I hate the part of the planning process when you realize there’s so much to see and you don’t have enough time. There’s never enough time! There’s always more to see. Japan is no exception. Tokyo! Kyoto! Hiroshima! Osaka! Then you dig deep into research and you’re all: Hakone! Kamakura! Nara! Nagano!
If you’ve got no timeline and endless funds then perhaps you won’t feel as limited, but that’s not our reality. So, how do we decide what to see? First, we accept that we won’t see everything. We aren’t 22 year olds who back pack and see ten destinations in as many days. Second, we pick a home base with lots of bang for our buck (in this case, Tokyo) and plan manageable excursions from there.
Kamakura made the cut for a day trip and it did not disappoint. This city, known for one great big Buddha and lots of ancient shrines and temples, is an easy one hour train ride from Tokyo.
The Great Buddah is an iconic Buddah in an open air setting of the temple Kotoku-in in Kamakura. This was our first stop after arriving.
Next up was Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine. A steep, short walk brings you to the entrance of this shrine.
An awesome part of this shrine is the cave containing a spring. Washing money in the water is said to multiply your wealth.
But the true wealth of life is apparent in this serene place. Just walking through the beautiful area made me feel peaceful and grateful to have my family together happy and safe.
With our minds clear and full of peace we found our bellies empty. We headed down Komachi-dori for lunch, some street treats and window shopping. It was an awesome end to an awesome day.
