Japan – Day 5 (Kamakura)

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!

Japan – Day 4 (off to Kamakura!)

I actually managed to get up and out this morning! I made my way to Meiji Jingu at 8am. This shrine is unique because although it’s in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world, everything is so tranquil and green you almost forget you’re downtown. It also has these gigantic tori, and I made sure to hug the same one I hugged years ago. After the shrine, I made my way to Meiji Jingu Gaien, and walked down the road with gingko trees. Thanks to climate change, Japan has been experiencing longer and hotter summers these past few years, with this year being the worst. Since summer lasted so long, the fall colors have been delayed by AT LEAST 2 weeks. This weekend is the ginkgo festival in Tokyo, when the ginkgo leaves are supposed to be yellow and gold and beautiful at peak color, but when I walked down the road they were all still green, barely any other color in sight. It’s honestly disappointing, I timed this trip to be in Japan for the autumn colors and it looks like I’m barely going to catch the beginning of it while I’m here. I made my way back to the hotel to pack up and get to the train station to head to Ofuna/Kamakura. I had some time before I could officially check in, so I walked to Kannonji Temple, which has a gigantic Kannon goddess statue you can walk around. Then I went to Ryuhoji, a local temple that is known for its stunning Japanese maple trees during the fall…but as I said, the leaves have barely started changing. I caught literally two trees with some yellow in them. Without the colors the temple is pretty standard, which is such a bummer, I bet it really is gorgeous during peak colors. I was feeling a little deflated with the climate change indicators and all that goes with them, so I checked into my hotel then got some food and came back to do laundry. You can actually rent machines here and I haven’t done laundry since Paris, so, I’m out of socks. Hoping tomorrow won’t be such a reminder that our planet is dying!

Japan – Day 3 (Tokyo)

Okay, so I didn’t get up super early today. Failure again. I got trapped in the warm, fluffy cocoon again (fueled by jet lag) and was lazy until around 9am when I finally headed out the door. The first stop was out to Asakusa, to see Senso-ji again. That temple, pagoda, and the Nakamise shopping street in front of it were one of my favorite places in Japan, and it honestly hasn’t changed a bit. Hell, they’re still selling a lot of the same stuff from 15 years ago. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! I did pick up a new door curtain and coin purse, and ate what seemed like deep fried mochi with a chocolate center, and then some regular strawberry mochi, and then I stopped for some tempura udon. I have a feeling I’m going to gain back all the weight I lost in Europe at this rate!

Before leaving the temple I picked out a fortune card, which ended up being the second best one you can get. I then stopped by the shrine next door and did it again and got the same prediction, so at least the two are consistent. I got back on the subway to Ueno Park and visited the temples and shrines in that area for a while. I was thinking about going to Shinjuku or Akihabara for a bit, but both of those areas are mostly shopping and I already spent way too much money, so instead I went to the hotel to rest my feet, eat some delicious oden soup, and change my clothes.

Once it was dark, I made my way to MariKar Shibuya, where you put on character onesies and ride around in go-karts throughout the city. I picked out Pikachu for my onesie, and opted for the hour tour. I think an hour was perfect. They have 2 and 3 hour tours that take you on the Rainbow Bridge, but I think the novelty of it would wear off after an hour, 2 tops, and my old back wouldn’t be able to handle it. Besides, they have one in Osaka too so I could try that! It was really just a blast, and my riding partner Godzilla was funny as hell. After the ride I swung by Family Mart for an egg sandwich and headed back to the hotel for the night. I also decided to just eat the kitty cake pop I got in Harajuku the other day, which was delicious too. Tomorrow I leave Tokyo and head out to Kamakura. My fortune said I would have good luck in my travels going south, and that was already my plan so huzzah!