KAMAKURA

Torii Gate at main entrance to shrine

Spent a Sunday in Kamakura. Kamakura is a town in the Kanagawa Prefecture, about 30 miles southwest of Tokyo. During medieval times it was the political center of Japan. Now-a-days, it is known for its many shrines and temples and is mostly a tourist destination.

On this visit, we skipped the most famous site of the, "Daibutsu" or "Great Buddha", a 37 foot high, 121 ton bronze statue of the Buddha, constructed in 1252.

I don't know what the banners are about

After leaving the train station you almost immediately find yourself enmeshed in a mass of people/tourist. Going with the flow (is there any other choice?) you end up on a long, narrow, straight street, lined with small shops that sell mostly cheap trinkets at high cost, or exotic items at very high cost.

Oh so many people!

Made a quick stop for at the Niku-man booth, Niku-man is a steamed Chinese style bun made from flour dough and filled with a variety of options from ground meats to candied red beans (called An-man). Very tasty!

Niku-man booth where we chose the An-man

There are plenty of restaurants offering everything from classic Japanese staples to all types of international standards, such as hamburgers, pasta, or French breads.

 Prized koi (or as we Americans say, "Carp"

 Classic Japanese Stone Lantern

 Another classic Japanese Stone Lantern

 Stone Lion

  Gold Lion

Stone Torii Gate