Kamakura

We were a bit stunned this morning but managed to get out the door and onto the train from Asakusa by 9.30, the first leg of our journey to Kamakura. Hyperdia is a great application for planning Japanese rail journeys, but our trip today seemed to have narrower margins than usual. We had to scoot up and down elevators and make sure we didn't make a wrong turn, and we just squeaked in the connections, bot it all worked as planned, and we were tucking into a very welcome crepe and cup of coffee near Hase station by 11.00. We made our visit to the Diabutsu which has been a special experience every time we've visited.The impact of the statue, sitting serenely in its amphitheatre of mountains, as it has done for more than a thousand years,  with the clouds floating by behind, is profound. You can feel that streams of people have been coming here for a very long time. There is something striking about the peaceful serenity of the massive statue, that seems to accept but sail serenely above the stream of people milling about taking selfies and posing for photos and generally milling about in an ant like fashion.

After our visit, we headed off along the Kuzuharooka/Daibutsu hiking trail that climbs up to then follows a ridge through some relatively wild areas. There were lots of steep ups and downs to give our knees a good workout.

 

We stopped at the wonderfully civilized Itzuki Terrace Café , which is located 50 metres off the trail and perfectly located just when you need a rest and some sustenance, for a delicious lunch, then headed on to a Shinto Shrine, Zeniaraibenzaiten Shrine (say that three times quickly). The Shrine, according to the sign out the front, was founded by Minamoto  Yoritomo, who in 1185 was told in a dream "In a valley to the Northwest there is a miraculous spring that gushes out of the rocks. Go there and worship the gods of Shinto, and peace will come to the people." The shrine is located in  deep gully, with steep cliffs surrounding it, and access is via a tunnel cut through the rock. It is believed that money washed in the water of the miraculous spring will return manifold to the owner. There was a huge gaggle of excited school kids earnestly washing their 10 and 50yen pieces in the water.

It is a very atmospheric place but unfortunately well down a very steep hill from the trail, and it was a bit of a slog to work our way back up again, but worth it because further along we encountered Kuzuharaoakajinja Shrine, with splendid turtles in the pond out the front, and a fine Inari shrine within. We've come to like the Inari shrines with their fierce looking foxes.
This Shrine had a particularly fine pair.

We were getting a bit tired now, but had enough energy to visit Jochi-ji, established in 1281, 'considered on of Kamakura's five great Zen temples'. It was a very beautiful and peaceful place, with its three statues representing past present and future, and its touching statues located in small caves carved into the cliff face. It wa a nice end to our walk, and we were soon back on a train heading us back for Tokyo rush hour. Which I'd have to say is considerably less squeezy than Melbourne trains at the same time in the afternoon. We know our way now, and after a quick visit to the local 7eleven we are back with a couple of small bottles of Californian Chardonnay and having a well eared ha'py hour after a good day.