Wandering up tiny streets lined with atmospheric wooden buildings and many little shops, we came across some little rail tracks leading up the road. Instantly my mind went back countless years to my childhood visits to Weymouth, the hometown of my Dad's side of the family, and the old tramlines criss-crossing the area.
Almost immediately, we heard a noise and quickly jumped out the way as a little tram, or narrow-guage train trundled by pulling two or three quaint wooden carriages. Wish we'd caught that instead of making our ill-conceived long walk.
We followed its route and soon found ourselves at the first of the many temples situated here. Kamakura is home to 65 Buddhist temples and 19 Shinto shrines... far too many to visit in one day, but the one we stumbled across was probably the most famous in the area.
Kotokuin Temple is the home to the second largest statue of Buddha in Japan. Standing, or rather sitting, at 13.35 metres high, this bronze statue meditates in beautiful surroundings, flanked by iron lotus flowers. Nearby, a gigantic pair of straw sandals hung on a wall; in case he decides to take a walk, perhaps? He was cast in the 13th century and used to live in a enormous wooden building until a tsunami swept through Kamakura and flattened the entire area just over a hundred years later. Buddha remained where he sat and has stayed gazing out to sea ever since.
After looking around the temple we discovered we could actually go inside the statue for the minimal cost of just 20 yen. Up some stairs Rhiannon really enjoyed this and joyfully repeated the excerise a number of times. "His tummy is warm inside" she stated, as an explanation for her fascination. Warmed by the sun, the bronze gave off a comforting heat.
Stalls selling charms and amulets lined the grounds and some of the 'wishes' were translated into English as Kamakura is a tourist area. We were intrigued to see the labels: "please grant my exam success", "a charm to protect when driving" and most bewildering, "please make my leg grow stronger"! I think most people buy these to hang from their mobile phones. Many a time I have seen fashionable young people haul a mobile out of their bag that is absolutely dripping with hundreds of charms. They must make the phones very heavy.
