Kamakura and Asakusa: Jilted Ex-es?
Trip Start
Mar 22, 2009
1
38
43
Trip End
May 03, 2009
Kamakura,
Kanto,
Japan
Thursday, April 30, 2009
So up with early and mostly empty trains to Kamakura, which is an hour south of Tokyo and is expected to be packed with people today because it's the first holiday of Golden week and all the office workers and students have the day off. Luckily, it's really early and virtually empty in the morning. Decided this being my last shrine day I should hit quite a few, but at the same time picked out a hiking path and will visit those on the way--some recommended ones a bit out of the way--well, we'll have to do them next time, I guess.
From the Kita Kamakura train station, started at Tokeiji, which is a 'divorce temple', or rather a place of refuge for abused wives back in the old days. If you can be a nun there for three years, then you're considered divorced from your husband. Of course, it's totally defunct now, what with quickie annulments and high priced attorneys, but it's still a serene half flower garden, half crypt in the trees. A relaxing stroll for the early morning, plus you can people watch. Many of the workers here are women, who are scuttling about in kimonos weeding and sweeping.
After Tokeiji, it's on to Jochiji, which is supposed to be one of the five best zen temples there, but it's rather so-so and despite an enshrined Hotei-san, God of Happiness (which is farsical and points and laughs at you in a disconcerting manner), I found it eh. Plus it's supposed to have a great well, which was still and muddy, so not so great. The next step was the Daibutsu (big Buddha) hiking path, a 3 km walk up and through the hills and forests on a surprisingly nice trail--worn down by millions of feet, polished tree branches forming steps up and down hills and no sights of houses at all for most of the way. Detoured from the path a few times, one to see Zeniarai shrine, which was a really different shrine. It's through a tunnel carved through the rock and the shrine has a water where you're supposed to wash your money, in hopes that when you spend the money, it will come back to you in spades. I washed a 500 yen coin, not having the will to soak my bills (as basically everyone else was doing) and hoping it dries OK. But definitely a different Shinto shrine experience.
After Zeniarai, it was back along the hiking path until Daibutsu, which was a huge bronze cast Buddha sitting serenely outside in the open. The temple around it has been destroyed multiple times, but the Buddha still stands--you can actually go inside it as it's hollow and see how it was 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. The Kannon is massive and golden and the temples are up on a hill with views of the Kamakura coast and sea. The lower grounds are sculpted Japanese gardens and a cave complex with really low ceilings housing sculptures and shrines. On the way up to the Kannon hall is a staircase lined with tons of small Jizo statues for dead babies, which makes you sad, but I think most of the foreign tourists were blissfully unaware of the fact, as they were taking extensive pictures of the statuary...sometimes I wish I had never read up on places I'm going...ah, the bliss of ignorance.
Walked from Hase dera back to the Kamakura station, which was utterly packed with Japanese tourists. Tons of restaurants and souvenir shops and a river of people up the entire shopping drag. I found a stall for something sweet and ran for the train, unwittingly heading towards another packed shopping district.
Headed back to Tokyo to see Asakusa, a former pleasure district which supposedly still has some of the old feel of shitamachi. Plus, it's got the biggest shrine in Tokyo and the famous Kaminarimon gate. And from the train station, it was pretty empty until you actually reach the gate where there's Nakamise dori, a an avenue of sourvenir and craft shops extending up to the main shrine, which disappointingly in under covers undergoing repair. Tons of shops and this time I was OK with crowds because it was really very festive on a holiday. Bought a few really expensive trinkets and had to get off the shopping arcade and headed over to Kappabashi dori, which was sleepy and half open but lots of restaurant supply stores. I salivated over the fake food (some of it you just can't tell the difference) and was super jealous of the people who can afford the had crafted pottery.
After the hectic shopping of Asakusa, it rested for a bit back at the hostel and...went to do more shopping. Damn souvenirs. This time it was for food in Tokyo and that's a trip unto itself. Started in Takashimaya, which was an old Art Deco style department store (think Macy's Herald Sq and you've pretty much have it) filled with name brands and smells of perfume, as per the standard. In the basement is a vast suite of sweets stalls, which unfortunately was mostly 'French in nature'. I mean it looked French but had a different texture and strange fillings like green tea cream. Anyway, looked for some more Japanese looking traditional sweets and after being rebuffed by a disappointed vendor, fled to another department store, where I ended with a box of something after a stressful and embarrassing pointing based conversation with another vendor. Oh, the joys of consumerism. But in Tokyo, you can party and you can shop. I'm doing the latter at the moment.
Tomorrow: Escape from the city! Overnight at Kawaguchi-ko; hopefully some rest from the crazy, crazy city and then back to Tokyo for the final two day push before I'm coming home. Weird how time flies.
-mike
