JP2012 - Hasedera Temple

Another famous temple in Kamakura is Hasedera, well known for its eleven-headed Kannon statue. The 9.18 meter tall, gilded wooden statue is regarded as one of the largest wooden sculptures in Japan, and can be viewed in the temple's main building, the Kannon-do Hall.

 

 

Unfortunately, photography is not allowed in the Hall.

 

 

Built along the slope of a wooded hill, typical Japanese gardens are found at the base as we enter the temple’s compound.

 

 

Next to the temple gardens is a small cave dedicated to Benten, a goddess of feminine beauty and wealth.

 

 

All other temple buildings, such as the Kannon-do Hall and the Amida-do Hall, are built further up the slope, reached via stairs.

 

 

There’s even a hall built specifically to house a wooden bookshelf.

 

 

At the top, there is also an observation deck with views over the coastal city of Kamakura.

 

 

And if visitors are here at the right season, they can also take part in Hasedera’s famous annual hydrangea viewing event.

 

 

Definitely more popular than we had expected!!

 

 

As a result, a queuing system is in place to ensure that the huge crowd is manageable. Through this system, a number is issued to every visitor to indicate their waiting time on the queue. Generally, everyone is expected to wait in line for about 2 hours.

 

 

Judging by the number of people who were willing to queue up, it may actually be worth the time!!

JP2012 - Raijindou

Besides the Great Buddha, Kamakura is also well known for its delicious senbei.

 

 

Raijindou is probably the most famous local brand, due to its central location along the main streets in Kamakura. Another reason for that is also because Raijindou has over 40 stores in the Kanto region.

 

 

Freshly grilled on a daily basis, Raijindou’s rice crackers are sold in packs or hot of the charcoal grill, right in front of you!!

 

 

And if you buy them off the street stalls, the senbeis are usually served with a freshly toasted piece of nori. While flavours can range from sweet to savoury, it is the plain senbei with the fresh nori that tasted the best!!

 

 

Raijindou
3-7-21 Hase, Kamakura, Kanagawa 248-0016, Japan.
+81 46 723 6698
http://www.e-fujiichi.co.jp/

JP2012 - Marion Crepes

Marion Crepes is probably the most famous crepes chain in Asia, with over 90 stores across Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the USA. Since we didn’t try Marion Crepes in Harajuku, we made up for it while visiting Kamakura.

 

 

With a huge selection of cold and hot crepes, we decided to try their seasonal special, the Purple Sweet Potato with Matcha Whipped Cream.

 

 

And here are the three simple steps on how our order was made:

Step 1: Lay the crepes.

 

 

Step 2: Add ingredients, which include whipped cream, matcha syrup, ice cream and sweet potato jelly.

 

 

Step 3: Roll it up into Marion’s signature wrapper.

 

 

Yummmm!!! Will definitely be back next time for their Deluxe Crepes!!

 

 

Marion Crepes
1-16-20 Hase, Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan
http://www.marion.co.jp/

JP2012 - Kotokuin Temple

Home to The Great Buddha of Kamakura, Kotokuin Temple houses the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan.

 

 

The statue was casted in 1252 and was originally located inside a large temple hall. However, due to typhoons, tidal waves and tsunami, temple buildings were destroyed multiple times in the 14th and 15th centuries.

 

 

Since 1495, the Buddha has been standing in the open air.

 

 

If interested, visitors can also enter the hollow statue for an additional 20 yen. Inside, the structural details on how the 93 tonne statue was joint is outlined.

 

 

But, definitely not a place to be for the claustrophobic!!

 

 

Interestingly, a pair of Buddha’s slippers (and possibly the largest pair in Japan) is also on display. Till now, I couldn’t find out the relationship between Buddha and the pair of slippers, but would be really interested to learn more about it.