Kamakura

As part of my last-minute campaign to get into shape for my summer camps, I headed to Kamakura on Friday with my friend Emi for a day of hiking and swimming. Kamakura, an ancient capital packed with picturesque temples and shrines, is also an excellent hiking area, being situated along the Shonan Coast with the sea on one side and lushly forested rocky hills on the other.

We chose the Daibutsu hiking course, a popular route that starts near Kita-kamakura station in northern Kamakura and ends at the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) in western Kamakura. The course runs through the hills of northwest Kamakura along an ancient path through the forest, mostly going steeply up and down, which works up a sweat rather quickly. The forest is lush so it stays relatively cool, and near the end of the hike--just as you start to tire--a welcome ocean breeze starts up. If one were to walk quickly and make no stops it would take about an hour, but our slow pace and frequent stops stretched it to about two, and stopping at every attraction along the way it could easily make this an all-day hike. The route brings you by several temples and shrines, including Engakuji, Meigetsuin and Hase-dera (my three favourite temples in Kamakura), but this time we were more interested in getting in some exercise and some time on the beach so we didn't bother with much touristy stuff. But here are some pictures from a hike I did a few years ago that included a bit more sight-seeing.

Near the beginning of the hike is Zeni-arai Benzaiten Ugafuku-jinja, a little shrine with a formidable name (usually shortened to Zeni-arai Benten, thankfully). A narrow tunnel carved into a rocky hill, above, leads from a local road to the shrine. The tunnel is dark and cool inside and would be a pleasant escape from the heat if not for the stench of gasoline that hangs in the air (motorcyclists seem to love this winding hilly road, and the shrine is often visited by wealthy folks who leave their chauffeured luxury cars idling by the tunnel entrance while they pop in to offer their prayers). The shrine doesn't charge an entry fee, which is a rarity in Kamakura and the reason it was the only shrine or temple we visited that day.

Upon emerging from the tunnel you walk under a row of torii (holy gates) made from bare, unadorned logs, which match the setting much more nicely than the usual gaudy crimson gates.

 

There is also a little shrine built into the rock, with a little pond with a waterfall. Quite picturesque, but ignored by most, as the main point of interest here is a nearby cave.

The cave features a natural spring of holy water, and is full of people pulling out their wallets and emptying their coins and bills, and refusing to get out of the way or even stand still so you can get a good picture.

A quick look around shows neat stuff like hundreds of miniature torii, assorted relics, and strings and strings of brightly colored origami cranes.

I'm not sure what the cranes signify, since I thought they were offered as prayers for world peace and recovery from illness--they seem a little bit out of place in a shrine dedicated to personal greed. One downside to the free entrance, I suppose (entry fees at bigger shrines and temples usually get you a pamphlet or sheet of paper explaining stuff like this). Oh well, these are just decorations, and the main event is explained well enough.

So what is the main event, and why was everyone crowding around the spring and emptying their wallets? To wash their money in the holy water, in order to make themselves rich (or richer, as the case may be). Emi demonstrates above.

They say the holy wash causes your money to double, and thus ensure wealth and prosperity. Of course, I'm actually poorer than the last time I did this, so it doesn't seem to work for everyone. Kind of like playing the lottery, I guess (that never works for me either). But it's free so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it again, and this time I washed my coins extra extra well.

With that bit of nonsense out of the way, we continued on our way. Much of the way is steep and slippery, so I was too busy trying not to fall down to take pictures. But here is a typical portion of the hike: eroded tree roots barely clinging to mud, and the occasional random staircase, apparently an attempt to slow down the rate of erosion.

Along the way were butterflies galore and two of them were especially cooperative, allowing me to get close enough to snap their pictures. The black and white patterned wings of this little one was even more striking when in flight.

But this one was impressive at rest, with its colossal size (over 10 cm from wing tip to tip) and beautiful pattern.

The course ended near Daibutsu and Hasedera, and from there a short walk straight south, past Hase Station on the Enoden line, led to Yuigahama beach. The beaches along the Shonan coast are rumored to be among the dirtiest in the world, and Yuigama is no exception. It's not the piles of seaweed shown above that make it dirty, but the amount of garbage, most of it still floating in the water. Luckily it gets picked up pretty quickly once it lands on the beach, at least at this time of year: this was the day before the long weekend that marks the beginning of the official beach season, and the umi-no-ie (beach houses, temporary huts that offer showers, lockers and food for bathers) were just gearing up.

After an over-priced and mediocre meal at beach house (the picture didn't turn out, not that it was worth showing) we found a spot on the dirty sand and settled in. I changed into a bathing suit in a public bathroom, opting to not spend 1500 yen on a locker and change room privileges at the beach house. Emi wisely stayed in her clothes, choosing to stay out of the water and work on her tan instead.

