Rising Sun Sakura

For the past few years, Kamakura has been tearing up the old road to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu. It used to be a raised and walled walkway through the middle of the modern road, bordered with old cherry trees. Now, it's, well, different. I admit to liking the old road better. Much, much better. But, safety is … Continue reading Rising Sun Sakura

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Sakura

Today, we finally made it down to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu, the main shrine in Kamakura. It was actually a good thing it took us so long to make it down, though, as the cherry blossoms weren't quite at 100%. Maybe later this week... They were still pretty spectacular, though. Kamakura isn't really known for sakura—the city's … Continue reading Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Sakura

Break Time

A hike around town on a cold day requires a few stops for snacks and warming up. Last month, Kaede and I hiked around town gathering stamps in our goshuincho. It was fairly chilly, so we stopped at the cafe at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu. Kaede went with Jagarico (a kind of stick-shaped potato chip, that, !!!, … Continue reading Break Time

Photo of the Day: Hachiman Gardens

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu is famous for its lotus flowers. It has two huge ponds overflowing with them. Sadly, they bloom at the hottest time of year—and the busiest—so we didn't make it out to see them. Last week, the weather finally cooled down and we headed out to see what we could see. Not too many … Continue reading Photo of the Day: Hachiman Gardens