A weekend in Kamakura and Enoshima

Despite our love for Tokyo we ventured out of the city for two days in a row. Wil didn’t need much persuasion after I mentioned that both days would involve riding on trams to get around. For those of you who don’t know, my husband loves trains, trams and most other forms of transport. However, I’ve never really got the impression that he’s as enthusiastic about boats unless they’re warships or aircraft carriers. I don’t think it is coincidence that we have ended up living Japan which probably has the world’s best railway system.

Anyway, back on to our weekend trip. Both days started with an early start that was made better by breakfast from a local bakery. We discovered Japan’s phenomenal bakeries on honeymoon and they are our go-to place to grab breakfast and treats on the go. If I were to make a list of my favourite things about Japan, Japan’s bakeries would be on that list. (I should probably jot down “Japan’s bakeries” and “my favourite things about Japan” as ideas for future posts.)

We spent the majority of the weekend in Kamakura but headed over to Enoshima for a few hours as it was nearby. Here’s what we got up to.

Kamakura

Kamakura has some of the best temple complexes we have been to in Japan. We started with Hase-dera Temple (also known as Hase-dera Kannon).

There was a very pretty garden at the base of the temple complex to get you warmed up for the temple to come.

We saw hundreds of jizo statues on the way up to the temple.

(As well as these guys as an added bonus.)

We then got to the temple building itself  which was striking.

The temple is halfway up a hill so we had a lovely view over the ocean and the city. We sat outside and enjoyed the view as we ate some steamed vegetable buns. I think we immediately liked the place because it sold clearly marked meat-free snacks.

We also saw a pretty big statue of an eleven-headed Kannon of which we weren’t allowed to take any photos. But there's not a shortage of photos in this post.

We then headed underground to see some statues in a cave. Being short does have it advantages sometimes.

The last place we visited at the temple complex was a little zen garden. which was peaceful once the group in front of us left. FYI, whilst we were in the garden I definitely didn’t do the totally un-zen thing of barging in to a building next to the garden that was for staff only.

In addition to bakeries mentioned above, Japanese gardens are another one of my favourite things about Japan so I enjoyed this bit of the day in particular.

We then went to see the Great Buddha statue that is probably one of the first things that will come up if you look for things to see in Kamakura. It was stunning against the blue sky on a sunny day. I took a lot of photos of the Buddha.

Other than the size, what stood this Buddha statue apart from others we had seen before was that we could go inside this one! For a tiny fee we climbed up a narrow staircase into the Buddha’s belly! It was strange to identify different bits of the Buddha from the inside. But I think I am glad we didn't pay more as the Buddha definitely looks better from the outside.

We then did the Kuzuharaoka-Daibutsu Hiking Course.  I had especially worn my practical walking boots for the occasion. 

The Zuirokusan Engaku Kōshō Zenji or Engaku-ji was our reward at the end of the hike. It was very tranquil despite the screeching level crossing for the local train line.

We finished our time in Kamakura by going to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu where we happened to see some big American customised car driving past the temple gate and saw a wedding ceremony taking place!

Enoshima

There was still a lot more to see in Kamakura (we’ll definitely be heading back) but we fancied a change of scene and thought we’d head to Enoshima, a nearby island, for a few hours.

We started off by sitting on some steps on the edge of the beach. What a mistake. I think we had a minute of carefree relaxation before the kites descended onto the beach. They were vicious as they circled and dove fast at the people eating on the beach. I was not going to take any chances and wanted to make a quick getaway. Wil was enjoying the spectacle and taking photos and filming it on his phone. The photos don’t convey the sense of danger but here’s one anyway.

If you can get over the deadly kites, Enoshima is a popular spot for surfing and other water related outdoor pursuits as it is one of the closest beaches to Tokyo.

Our day got better once we left the beach. We visited some shrines collectively known as Enoshima Shrine and then headed to the Enoshima Sea Candle! It is an observation lighthouse that offered panoramic views of the area. On a clear day you can see Mt Fuji but it was cloudy over Mt Fuji so we had no luck.

We finished the day with a stroll around Enoshima Samuel Cocking Garden. Samuel Cocking was apparently a British merchant in the days of yore and that is all the extent of the history lesson you’re going to get from me.

To finish, here are some photos of the slightly strange place we had lunch om Sunday. Yes, that's a car showroom/cafe/community space.

Ok, two final photos of eating establishments that caught our eye over the weekend...a cafe with a tram front and another called Cafe SE1 coincidentally named after our old postcode in London!

Setting the scene for as I wrote this blog:

• Location: On the edge of my bed (as I ingeniously used the ironing board as a desk next to the bed) and then I finished the post sitting on my sofa a few days later.
• Weather: It was nice enough to be outside the day I started writing this post so I felt compelled to go outside.
• Soundtrack: A Perfect Day playlist on Spotify.
• Bonus fact:The Great Buddha statue we saw in Kamakura is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan at over 11m tall. Impressive, eh. But whilst that is impressive, in case you happen to visit Japan don’t get too excited by such accolades because Japan loves dishing out the “top three”, “top ten” or even “a top 100” accolade! I guess if you make an accolade specific enough anything could qualify e.g. I guess I am probably Japan’s third best resident from Birmingham that was born in the 1980s. I am going to work my way to the top spot during my time here. But sorry, you shouldn’t let my facetiousness get in the way of appreciating what really was a very impressive Buddha statue.