Combine three trails into an epic day-long hike around the city
Epic Kamakura Day Hike
Hiking Foxes
Last Sunday, I took three of Kamakura's hikes and crammed them all together into an epic around-the-city hiking adventure. The Daibutsu-Kuzuharaoka hike took me from Hase to Kita-Kamakura, where I took the road that runs up to the left past Meigetsu-in to join the Ten-en course. Rather than cutting out at the Zuisen-ji path, I … Continue reading Hiking Foxes
A Whole Lot of Yagura
Along the Kinubari Yama hiking trail is a spot called the Mandaradō Yagura. If I recall correctly, it is the largest concentration of yagura (burial caves) in Kamakura, with over 150 caves. Because it's such an important spot, it's fenced in, and only opens for a few weeks at a time throughout the year. Unfortunately, … Continue reading A Whole Lot of Yagura
Hiking Prayers
I'm not sure if these are a kind of Jizo, because there's one boy and one girl, and I've never noticed a female Jizo before. But, they seem to be functioning as Jizo, so I guess they're something similar. They sit along the Kinubari Yama hiking trail that runs from near Sugimoto Dera to Kotsubo.
Little Yagura
I posted a picture of Kamakura's biggest yagura a few weeks ago. Big ones are few and far between, but little ones like this are quite common. We came across this one while hiking the Gion-Yama hiking trail, though the best trail for yagura is the Ten-en trail. Most yagura are empty, but a few … Continue reading Little Yagura
Flags in the Wind
The Ten-en hiking course is my new favourite. Not only is it a bit more challenging than the Daibutsu-Kuzuharaoka trail, it's also got much more to see along the way. Like these prayer flags that I found flapping away behind a statue sitting at the top of a trail-side scramble.
Daibutsu-Kuzuharaoka Hiking Course
Kamakura isn't just temples, shrines and surfers–it's also home to a few hiking trails. They're not particularly challenging, but they are a nice change from pounding the pavement from one temple to the next. The easiest and shortest is the Kuzuharaoka to Jochi-ji stretch of the Daibutsu-Kuzuharaoka trail. It's not very long at all, and … Continue reading Daibutsu-Kuzuharaoka Hiking Course
Penny Thanks
While walking down the Daibutsu hiking trail past Kuzuharaoka, I came across this memorial of sorts covered in one-yen pieces. I'm not sure what it's for, and Hisashi wasn't sure of the kanji, but the Kamakura area is so full of history that coming across random markers and memorials isn't very unusual.
Bamboo Love
I went on what was supposed to be a short hike to some temples and shrines in town the other day, but which became an epic seven-hour tour of places I haven't been in ages, and some I'd never visited before. Starting out on the Daibutsu hiking trail, I continued as it joined the Kuzuharaoka … Continue reading Bamboo Love
Photo of the Day: All Tied Up
Five-yen coins hang off scarlet string and drape over a boulder at Kuzuharaoka Shrine. Kuzuharaoka Shrine, with its deep reds, heart-shaped prayer tablets, and coins on string, is striking at first sight. Quite far off the road and along a hiking path, it's also tremendously peaceful.
鎌倉ペンション・Inn By The Sea Kamakura 