Kamakura Here We Come

It's Saturday--a special day because for the first time we've been given a whole day to explore on our own. My friends and I have planned a trip to Kamakura, a town in the Kanagawa prefecture. Kamakura is about an hour south of Tokyo, but far enough away that we'll need to take the train. It's also far enough that we were glad to have some guides to lead the way.

According to my guidebook, "Kamakura became the political center of Japan when Minamoto Yoritomo chose the city as the seat of his new military government in 1192. The Kamakura government continued to rule Japan for over a century, first under the Minamoto shogun and then under the Hojo regents. After the decline of the Kamakura government in the 14th century and the establishment of its successor, the Muromachi or Ashikaga government in Kyoto, Kamakura remained the political center of Eastern Japan for some time before losing its position to other cities." In other words, going to Kamakura is a bit like going back in time.

Kamakura is sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan because there are numerous temples, shrines and other historical monuments there. Japanese families mark children's birthdays by dressing in traditional clothes and visiting the shrines together. Some people pray, some sit in silence in the gardens, some drink green tea with friends, and some leave offerings to Buddha to give thanks. Some visitors seek their fortunes, and others enlightenment. In one of the photographs on the slideshow, you can see the "bad fortunes" left behind. The wooden signs are prayers left in Buddha's keeping. The last photo was a lucky shot. Once a year the shrine's library is open, and visitors are allowed to turn the sutras or teachings of Buddha. It's said that with one complete turn a guest can gain all the knowledge stored in the sutras on the wheel. If that's true, I learned a lot yesterday!