekong River
- Touring the Temple of the Tooth
- A visit to Sri Lanka’s medieval capital, Polonnaruwa
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I am a big fan of Japan and thank you for the great report and pictures.
I may have missed it but did you fly Into NET or HND?
Flew in to NRT. Didn’t mention it because I didn’t write about the flight over. Getting from there to Kamakura was mildly annoying but only one transfer en route so mostly just slow.