American Couple Enjoy Walking and Meeting with People in Kamakura

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Date & Time: Thursday, September 26, 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Visitors: Peter and Jane, US citizens living in Austria.
Spots: Hokokuji temple, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine, Kamakura hiking course (Jufukuji temple, Zeniarai-benten shrine, Sasuke Inari, and the Great Buddha), Hasedera temple, and Cape Inamuragasaki
Guide: Chiyoko, KSGG member
Language: English

 

It was a sunny autumn day. Peter and Jane, two nature loving walkers, finally arrived in Kamakura after traveling around Japan for two months. They hoped to visit the Great Buddha, Hase temple, and Hokokuji temple, as their friend had strongly recommended. Additionally, they wanted to watch the sunset at Kamakura seashore.
The visitors went to Hokokuji temple first to avoid the crowds. They were so impressed with the well-cared beautiful moss gardens in the temple. They showed significant interest in Jizo, the guardian deity of travelers and children wearing a red bib. They also appreciated the beautiful bamboo grove. The couple noticed Higanbana or red spider lilies had finally started to bloom in bright red, after the autumn equinox, delayed in blooming due to the prolonged summer heat. And they found that October cherry blossom, or Cerasus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ Makino, was starting to flower.

Next, the visitors arrived at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine around 11:00 a.m. They worshiped at the main shrine from a distance, standing near the third torii gate. Then, they walked on the promenade around Heike Pond, admiring the lotus flowers. Then, they passed through Iwaya Koji Street, entered the gate of Jufuku-ji temple, and went up to Genjiyama Park. Near the Stature of the first Shogun Yoritomo, they encountered a group of elementary school children on a school field trip. Peter asked them many questions, such as, “What do you have in your rice balls?” and “Did your mom make the rice balls?” He also responded warmly to children’s cheerful greetings such as “Hello, how are you?”

At Zeniarai Benten shrine, they observed worshipers washing money with basket strainers and offering raw eggs to a snake-bodied deity. They were curious about what happens to the offered eggs after that. They stopped at a café next to Zeniarai Benten shrine, which had been converted from an old Japanese house. The lady of the café in her 70s was very friendly and kind to them. They sat on zabuton cushions at a chabudai (old-style Japanese table), enjoyed chat with her, and ate her homemade cakes. The lady said, “I lived in a dorm at UC Berkley for a year when I was about twenty years old. That was the time when America was at the height of the hippie era.” Jane responded, “I was also a college student nearby at that time, though it might have been a little bit later.” The visitors were curious about the old Japanese furniture in the house, including a chadansu (tea cabinet), hibachi (charcoal brazier), and ikou (clothes rack). And traditional Japanese lifestyle such as life on a tatami (straw mats) floor became a topic of their conversation.

At Hase temple, they worshiped the temple’s principal image, a wooden statue of Kannon Bosatsu, turned the Mani-kuruma (prayer wheel), and marveled at vividly colored carp swimming in a pond. At a scenic overlook, the visitors enjoyed a view of Yuigahama beach. They remarked that Kamakura was a small but beautiful town.
In the evening the strong sunshine had faded, and cool autumn air replaced hot one. The sky was scattered with scale clouds. Knowing that the sunset was at 5:30 p.m., they made one more effort to reach Cape Inamuragasaki in time. They were able to see the clear top of Mt. Fuji in orange-colored sunset sky. That was so much impressive.