Out to Kamakura

Packing up. Packing the train to its fullest at the expense of comfort.

Today was my big exciting day to actually venture 50 km south of Tokyo to the city of Kamakura. Shawn helped me find the right train that went down to Kamakura. I thought I fully figured out the trains in Tokyo but I thought wrong. The train that went directly to Kamakura infrequently departed once every hour. I waited on the wrong train platform and missed my train. I decided to take the longer route which required me to transfer to another train.

I was at the tail end of rush hour and had to unfortunately experience the pain of being in an overcrowded train. I first tried to observe what the etiquette was for packing myself into the crowded train. If you’re in the train but near a door, when the door opens, you get out and then go back in when the people leaving the train exit. This puts you in the middle or back of the crowd. The feeling of being here is like being in a mosh pit at a rock concert. You tend to sway and squish with the crowd. For me, my face was against a pole which made riding a little more painful.

Some people recommend you ride these crowded trains for the experience. While it is an experience, you can get a similar experience by laying face first on a metal pole and having your friends (strangers would make it a more genuine) jump on top of you.

The train I transferred to for the rest of the way to Kamakura was more normal and a lot less crowded. I actually accidentally sat in the 1st class area for a little until I was escorted out. Upon arriving at Kamakura station, I went to the Tourist Info Center to get maps and directions. I wanted to go to an old style soba restaurant that was off the beaten path but it was too far out and I didn’t want to risk wasting time getting lost. From Kamakura station, I took a bus to the Great Buddha (Diabutsu).

Diabutsu -- Great Buddha

Diabutsu was more impressive than I thought. I thought my interests in temples, shrines, and statues waned but not after seeing Diabutsu. The statue was made in 1252 and was housed in a temple until a tidal wave destroyed the wooden temple. The buddha and its foundation is all that remains. My next stop was to Hase Kannon Temple which was a short walk down a small street lined with little boutiques.

The garden at Hase Kannon Temple

A man was making freshly grilled seaweed crackers in his little shop and I had to stop for a snack. I’ve only had mass produced versions of these crackers sealed in plastic. The fresh cracker I ate was still warm and very delicious. Hase Kannon Temple was the most beautiful temple I’ve visited in Japan. The gardens were nicely done, there is a cave with Buddhist statues, and the temple itself is nicely laid out against the surrounding vegetation.

Jizo statues representing the souls of miscarried, stillborn or aborted children.

Small figures in the cave of Bentenkutsu.

I splurged and had a nice lunch (soba, beer, and red-bean dessert) at a soba restaurant on temple grounds that had a nice view of the town and harbor below. After lunch I headed off to the Hase train station to transfer to and explore around Kamakura station and the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine built by Yorimoto.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

The shrine was nice but not too big. There is a 1,000 year old gingko tree at the temple which is interesting. I like to see the temples and shrines outside of Tokyo because they’re not spoiled by the high rises and buildings of the city. Kamakura is unique because it has a small town suburban feel that’s not too touristy. Coming out to Kamakura was definitely worth it.

I had to get back to Ebisu station by 8 PM to meet up with Taeko for dinner. I took a direct train to Ebisu this time and arrived at the station about an hour early. I rewarded myself for making it back by having a “black and tan” (Guiness and a light Japanese beer combined).

Happy Taeko during yakiniku. Food + Taeko = Happy Taeko.

Taeko met up with me and said we were going to eat some yakiniku. I was so excited because I love yakiniku in the US (Gyu-Kaku) and wanted to compare it with Japan. We went to a small, fairly famous, yakiniku restaurant Taeko used to go to and even some Japanese celebrities go to.

Harami beef yakiniku. Yum!

The food was awesome and I think I expressed that to Taeko by eating a lot of it. Beef tongue, raw beef, and harami beef coupled with cold beer was the perfect combination. A great last dinner for my travels to Japan.

Afterwards, we met up with Shawn and went to the Irish pub near his place. We only got to get one drink before Taeko had to make the last train back. It was sad to see her go but inevitable. Back at Shawn’s place I packed and said my goodbyes early because my bus left at 6 AM the next day.

- jason