Japanese maple (momiji) in Kamakura Photo by Masanori Kurachi |
When I divorced, I moved from Osaka to Tokyo all by myself, and that is a story in itself, but my first extended trip all by myself was from Tokyo to Kamakura, a very historic city, and one that I came to love. I had a really neat guidebook called Exploring Kamakura: A Guide for the Curious Traveler, by Michael Cooper, which I studied as if for a university-level examination. The result was that I knew exactly where I was going to stay, where I was going to go in Kamakura, how I was going to get there, and what I was going to see before I even left home. I still have that guidebook, and the accompanying map, which I marked and numbered for the trip, which means I can go back and remember a lot of details about each place I visited. By train, it's only an hour away from Tokyo.
Two cats at a temple. Photo by Hideo |
More stray cats |
All the hiking paths seemed to look just like this. Not too steep, but enough tree roots sticking up that you had to watch where you were going. |
Older building at Tōkei-ji |
Inside Tōkei-ji. Photo by Just Jack Not all temples allow visitor all the way inside. |
My favorite place in Kamakura was Tōkei-ji, nicknamed the Divorce Temple. Keep in mind that I had just finalized my own divorce less than a year before I visited this place and I was taking my first vacation after having worked like a dog to build up my savings after moving to Tokyo by myself. The temple itself isn't much to look at by American standards, but it was the quiet, peaceful atmosphere that attracted me there.
Temple building at Tōkei-ji |
Cemetery at Tōkei-ji, Photo by Just Jack. |
Behind the temple, there is a gorgeous cemetery set amid bamboo and cryptomeria trees. The bamboo grove was amazing. Before I went there, I was told to listen carefully, because you can actually hear the bamboo growing. It's true. The bamboo makes little popping sounds. (I think I explained before that bamboo is not really a tree; it's a very fast-growing grass.) The graves are set into the natural surroundings in no discernible order, and the ground is carpeted in moss. I wanted to stay here forever, and I remember thinking that if I stayed in Japan for the rest of my life, I wanted this to be my final resting place.
The bamboo grove behind Tōkei-ji. Just magical. |
Daibutsu at Kamakura. Photo by Linda LeBoutillier |
Daibutsu at Kamakura. Photo by Linda LeBoutillier |
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Daibutsu at Kamakura. Photo by Linda LeBoutillier |
Yaubsame archers at Hachiman Shrine Photo by Linda LeBoutillier |
Yabusame's saddle. Photo by Linda LeBoutillier |
Yabusame archer's arrows. Photo by Linda LeBoutillier |
Yabusame archer hits the target. Photo by Linda LeBoutillier |
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