And I'm back to the rickshaw boys. Men, really, I suppose. Here they are trying to stay dry while drumming up business outside Kamakura Station on a grey and miserable day. These guys never fail to impress me.
Photo of the Day: Big Buddha Beer
Daibutsu Beer—if I drank beer, this is what I'd drink, based entirely on the label. But I don't, so I just enjoy the bottle design. The beer is one of several offerings from Shonan Beer ("Tap your potential") available at the liquor shop on Onari Shotengai (shopping street) by Kamakura Station. My parents enjoyed a … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Big Buddha Beer
Photo of the Day: The Heart of the Matter
Continuing on from yesterday's post about Kuzuharaoka Shrine, here's a shot of the heart-shaped prayer/wish tablets. As I wrote before, I've never seen anything like them.
Photo of the Day: Breakin’ Dishes
Sometimes, you've just gotta smash a plate, but where? And what will the neighbours think? We've all been there, right? Luckily, Kuzuharaoka Jinja has a small stack of clay dishes ready, and a big rock at which you can freely toss/whip/skip your plates. And all for the low, low price of ¥100 per plate. It … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Breakin’ Dishes
Photo of the Day: Shrine on the Hill
Just up the road from Hasedera on Yuigahama Dori, off to the side and into the hills, is a small shrine by the name of Amanawa Jinja. The torii gate is plain stone, and the stairway up is so steep, you can barely see the shrine building up above from the bottom. It lacks the … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Shrine on the Hill
Photo of the Day: Seagulls in a Row
So, this isn't Kamakura; it's Yokohama. BUT, Yokohama is really not that far off, so it still counts. Right? My parents are visiting now, so we took them to Yokohama to see the sights. Yokohama is home to Asia's largest Chinatown, the area's oldest foreign settlement (including a cemetery, cenotaph and more churches than you … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Seagulls in a Row
Photo of the Day: Punch Perm Daibutsu
The punch perm—a hairstyle popular in days gone by and worn by only the coolest of cats. And the Daibutsu. Okay, his isn't a punch perm, but in the graphic novel series, Saint Young Men, by Hikaru Nakamura—a manga series about young Jesus and young Buddha rooming together in the modern world—his hairstyle is described … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Punch Perm Daibutsu
Photo of the Day: Cave Priest
Kamakura is a pretty spooky place. It's really not surprising, considering the bloodshed that took place in and around the city. Being the capital of a shogunate that had violently wrenched power away from Kyoto—the imperial capital of Japan—and which had enemies near and far, bent on revenge and thirsty for power, well, something was … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Cave Priest
Photo of the Day: Fireworks
Japan loves fireworks. Like, loooves them. Big city, small city—every city with even an ounce of self-respect has a hanabi taikai. Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. But not by much. Kamakura—swimming in self-respect as it is–hosts a very popular fireworks show every July. We can see it from our yard, though the view is … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Fireworks
Photo of the Day: Through the Umbrella
The temple grounds were almost empty when I arrived—and right up until the ceremony was about to start. I was confused because not only did I expect more people to come out to the mantoukai (Buddhist lantern ceremony) in remembrance of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, but also because entrance that evening to the … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Through the Umbrella
女性専用 - Inn By The Sea Kamakura - Women's Guesthouse 