2014/10/31

Tokyo Drifter: Day Trip to Kamakura

Enoden 江ノ電

Today's post is finishing up the last leg of last month's visit of my friends from Chicago. Unfortunately due to work responsibilities, my friend Valery needed to return to Chicago before the Phonaut, but I wanted to be sure and make the last day of Phonaut's journey a memorable one. I decided to show him around Kamakura (鎌倉)! I went to Kamakura for the first time 10 years ago on my second visit to Japan, and I had such a wonderful time that I wanted to share the experience with my good friend as well.

We got up early and headed off to Kamakura via the Yokosuka Line (横須賀線) from Shinbashi Station (新橋駅) and on to the Enoshima Electric Railway, a.k.a. "Enoden" (江ノ電). The weather was perfect and we enjoyed some fun sightseeing starting with, of course, the Great Buddha (大仏) in Hase (長谷).

Great Buddha 大仏Great Buddha 大仏

Great Buddha 大仏Great Buddha 大仏

Feeling refreshed by the centuries-long meditative peace and tranquillity of Buddha, we headed off to Hase Temple (長谷寺).

Hase Temple 長谷寺Hase Temple 長谷寺

Hase Temple 長谷寺Hase Temple 長谷寺

After hanging around in Hase for a while longer, it was back to Kamakura city for some shopping and a visit to the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮).

Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine 鶴岡八幡宮Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine 鶴岡八幡宮

Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine 鶴岡八幡宮Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine 鶴岡八幡宮

Kamakura Beer 鎌倉ビール
Kamakura Ham  鎌倉ハムUp until now I never had a home to go back to that was not thousands of miles away, so I took advantage of the opportunity to finally buy some of the famous Kamakura Ham. It was every bit a delicious as I'd always imagined! This seems sort of crazy, actually, because predictable answers to the question, "where is the most delicious ham you've ever eaten?" might be Germany, Poland, etc, but no-- Kamakura, Japan is the answer! 

Tired from a long day of exploration, we rode the Green Car (first class) back to Tokyo, enjoying a cold Kamakura Pale Ale while  making the return trip to Tokyo. A relaxing evening was all that was in store for us that night, and I'd have to say it was a great day!!

The rest of the photo's from the trip can be viewed here.

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