Konbanwa, mina-san! We spent Saturday in Kamakura, a small city just south of Tokyo that is known for its giant statue of the Buddha. Built in the 13th century, the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) has withstood several natural disasters (tidal waves and earthquakes) while its base and surrounding structures have been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly. As you can tell by the number of people in the background of the picture, this is an incredibly popular site to visit. People visit it both as a tourist and as a pilgrim--taking a picture one minute and offering a prayer the next--much like Catholics visiting the Vatican. Though we would have been happy to see the Daibutsu no matter what, we were especially pleased to greet him after the 3.5k hike we took to get there. Now I know 3.5k doesn't sound like much, and normally it would not have been terribly taxing. However, our Lonely Planet guide book that recommended the hiking course failed to mention that when wet, the course's level difficultly increased exponentially. In addition to the "real" threat of slipping down a muddy slope, there was the fear of ruining the only pairs of tennis shoes and jeans meant to last the entire trip (in my case, for the entire summer). Needless to say, disaster was averted, and we reached the Daibutsu safely and relatively mud-free.
Also in Kamakura is the Hasedera, a temple dedicated to the Bodhisattva of compassion, Kannon. The main temple is surrounded by blooming gardens as well as other more minor shrines, several of which were tucked away in a dark and dank cave that Sean thorougly enjoyed. The great gold statue of Kannon was much smaller than the Daibutsu we had just seen, but because it was in an enclosed building, it seemed much bigger. Kannon was my favorite part of the trip, but unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of her.
I've added a slideshow feature to the right-hand side of the page. I will try to update this periodically. Thanks for reading!
