Day 15

Wednesday 29th of June: we are going to join Róbert and his kayak club in Zushi bay! Zushi is not far from Kamakura, so we have to go get a JS train early from Shinjuku station. We thus wake up early, and it is a go!

Waiting for the train In the train, quite full at first, we receive a cryptic message from Róbert: after Kawasaki, look through the windows on the right side of the train… Could it be that the Fuji is luckily visible today? (It is not often visible in the summer due to the humidity). Wait and see! But the train is stopped just before a station, we are getting late. At some point, we here some mumbling in Japanese, and many people get out at the next station. We only realize afterwards that the train’s destination has changed; we will have to step out of this train before Zushi to connect to another one. Probably why all those people suddenly left. Oh, well. Meanwhile, we pass Kawasaki and have a first glimpse of the Fuji! Robert joins us, and thankfully guides us through the change of trains, we make it to Zushi, walk 10 minutes to the kayak place, change, sign some papers, and off we go kayaking.

It is a windy day, which is a blessing if you want to see the Fuji. And we do, once we paddle through waves to a quieter area of the bay. But who says wind, says waves, and the waves are making it harder to paddle and advance. Ploof, Gadea and Noe get overturned, but Andrea, the instructor, arrives in an instant, and they get back on. It is a superb day, we are very happy to paddle our way with the Fuji looking from far off. We also get to see a crane. We were advised not to take phones with us (and, given that last time we war on a canoe in Guérande Noe lost her phone, we take that piece of advice seriously), but Róbert has a waterproof camera… there will be pictures coming at some point on the photo album!

After getting everything back to base, showering, putting sun lotion, it is time for lunch. Hiroshi, who kayaked in our group, joins us. He has a fish restaurant, closed on Wednesdays, and spent some time in Galicia and Mexico to see how other cultures prepare fish. So we can exchange in a mix of English, Spanish, and Japanese. This all makes for a fun and interesting lunch. Next, after resisting the temptation of going to have an after-lunch drink at Hiroshi’s restaurant, we go to Kamakura. 

Lunch

And off we go to visit the giant Buddha we had missed on day 4. A short train ride to Kamakura, then 3 station in the old Enoden line and we are there. The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. It is 11.4 meters high, and is thus it has long been the second-tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. It is surpassed only by the statue in Nara’s Todaiji Temple (and some recent creations). The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were destroyed multiple times by typhoons and a tsunami in the 14th and 15th centuries. So, since the late 15th century, the Buddha has been standing in the open air. It is quite impressive, and the sandals are too!

The Enoden train

The giant Buddha with Gadea, Eyquem, and Noe for perspective

Small sandals

We next head to the Hasadera Temple. There we see nice shrines, many small Buddhas, the final stage of the hydrangea season, and the famous second Kannon statue. According to the legend, in 721 AD, two Kannon statues were carved out of one sacred tree in Hatsuse (in the present day Nara Prefecture). One was enshrined at the Hasedera temple in Nara, the other was thrown into the ocean with a prayer to make it reappear and save people elsewhere. After the Kannon statue traveled across the waters for fifteen years, it finally washed ashore in a place in the present day Kanagawa Prefecture. In 736 AD, the Hasedera temple in Kamakura was established to enshrine the Kannon statue. This wooden statue is almost 10 meters tall, thus one of the largest wooden statues in Japan. Kannon is often described as the Buddhist Godess of Mercy, but, we are informed, it is strictly speaking neither masculine nor feminine. It does have a feminine feel to it, though. 

The gold statue of Amida-do (Photos of the Kannon not allowed)

A breather next to the Kannon-do Hall

We have already done quite a lot, but Róbert knows a nice place to see the sunset over the Fuji. Hopping Mount Fuji is still visible, we head along the sea for a 20 minutes hike and reach a little park, over which hawks are flying (we are warned they can attack). We are not alone, but we are in luck: Mount Fuji is still visible! We enjoy the view, take pictures, and head to the train station to go back to Kamakura center to find a place to have dinner. After trying several places, we find an Okinawan restaurant. After the meal, it is time to take the train back home and rest.