After the island trip, I went back to Kamakura. In this historically important area (Kamakura was the imperial city from the 12th to the 14th century), there are lots of temples and shrines to see, most notably, of course, the huge Buddha statue in Hase.
You can easily take the Enoden back from Enoshima and find something interesting at every stop.
Gokuraku-ji
Gokuraku-ji is a beautiful old Buddhist temple from the 13th century. It is only a few meters from the train station of the same name and then you are standing in front of the Sanmon, the entrance gate, which is thatched (something you rarely find in Japan). After the hustle and bustle of Enoshima, it is a good opportunity to calm down a bit. The priest Ninshō, who founded the temple in 1259, dedicated his entire life to nursing the sick, especially those suffering from leprosy, and it is therefore one of the first hospitals in Japan. Unfortunately, the interior areas are not accessible and you are not actually allowed to take photos on the grounds (but I didn’t know that. Oh well…)
If you follow the road to Hase, you will quickly come to Joju-in. This temple also dates back to the 13th century. The small water features and statues (including a happy little frog and a fierce dragon!) are particularly beautiful. In summer, when everything is in bloom, the garden must be particularly magnificent. So everything was still on hold for a while.
Directly adjacent is a large Buddhist cemetery, and then you are already in
Hase
The big attraction in Hase is certainly the bronze monumental statue of Buddha in Kotoku-in. But the place also has a lot of other beautiful places to offer
Shugen-ji and Hase-dera
Shugen-ji is a small shrine directly on the way from Hase station to Hase-dera. A small, beautiful garden invites you to linger. A small historical legend surrounds its founding – a typical story from the feudal era.
Hase-dera is located on a mountain slope about 400 m further away and is one of the large Buddhist temples in Kamakura. Being too confused, I completely missed the main attraction – the almost 10 m high, gold-plated Kannon statue made of camphor wood. Instead, I enjoyed the beautiful koi ponds, the view over Kamakura, and the hundreds of small Jizō statues. The entrance fee is moderate at 400 ¥, although I would recommend visiting later in the year. It is certainly great in autumn in particular!
Daibutsu in Kotoku-in
Then I went past a few more small temples and shrines to the Kōtoku-in, the “seat” of the Daibutsu. Undoubtedly the most visited sight in Kamakura. The bronze statue from the 13th century is almost 13 m high and you can even explore it from the inside (but I didn’t do that). The Buddha used to have a roof over his head, but it burned down in the 15th century, as did large parts of the rest of the temple. The Buddha’s huge straw shoes hanging on a wall are also nice.
The entrance fee here is a mere 300 ¥.
Shopping in Kamakura
I still had time in Hase and had passed a few shops that sold used kimonos. So the chances of getting a nice kimono, or even better a yukata, seemed much better here.
I actually had luck in the first shop with the very generic name “tax-free shop”. Even though it looked incredibly chaotic and a bit dingy from the outside, I was immediately looked after and looked after in a very friendly manner. The somewhat older lady took a lot of time to help me into a nice yukata, tied the obi for me (unfortunately I was too stupid to let her show me how to do it right away), and I also had enough opportunity to buy a few nice accessories. Probably not all of them were incredibly high quality, but for me, they were all nice souvenirs that just about fit in my suitcase.
Back in Germany, I was able to wear the Yukata a few times already.