Breakfast was again wonderful. An interesting thing that we have noticed here is that the egg yolks look more orange than yellow. We have been told that this is because the chickens here are raised on carrots and peppers, two vegetables that are very high in carotene. In humans if a person eats excessive amounts of vegetables containing carotene their skin can turn orange. Apparently a similar process occurs in chickens.
After breakfast, we were then off to Kamakura for another day of exploring Japan. We had a little hiccup when our instruction guidebook told us to take the train from the Tokyo station but our tickets had a hand written note telling us to board at the Shinbashi station. Unfortunately our maps only showed a Shimbashi station. Apparently the Japanese are trying to make people like me crazy (I know they don’t have to work too hard to do that). Shinbashi is pronounced like an M (as in Shimbashi) but is sometimes spelled with an N (as in Shinbashi). I can’t give any further reasons since I stopped listening at this point.
At the train station we felt like we were not going with the flow. Hoards of people were walking in the opposite direction and maybe one or two individuals were walking the same direction as us. Check out this photo of the hall and of the escalator heading to and from the trains.
We boarded our train at the Shinbashi/Shimbashi station and we were off for Kamakura. We arrived in Kamakura early and walked around a bit before meeting up with our guide Ko-Zee. This lovely man previously worked in the Japanese steel industry but retired from that job to act as a tour guide for steel-headed individuals like me. Ko-Zee was full of lots of fun facts and was very considerate of this old man (me not him). We first visited the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. It was built in 1063 but moved to its current location in 1191 by Minamoto the founder of the Kamakura shogunate.
The real gem here was the Great Buddha of Kamakura. This stunning sight was completed in 1252. It is made of bronze and has withstood numerous natural disasters. It was previously enclosed by a number of temples but all the temples were destroyed for various reasons. Since 1498 it has been unsheltered and still looks astounding. The pictures don’t do it justice but I will try
Our last stop in Kamakura was the Hasedera shrine. This structure houses the 11 headed guanyin. The entire body is covered by gold leaf. See below.
After finishing our visit, Ko-Zee escorted us back to the train station so we could return to our hotel. On the trip back I was sitting next to a young man reading a book. He seemed to be annoyed, see below.
The 50 minute train ride was over and it was great to get back into bed. We had accomplished a lot for one day. Just as I put my head on my pillow Patrice said we need to get ready for the food tour. I asked if this was a joke but she said no. I think I am going to need a vacation when I get home from this vacation.
I will let you know how the food tour went tomorrow.
Sayonara
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 