Kōtoku-in, Hase-dera, and Inamuragasaki

While visiting Kamakura we saw the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) at Kōtoku-in temple. At almost 44 feet it is the second tallest bronze buddha in Japan. Cast seven and a half centuries ago, this statue has survived eathquakes, a tidal wave, and many storms. It was originally housed inside a temple, but it was destroyed. They allow you to go inside the statue to view the sophisticated (at the time) techniques that were used to form the sculpture. Their website is full of all sorts of fun facts like the height and diameter of the 656 hair coils. 

The street in front of the temple is full of fun souvenir shops. The statue on the right is Buddha holding mochi.

You can hire a rickshaw to take you around town.

We also visited Hase-dera, It is a huge temple complex built on a mountain slope. You ascend stairs in levels and the large temple building is at the top. It has a beautiful view of Kamakura city and the bay. It is most famous for its wooden statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, but it contains several shrines intended to honor different deities. 

The grounds are also home to hundreds of Jizo Bodhisattva statues. They are placed here by parents mourning the loss of a child. These statues stay on the grounds for about a year before being burned or buried to make way for more. It is estimated that some 50,000 statues have been placed here since WWII. It is so sad to see these sweet little statues and know that they represent a little life lost. Sometimes the parents will dress them in little aprons and beanie hats to keep them warm. 

You can pray for the babies by caring for and washing this little statue.

Hase-Dera is home to one of the largest wooden statues in Japan. Here is the story behind it from Wikipedia:

According to legend, the statue is one of two images of Kannon carved by a monk named Tokudō in 721.^[1] The camphor tree was so large, according to legend, that he decided that he could carve two statues with it. One was enshrined in Hase-dera in the city of Nara, Yamato Province, while the other was set adrift in the sea to find the place that it had a karmic connection with. It washed ashore on Nagai Beach on the Miura Peninsula near Kamakura in the year 736. The statue was immediately brought to Kamakura where a temple was built to honor it.

This cave is called Benten Kutsu Cave and it is dedicated to Benzaiten, the sea goddess.  

A beautiful example of a zen garden.

Lovely ladies wearing kimonos

The train is packed!

We also visited Inamuragasaki which is a beautiful beach where on a clear day you have an amazing view of Mount Fuji. 

THIS is what I was hoping to see:

Instead it was a pretty foggy day so we didn't get to see the mountain, but it was still a nice beach with a lot of surfers there for a competition. 

Tiny Japanese streets, I'm not sure how they get their cars down through here, but they do!

That evening we were able to have dinner with our friend Brittany. We met Brittany back in Annapolis where she was part of our YSA group. It is crazy to see how much life changes in such a short period of time. We went from dating our midshipman to married with babies living in Japan. Ridge and Brittany have a beautiful daughter and another little girl on the way in just a few months. It is so nice to see a familiar face! Eisley loved playing with Liliana.

Map Links:
Kōtoku-in
Hase-dera
Inamuragasaki