Kamakura

Written while in Japan ~ Jan 28th 2007

Me in Standard Buddha Pic Position

If you ever find yourself in Yokohama wanting to see a big Buddha, I recommend you go to Kamakura.

I went there while I was visiting a friend in Tokyo. I would not say that it is a happening place by any means, but if you are looking for a very Japanese tourist experience there are few better places. Plus, you can get your picture taken with the world’s second largest outdoor bronze buddha.

I became interesting in going there through the entry on wikitravel, which is not as informative as I would like, but not bad. Whenever I go somewhere listed on that site, the information I get from it seems pretty good, when it is available. I often want to add my own advice and anecdotes but I have not had much practice writing in the tone of voice they use. But I digress.

Kamakura, the city is pretty typical for a suburb of a major metropolis, but it seems to have a lot more rich people than I usually see. I think this because I saw many houses with lawns while I was there. Anyone who has spent a fair amount of time in Japan will realize that larger yards are either a) ludicrously expensive, or b) in a place with low property values.

To get to the big buddha, I followed a small mass of Japanese tourists. The route has a fair amount of signs but for those who want more help, there are also many maps. The only tricky bit for me was getting to the station for the railway that goes to the big buddha from kamakura proper. it is on the other side of the station that goes to yokohama

Comments are closed.