Miyako in Tokyo: Kamakura & Enoshima

Kamakura is fifty kilometers southwest of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is a 'former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the Kamakura Period.' The history of the area is very rich, so I'm not going to even attempt an undoubtable failure. The American program went for a weekend trip to the area. The train ride was about an hour from Shinjuku, so the commute was not that bad.

Our first stop on the first day was home to traditional Japanese gardens and a bamboo forest. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of area, however, it was beautiful and very calming.

Our second stop was Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu. First built in 1063, in 1191, Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamkaura shogunate, moved it to its present location to protect his government. In 1219, after celebrating his nomination to Udaijin, Minamoto no Sanetomo was assassinated by Kugyo, son of second shogun Minamoto no Yoriie, while coming down the stone stairway of the shrine. Kugyo was beheaded a few hours later, ending the Seiwa Genji line of the Minamoto clan and subsequently their rule in Kamakura. Although now just a Shinto shrine, for seven hundred years, it was also a Buddhist temple. However, when the Meiji government created a separation policy, many important cultural assets were damaged. Because the mixing of the two religions became forbidden, many treasures had to be removed.

The area is home to two Genpei ponds; in one, red lotuses were planted, and in the other, white lotuses were planted. Although the colors are mixed today, the colors were originally intended to represent the Taira and Minamoto clans.

On the left side of the large stone steps lies a great gingko tree, thirty meters tall, seven meters in girth, and supposedly a thousand years old. Despite having outlasted many storms, strong winds, and terrible weather, on March 10, 2010, the tree toppled over. A symbol for Japanese people, after it fell, letters and emails of concern flooded Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. The root was left in the ground and the broken trunk cut to a height of 4 meters and replanted, with the hope of regeneration. After careful watering and extreme care, n April, new growth was found on both the root and replanted trunk. As a result, the famous gingko has now become a symbol of hope and represents how deeply Japanese people have a connection with nature.

By the shrine, many people left their hopes and prayers. Although most are written in Japanese, a few can be found in English, Spanish, and other languages I cannot identify.

After we finished viewing the shrine, we stopped by the beach. The view was stunning.

We stayed at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn from the Edo period, for the night. The rooms had tatami matts, the baths were communal, and once we showered, we walked around in yukata. We also had a delicious dinner with sushi, fish (the others had steak - it looked so delicious....), tempura, rice, misoshiro, Japanese pickles, dessert, and most likely many other dishes that I'm forgetting.

After a traditional Japanese breakfast, the first stop of the day was Hasadera, a Buddhist temple with a huge wooden statue of Kannon. The Kannon has eleven heads to reperesnt a different phase in the search for enlightenment.

Beside the shrine are thousands of Jizo statues lined up perfectly to the side, behind, and all around the shrine. The statues are placed for children lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. The statues remain for about a year, at which time they are removed to make space for new ones.

Like other Japanese shrines, the outer area was filled with the hopes and dreams of many who had stopped by. The following person hopes to be able to find happiness.

The temple is built on two levels; on a lower a beautiful garden, filled with flowers, statues, and small shrines can be found.

Additionally, in the back of this area was a cave: benten kutsu cave. It has a long winding tunnel with a low ceiling; in the walls, Benzaiten, the sea goddess and only female of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japanese mythology, as well as sixteen children are chiseled out of the rock walls. At the end of the cave was a small room where visitors could buy a small token, write their prayer or hope on the back, and set it by the hundreds of others.

The temple also has a beautiful view over Kamakura's bay area.

After, we went to the Daibutsu, or 'Giant buddha.' 13.35 meters high and 93 tons, it is second largest only to the Todaiji Buddha in Nara. It was first created in 1252 and originally housed inside a temple, but since a tsunami in the fifteenth century, it has been displayed in the open air. The Daibutsu is Amida Buddha, the focus of Pure Land Buddhism, which preaches that through devotion, mantras, and a sincerity of heart, one can reach the Pureland or 'Wester Paradise' after death.

On the way back from the Daibutsu, you can buy Matcha (green tea) soft cream. It happens to be one of my favorite flavors and unfortunately, you cannot find it in America. The matcha soft cream in this area, however, has been renamed Obamaccha. Since President Obama visited the area and enjoyed some matcha ice cream, the local shops now refer to the tasty treat as 'Obamaccha'.

To travel from Kamakura to Enoshima, we used the Enoden Train, famous for its old age and great views throughout the city.

Enoshima has tons of different temples, shrines, and sights to see on the way up a huge hill, including the Enoshima Shrine, Iwaya Caves, and Enoshima Daishi. One of the shrines has a painting of a turtle; supposedly, no matter where you stand, the turtle always seems to be staring at you.