Hotel&Restaurant Sarah Kamakura

... is the outside Daibutsu (Big Buddha) which used to be enclosed but the structure in which it was housed was washed away by a tsunami that struck Kamakura back in ????. I guess the Buddha was still standing (well, sitting actually) after the waves had subsided.

Maybe when I get more motivated (or incredibly bored) I will actually list the names of the temples and shrines I visited. For now I am just going to post some pics and let you enjoy the sights of Kamakura.

... formed by multiple overalpping moulds and lock and key grooves between the major sections. I wouldn't necessary say the Buddha has the awesome impression of the one in Nara, but it's a pleasant sight and there's an ice cream machine on the grounds, which I was inordinately pleased with. What can I say, small pleasures... I ended my temple tour with Hase-dera, a complex dedicated to the (future) Buddha of mercy and compassion, Kannon. Of the ones I saw today, this was by far the best ...

... Masaki gave us a little background info on Kamakura on the way; it is one of Japan's old capitals, from back in the 12th century. As we arrived at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu we were lucky enough to see a traditional wedding just starting. Masaki suggested that if we went up to look at the shrine, by the time we came back down the ceremony would be starting. Masaki explained that you should cleanse yourself before entering the shrine, you must wash your hands and ...

... strip searches though, which is a plus I suppose). Our flight was fine, although rather long - not that it was unexpected. The route, though, defied my expectations in terms of the planes heading. Apparently, due to the shape of the earth and the cruising altitude of the plane the fastest route from Michigan to Japan is to head northwest through Canada, around the southern coast of Alaska veering south of Russia and finally to the final destination ...

... tilt the view screen so I can focus on the action! YEAH camera! So, once the man has cleared out of the way, banner carriers proceed behind him, then archers, again all dressed in period clothing and headdresses. After the walking archers go past, the archers on horseback process forward. It is amazing- they have all the trappngs and gear of the riders from one of my favorite shira-e emaki! Within 15 minutes, it is done, the riders ...

... vers Kyoto le lendemain. Et dernier pot le soir avec les filles de la soirée franco-japonaise.. Kampaï!! Bilan de la semaine: pas eu le temps d'aller visiter le musee Edo-Tokyo, ni le temple senso-ji d'Asakusa, de faire mieux le tour d'Odaiba, pas vu non plus le grand Bouddha de Kamakura, pas pu aller non plus à Yokohama...Il va falloir revenir!

This morning we got up bright and early to move. It took several trips to get all of our suitcases out to the street from our 4th floor walkup room. We managed to hail two cabs but neither of them spoke English. We both eventually arrived outside our apartment, but a good amount of walking through the little apartment complex with all of the stuff was still required. Exhausting. We got inside and it was freezing and the electricity did not appear to be on yet. We arranged ...

... the Harajuku area. Harajuku is generally where teenagers decked out in completely crazy clothes (think Little Bo Peep meets Marilyn Manson) hang out. When we arrived at Harajuku Station, we got an unexpected treat - the "Super Yosakoi" festival was going on. We didn't know it at the time, but yosakoi is a unique Japanese dance form, which combines traditional Japanese dance movements with modern music. Schools, towns, or other organizations may have a yosakoi "team ...

... br>
An odd sensation was poking some of the food in supermarkets. There's a lot of squishy, soggy, squashy stuff going on and errrr, I don't think I wanna try half of it! Another natural thing to touch is wood. The wood in temples feels special, like it has lived. Even when the temple is newish. The trees feel alive too when you caress them.

... next day!) saw me head to Imperial Palace Gardens, Ueno Onshi Park and more little streets with crazy fashionistas. By evening it was time to socialise again (it sucks when there's nobody around to hear you say "wow, look!"x23 to!) So I met up with Dwight again, and the night started with some tiny (my favourite) rock bar - that literally fits about 6 people, with HUGE speakers. so everywhere in this nanobar is "close" to the speakers ...