K-K-Kamakura in a Flash

For some strange reason the winter weather here in the Tokyo area hit 18 degrees this past weekend. I'm not kidding at all. It was sunny and extremely warm, however a little windy. Almost good enough to go to a beach.. mmmmmm.. how I've so wanted to hit a beach for this past few weeks or so.

Since it was such nice weather outside I decided it was best to venture off to do outdoor tourism at Kamakura. Known as a very cultural and historical area I was expecting it to be just a small scale Kyoto. In a way it was, but at the same time I think there were parts of it I actually enjoyed more. Here at Kōtokuin is the Great Buddah Daibutsu. It's 13 meters high and the second largest Buddah in all of Japan. The statue was originally located in a building structure but giant tidal waves destroyed the building leaving only the statue itself. The inside of it is actually hollow and visitors can enter and look around. However I was slightly late and didn't get the chance to do so. Still, somewhat overwhelming to look at from the outside though. I'm glad I made it just as the sun was setting.


Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine is a popular destination for New Year's. It's positioned in such a way that sunrise is viewable on a clear morning. Shrines and temples are traditional for New Year's celebrations here in Japan, and seeing the first sunrise is often regarded highly as optimistic fortunes for the year to follow. I'm most likely planning on visiting a temple this New Year's Eve but likely will just be staying within the Tokyo area.


Upon entering the shrine grounds there lies an unsually high concentration of pigeons. A handful of people actually engage them with food and seeds which can be obtained at a nearby stand. For the most part I'm quite afraid of pigeons and don't like being within close proximity of wild birds in general. I think I'm irked because of all the damn seagulls back in Toronto. This little girl was quite brave. I don't think I could bring myself to be a target for birds. At least not pigeons anyways, which one of my friends merely references them as "rats with wings."


Part of Kenchōji, I'd like to get into this one a bit more since it was extremely intricate and composed of several different viewing areas. I don't know enough history or information about it yet so I'll have to continue this later!