Kamakura – getting to the Daibutsu and the Hase-dera (II)

The second part of the Kamakura trip will get you to one of the famous landmarks of the town, the Great Buddha, as well as to the Temple of Hase-dera. Note that all four stops mentioned in the articles on Kamakura can be easily done in one day.

3rd Stop: Kamakura Daibutsu. A must of your stops in Kamakura, this is the second tallest Buddha statue in Japan after a Buddha statue in Nara (13.35 meters). Some of the dimensions of its body parts are amply described outside, but you can convince yourself by paying the 20 yen required to go inside the statue. A bronze representation of Amida Buddha and located at the Kotokuin Temple, the statue was washed out of the temple, where it had been originally placed, and into the courtyard in the 15th century and it has remained out in the open ever since. Perhaps it is for the best: the natural background is a better fit and the impression on the viewer is much greater than it had been constrained by the halls of the temple.

4th Stop: Hase-dera. You can walk to the Hase-dera from the Daibutsu – it is probably a 10 minute walk. The temple has been one of my favorite stops in Kamakura, and it is neither the statue of Kannon, nor the pond right at the entrance in the temple’s garden (it is definitely not the Benten-kutsu cave, somewhat creepy), but rather the view of Kamakura’s whereabouts and the sea. However, do take the complete tour to see what is considered, at over 9 meters, to be one of the largest wooden statues in Japan (among other perks, it was sculpted out of a single piece of wood).