Adventures with KG!: Kamakura & the Great Buddha

Tarynn & Kerri have arrived in the small tourist town of Kamakura about 60 km south of Tokyo.

We were meeting my friend Mika (from CMU) and her friend Saori. They were our tour guides for the day!

This ginko tree was a "natural treasure" until it was destroyed in a winter storm in March 2010. They saved part of "Kakuro Incho" so it can remain at the foot of the Hachimangu Shrine were it stood for over 1,000 years. It's older than the shrine, and legend has it that assassins would hide behind the large trunk and wait for their prey!

The stairs to Hachimangu Shrine. It was built in 1063 and was another busy mob scene!

Mika and Saori with a bunch of flags in the garden.

Kerri, Mika, & Saori in the shrine garden

There were people every where, especially on Dankazura, the center pedestrian path of Kamakura.

To avoid the crowds, we decided to go for a rickshaw ride! Mika & Saori are ready to go!

Tarynn & Kerri from behind

So excited for our tour of Kamakura without walking!!

Our special English-speaking guide, Choji, which means "butterfly boy".

We all had a crush on him!

4 lovely ladies having fun on our rickshaw ride!

This time we even let "butterfly boy" get in the photo. Some might say he's showing off his best side!!

Butterfly Boy leads us through the streets of town.

One more group shot in front of a shrine (with a forgotten name--perhaps Butterfly Boy was distracting me...)

Tarynn & Kerri pose with our "jinrikisya".

Lunch time! I had green soba noddles called yomogi men. They are made with grass and herbs and served with a raw egg, soy sauce, and wasabi for dipping. The noodles were okay, but I didn't do too much dipping!

Next stop was Daibutsu (a.k.a. Great Buddha at Kotokuin Temple).

He was constructed in 1252 and is 13.35 meters (over 43 feet) tall and is the 2nd tallest bronze buddha in Japan.

Great Buddha used to be inside a temple, but multiple temples were destroyed by typhoons and a tidal wave in the 14th & 15th centuries. Thus, he has been sitting in the open air since 1495.

For 20 yen (~20 cents) we could go inside the hollow buddha! I'm ready to go down one narrow staircase and up another!

Kerri & Tarynn rub the inside of Daibutsu for good luck!

On to the beach of Fujisawa City! We decided to ride a vintage half-train/half-streetcar (called Enoden) which has a scenic view of the ocean. Apparently everyone and the brother (literally!) decided to do the same thing! Let's just say we couldn't see the ocean because it was an uncomfortable and cramped ride. The most packed train I've experienced since arriving in Japan. We thought about taking a pic, but we were smashed in so tightly we couldn't move our arms to reach our camera!

Tarynn was very excited about the ocean since she's from Hawaii, but Mika says the beaches in Japan aren't so nice. This one was surprisingly trash-filled and muddy rather than sandy. In addition, they have sand fleas and giant mean hawks (called tombe) that will stop at nothing to get your picnic lunch! I know seagulls are pests, but last time Mika was here her friend was cut on her cheek by a feather of a hawk who swooped down and stole her sandwich right as she was trying to put it in her mouth!!

The beach looks pretty from a distance, but after hearing Mika's testimonies I think I'll stick to IceBars when I want to cool off!

Final stop is the tiny island of Enoshima. It is connected to Fujisawa City by one bridge and is 4 km in circumference. Not surprisingly, this place was also crazy busy, and the walk to the shrine was straight uphill!