Rain in Kamakura - Japan at Cherry Blossom 2023 - 3
18.03.2023 - Rain in Kamakura
Weather: Rain (partly severe) until 6pm
Walking distance: 13.5 km
We meet at 8:40am in the lobby for an excursion to Kamakura [↗]. The city is located about 50 km southwest of Tokyo and was the capital of Japan from 1185 to 1333. With its many temples and shrines, it's a very popular destination for local and international tourists. Usually, it's not recommended to go there on a weekend, but with the current weather forecast, the crowds should be limited. Anyway, the agenda is set and there is no real alternative if I want to see Kamakura.
So we are walking through light rain to Ikebukuro station. Today we take a local train which is not very different from the metro-style trains I used yesterday. Some of the group complain about the heating under our seats, but at least we don't have to stand for the hour the ride takes.
Our first destination is the Big Buddha [↗]. It's too far to walk and so we learn how to ride a bus in Japan (entering at the rear, don't forget to register your Pismo/Suica card, leave the bus in the front, and check out with the card again). For a few minutes, the rain stops and we use the time for the obligatory group photo. Behind the Buddha, there is a small garden, but there is not much more to see. So it doesn't take long before we leave again.
Our next stop is not far away: The Hase-dera temple [↗]. The temple is one of the larger ones in Kamakura and was built on two levels on a slope. Besides the buildings, there is also a shallow cave, which I, of course, have to visit too, even if I have to do it in duck gait. The rain is back, but one can handle it even the surrounding would be much nicer in the sunshine. Still, this temple has its reputation for a reason.
We take the bus back to the train station and grab something to eat. Most of us use the nice bakery right next to the station entrance. After everyone is back we take the train to the northern part of town where many other interesting temples and shrines are waiting for us. It's just one station to Kita-Kamakura, but while we are on the train, it starts to pour.
Our guide is showing us the entrance to the first temple and then take the next train back to the main station.
The rest starts to visit the Zen temple Engaku-ji [↗]. This is one of the most important Zen temple complexes in Japan with quite some buildings on the slope of a small mountain. It would have been nice to stroll from one temple to the next in better weather, even if it had been like this morning. But the rain is so massive that it's like jumping from one shelter to the next. After a while, I even put the rain cover over my backpack, something that I'm doing now for the second time in all those years.
After a while, I give up and leave the temple. I briefly consider taking the train back to the main station, but then I decide to walk the 30 minutes or so. On the way I meet a few others and together we walk back to the station without visiting the other temples on the way. The rain is so heavy that even the outdoor jacket I'm wearing let the moisture through. And no, it's not sweat. It’s far too cold for that.
The 2 hours until we meet with the rest of the group, the three of us spend in a cafe. Unfortunately, we are on a group ticket and have to take the train together. Otherwise, we surely would have returned to Tokyo earlier.
While we are on the train back to Tokyo the rain stops as predicted. So after our arrival at Ikebukuro station I don't return to the hotel but continue to the Sensō-ji temple [↗], where I was already yesterday, for some nighttime photos.
As expected, the temple is illuminated and looks much better than during daytime. I was hoping for some puddles to take pictures with a reflection, but there are none. Still, it was absolutely worth coming back.
It's a bit chilly and I think it would be a good idea to look for something to eat here in Asakusa. I end up at a restaurant where you order your dishes via a tablet. The nice thing about it is that you can change it to English, so there's no guesswork involved. I order some duck breast and small, fried potatoes. Tasty! So I add some pickled squid, which tastes, well, special.
After dinner, I take the metro back to the hotel and call it a day.
