I have no idea why I woke up so sore this morning. I’ve been walking miles and miles every day for over a month now, why am I hurting now? Nothing some ibuprofen can’t fix! I had my breakfast and headed out for an adventure on the Japanese bus system! If you’ve never been to Japan let me tell you this, the train system is amazing: everything arrives and leaves on time, it’s clean, it’s orderly, and you always know where things are going and coming from. The bus system…is not. The buses are clean, that’s true, and people typically line up to get on but then the order breaks apart. They don’t always arrive on time, everyone is jammed in, unlike American buses there’s only one way in and one way out and you have to scan your fare card twice because the amount changes depending on distance (as opposed to the flat rate fare in the U.S.) and you basically have to yell at the driver when you want to get off and squeeeeeze through to the front. I tried to avoid the buses back in the day, but in Kamakura it’s unavoidable unless you want to double or triple your travel time.
My first stop was Kenchoji, an old temple with stunning old juniper trees and a very pretty garden. They also have a hiking trail up a mountain but it was shut down due to damage from the recent typhoon. Next I walked over to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu, and this place was CRAZY busy. It seemed like there was some sort of children’s festival going on, because there were all of these kids aged 2-5 years old all dressed up in super fancy kimonos and running around being adorable. There was also a very traditional wedding ceremony going on that we all got to watch, and as I was leaving another wedding procession was coming in. This time it was a younger couple and when all the tourists started gushing over the bride and groom (seriously those kimono are GORGEOUS) they both got super happy and started posing for the tourist cameras while they were waiting for the light to change. Once the light changed it was like the parting of the sea and everyone including tourists stepped aside for them without prompting, everyone is so polite and well behaved here. Or maybe it’s because we all know how difficult it is to move around in a dress like a wedding gown let alone a wedding kimono, ha! Next I caught a bus to Hokokuji, known for its tranquil atmosphere and bamboo gardens. Also its momiji, but, like I said no colors yet…
A bus and train ride later and I was at Kotoku-in, where a gigantic Buddha from the 13th century is located. What’s cool about this particular Buddha is you can actually go inside of it and see how they cast and connected all the pieces together, which is really neat. Next, I walked to Hasedera, another place known for its momiji (I’m sensing an aggravating theme here) and koi ponds, plus it has a great view of the city and the ocean since it’s so high up. I filled out a wish clam shell and hung it on the wall of the inari shrine, climbed up to the viewpoint, and walked around the rock zen garden for a while. Afterwards I headed towards Enoshima, a small island just off the coast that’s easy to get to but with a lot of walking, and from the bridge you get a gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji. I walked to the island and up the hill into the shrine, and managed to make 2 of my 3 coin shots into the luck fountain (it’s a pond with a small money box in the middle and you throw a coin while making a wish and if it lands in the box you have good luck). I also made my three trips through the good health ring, pet a resident shrine cat, and made my way down the stairs. I didn’t time my descent well enough though, so by the time I got back to the bridge the sun had already dipped behind the mountains but I still got some good pictures of the sky and Mt. Fuji silhouette. I jumped down to the beach to stick my hand in the ocean, then caught a bus back to the hotel. My legs were killing me, so I took a hot bath with some sort of Epsom salt mix thing that made me feel a bit better. Kamakura is a pretty neat place, I’m glad I stopped by!
