gurdymonkey | A day in Kamakura

Kamakura was the headquarters of the shogun's military government from the late 12th century until Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power around 1603. That's where I was headed as I boarded the train this morning. Yesterday's rain had been replaced with bright sunshine and I got very lucky glancing out a window on my train and spotted Mount Fuji, impressively big even though we were moving east of it.

Thank goodness for my travel apps, they make getting around the transit systems a lot easier. Hyperdia does the major train lines and Google Maps can pitch in on local transit. I alighted at Kamakura, slung things into a coin locker, and decided my must see (and therefore do first) was the Daibutsu of Kotoku-in. It didn't look like a bad walk, only a kilometer or two, and it was a gorgeous day. On my way through town I passed multiple groups of school children (including a group of pre-schoolers who were enjoying the massive echo in a tunnel underpass. I made a point of smiling and saying "Konnichiwa!" to each group I passed. I got a random assortment of responses ranging from too-wrapped-up-in-their-own-stuff, to them saying "Konnichiwa" or even "Hello."

I am going to make a brief digression here, because my day ended up including three major figures of Japanese Buddhism that require introduction.

First, Amitabha Buddha, or Amida Butsu as he is known in Japan, is the principal figure in Pure Land Buddhism. One can be reborn into the Pure Land by repeating his name. (Click on the links to see more.)

Then there is Kannon (originally Guanyin in China), the gender fluid buddha of compassion, depicted and described both as a male or female.

Finally, we'll meet Jizo, a buddha who is a guardian of children.

The road between Kotoku-in and Hasedera was lined with cafes and souvenir shops, as befits a pilgrimage/tourist neighborhood. The Daibutsu (Great Buddha) has been a draw for visitors since the late 13th century and it is pretty impressive. For a small fee, one can even line up to go inside it - you'll see photos of the back of the statue showing windows out of the Buddha's back. (I gave that a pass.)

I did discover that the hillsides around the temple were prime habitat for the local raptor species, the black kite. I attempted to catch some of them in my photos with limited success, because autofocus can't keep up with them and trying to track and manually focus with the 35mm lens was tricky. That I got anything at all is kind of amazing.

From Kotoku-in, I walked down to Hasedera, a temple devoted to Kannon since the 8th century. There are also hundreds of Jizo images and a side temple to him, representing prayers for deceased children. (In addition to more traditional representations of Jizo as a monk, he is sometimes represented as a cute, almost childlike figure himself.) Jizo is also a figure venerated for protection in childbirth and a patron of travelers.

Hasedera's location gives it spectacular views of the beach at Enoshima and its gardens are lovely. I also visited their small museum of precious temple treasures - photography was permitted. (Yay!)

I decided to treat myself to a gelato on the way back down to the other side of town. It gave me a moment to sit and get my bearings. I was on my way to try to find the bus stop when I saw a sign just as a Japanese lady had stopped to look at it as well. It turns out Kamakura as a Noh theater and museum, so we walked up to check it out.

The doors were locked, but a lady came to the door, explained in Japanese and broken English that the museum consisted of some masks and fans, and we could come in and see the theater. It sounded disappointing, but she knocked herself out trying to explain Noh to me and I did my best to convey the bits with which I was familiar and meet her in the middle. It was wonderful, and she filled up a bag with pamphlets postcards and even a lavish color calendar all for me for free because I'd been interested. (I'm going to write to them when I get home to thank her.)

Hopped a bus back to Kamakura Station, then walked up the shopping street that led to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine. By the time I got there it was pretty late and it looked like they were ready to wrap things up for the evening, but it was beautiful and I made the climb up to the main shrine. (The light was lovely for photography too!)

Back down into town to look for dinner. I couldn't face trying to go into Tokyo too early, because it would be rush hour. I ended up finding a little place off the main shopping street and had a rice bowl with salmon, salmon roe, shirasu (tiny white fish)and tuna, a bowl of udon in broth, pickled and vinegared vegetables and a hot tea, for less than $12 US.

By the time I got on the train, things weren't too bad and I even managed to snag a seat. It's about 70 minutes from Kamakura to Shin-Nihonbashi where I had to get off and it really didn't get jammed until we hit Tokyo Station just before my last stop.

Tonight I am in a capsule hotel three blocks from the subway. For about $30 US, my shoes are being held hostage in a locker on the ground floor, for which I traded a locker key. Said locker included a mesh bag containing cotton pajamas that don't fit me and towels for the shower. My suitcase won't fit the locker, so it's standing in a corner in the hallway. All the valuable stuff will stay in the capsule with me for the night and I'm leaving early in the morning.

It seems my sleeping arrangements keep getting smaller and smaller, but the inn in Nikko should be nice, and this really isn't bad. Light to read and write by, comfortable, clean bedding, and outlet and USB port for charging things, and an alarm clock built into the wall. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone with claustrophobia, but it's comforbable enough. Now, you CAN hear everything around you because the only thing between me and the hallway is a rolldown curtain, but people are being fairly quiet and considerate.

Nikko's going to take a couple hours to get to in the morning, so I'd better wrap this up and get some sleep!

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