Date & Time: Thursday, November 28, 2024, 9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.
Spots: Kotoku-in (Great Buddha), Hasedera, Hokokuji, and Jyomyoji temples, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine
Visitor: A New York resident who knows Japan well
Guide: Kenny, KSGG
Language: English
The visitor works with a Japanese tourism office in New York. She previously lived in northern Japan, where she worked as an English teacher. After traveling along the Sea of Japan coast and through a mountainous region, she finally visited Kamakura for the first time. Located about 50 kilometers from central Tokyo, Kamakura is a popular tourist destination known as the ancient capital of the Shogunate. The city is home to many historic temples and shrines, and during this visit, she explored several that are part of Japan Heritage.
Kotoku-in Temple is famous for the Great Buddha, a bronze statue over 13 meters tall, which was cast in the 13th century. The interior of the Great Buddha is mostly hollow, and the visitor stepped inside to admire the sophisticated casting techniques of the time.
The visitor stopped by a restaurant at Hasedera Temple. The restaurant offers a lovely view of the ocean and cityscape and serves Buddhist cuisine. As a fan of noodles like ramen and udon, she chose curry udon for lunch.
She also visited the Zen temples Hokokuji and Jomyoji. Hokokuji is renowned for its stunning bamboo grove, where the guide shared the tale of Kaguya-hime, the Bamboo Princess. In the story, she was born from a bamboo stalk and grew into an adult in just three months—a reflection of the rapid growth of bamboo.
At a tea house in Jomyoji Temple, she enjoyed a bowl of matcha and higashi (dried sweets) shaped like the crest of the Ashikaga Shogunate. While tasting her treats, she appreciated the karesansui (Zen rock garden) and the soothing sounds of a suikinkutsu (a water-dripping instrument).
On the way to the final destination of the day, Hachimangu Shrine, the visitor and her guide—who had previously lived and worked in New York City—chatted about the city, where she would be returning the next day.
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