Wedged between the wooded hills and the sea I took the train to Kamakura for a day's excursion. Kamakura is filled with history and more than a hundred well preserved temples and shrines. The town served as the shogun’s capital between 1192 and 1333. After an hour train ride, I arrived in what I would describe as one of the most peaceful and beautiful places. I felt a sense of calmness and relaxation as I made my way through the town visiting many of the ancient Zen temples and shrines. Each turn on the road seemed to have a better photographic moment than the next. The air was pure and fresh with a mixture of cedar and flower scents. I was surrounded by green, lush landscapes made up of mountains, streams and giant gingko trees. I walked from Kita-Kamakura were I got off the train to Kamakura stopping to take in the sites on the way.
I don’t think the day could have been any better. Not only was the weather absolutely perfect, it turns out that they were celebrating Children’s Day (3-5-7) at some of the temples and I was able to see so many small children dressed in their finest kimonos as they came for the celebration. Proud parents walked their young ones up the stairs to the temples, stopping to take family photos. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any luckier, I got to see a wedding ceremony take place at the next shrine. It was absolutely magnificent. The soothing sounds of the instruments drew you in and made you just want to stay and watch forever.
As we continued on our way we walked through the town stopping to check out the shops and taste the various foods. We then boarded the Enoden Line to go to Hase, the place of the Great Bronze Buddha. As we entered the Kotoku-in Gate and turned the corner, I was in awe. I expected it to be huge but this was much more than that. Towering 13.35 meters into the air this bronze statue of Amita Buddha sat in front of me weighing 121 tons. It was incredible to think about how it was constructed and how it had lasted so many years. In 1498, there was a tidal wave that hit and swept away the temple that housed the statue leaving exposed the elements of nature.
Upon leaving the temple grounds we made our way through the town stopping to try some refreshing green tea and chestnut ice cream. After strolling through many little streets we found ourselves on the beach looking out on the Pacific. Windsurfers filled the waters trying to catch the waves. We decide we would explore some more and wandered our way along the coast finding more temples and shrines.
After a very long day made up of 12 hours of walking, we decided to head back to Tokyo. As we waited in the train station I saw for the first time a double-decker train. We decided to try it out and boarded on the bottom. What a wonderful surprise…we found plush rows of reclining seats, with AC and all the extras, a big difference from the subway type of train that we had come in on. I don’t think the day could have ended any better. We sat back and settled in comfortably for the hour ride back. About 30 min. into the ride we were greeted by the conductor who asked to see our tickets. We happily showed her only to be told “This is a first-class car, you must follow me to the back” Trying hard not to laugh, we followed her to a car which was just like the one we came in on…but without any empty seats. We thought about all the empty seats going to waste in the First Class section…oh well, we couldn’t have asked for a better day!
No comments:
Post a Comment