The real reason these beaches are considered dirty is not the visible garbage so much as the heavy pollution (given the proximity to major urban and industrial areas like Tokyo, Yokohama and Kawasaki), and few people actually swim in the water. I believe that during the official swimming season the water is tested and people are advised to stay out of the water on days that it is especially dirty, but since the beach wasn't officially "open" yet there was no way to tell if it was safe enough. But after a few sweaty hours of hiking the water was looking really good to me, and there were a number of swimmers and body boarders in the water looking like they were having a great time. So I went in.

The water was warm and there were some great waves, including this one that doesn't look particularly impressive in the picture but trust me, it was huge (I'm thinking at least 5 metres). I haven't crashed around in big waves in a long time (on the rare occasions I get to a beach it's usually calm water) so it was terrificly fun, and also a perfect occasion to test out my new waterproof camera. It worked, although I didn't take it too deep (I was more afraid of the pollution than the water itself), and that water spot on the lens is annoying. I'll get to put the camera to better use in a few weeks when I head to Mikurajima, a tiny island surrounded by dolphins (wild but used to people and very photogenic).

I knew it was time to get out of the water when my eyes started to sting (they were red for the rest of the day, and I'm thinking it wasn't the salt that did it--now I know why people stay out of the water). I coughed up 800 yen to wash off the pollution and seaweed at a beach house shower, which was a total rip-off but also so totally worth it, because it wouldn't be much fun riding a crowded train back to Tokyo covered in sand and stinking like seaweed and dirty water.

Still, despite the stink and the stinging eyes and the inflated prices, the swim was a really nice way to cool down after hiking. I think next time I'll do the same thing, but instead of Yuigahama beach I'll hop on the Enoden and head a few stations west, where the beaches are cleaner.

A swim is a very nice way to end a hike, and a nice way to end a swim is with a giant cone of ice cream. Back on the road to Daibutsu, just north of Hase Station, is a new gelateria called Kamakura Gelato. I don't know if it's because I was really in need of refreshment after hours of hiking and swimming, or because I haven't had gelato in a very long time, or what, but I've decided that this is the best gelato I've ever had.

I had mango, cassis and caramel, and although the caramel didn't particularly match the other two, each flavour was delicious on its own. Emi had cassis and milk, which turned out to be an inspired combination. A triple cone and iced coffee, sold as a set, cost me just over 600 yen, not a bad deal given the touristy area and the quality of the gelato. This place will now be a must-visit on all future trips to Kamakura, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Yuigahama beach or the nearby Daibutsu and Hasedera temple.

Back at Hase Station, we hopped on one of the Enoden's toy trains (whose drivers actually smile for us camera-toting tourists) for a quick ride to Kamakura Station, and from there we headed home. A very nice day, and it may not have magically whipped my body into shape for the grueling summer ahead, but it was fun all the same. And who knows? Maybe this time my money-laundering will have worked, and I might be well on my way to a life of wealth.

For more pictures see my Kamakura/Takao album at Flickr.

JapanSoc it!

Comments

[mina]

I really enjoy your postings, makes me want to go to Japan again.

[Donna]

I think the belief is that if you fold a thousand cranes, you can get a wish granted. Because of the story Sadako and the Thousand Cranes the cranes have come to symbolize world peace. Beautiful pictures! We live near Lake Erie and when it's swimming season there are similar signs posted that warn you when the bacteria count of the water is too high

[Lulu]

Beautiful pictures!!! I love the second one!

I think paper cranes are so beautiful- I might have to make sure I can still remember how to do it!

[Judy Izumi]

Your photos are beautiful. Your blog is very interesting and delightful to read. I will try your Kamakura hike when I return to Japan in October. Any chance you do cooking lessons?

[J.Panda]

Kamakura indeed is a small heaven. No one can beat the Japanese in miniaturizing the beauty of nature. I had visited the shrine on a day when there was the festival of thanking the divine on the attainment of age 3,5,7 and 9 by children.

Women dressed in the traditional garb of Kimono represented another world with children dressed in the same way. On the same day there was also a dahlia show inside the temple. Thanks for the beautiful images.

[David]

My wife and I, along with my wife's parents did an overnight trip to Kamakura a few weeks ago. we stayed at the Nissan Company hotel there, a subsidized hotel and baths for current and former employees. It was quite nice.

We visited Hase and Daibutsu on the first day and then hit Meigutsuin on the next. What I remember most about Hase are the hydrangea and the little cave at the base of the temple (not the one you mention in your post).

When we were at Meigutsuin, I noticed a section of the hillside which featured some rather perilous looking switchbacks. The area had been roped off, and I assumed it was no longer in use. I hope that area isn't part of the trail you followed. Yikes!

I did notice the dirty beaches, but I thought the water was rather clean (clean-looking, that is), and there were a lot of surfers where we were. I wonder why they don't hear the same advisories you hear. Hmmm... Maybe you were on a different beach, not that it makes a huge difference.

We visited Enoshima, which if you're looking for a hike with stairs, is well worth it. It's not too far from Kamakura. I think we spotted that gelato place too, but we didn't go in because we were on our way somewhere else. I'm curious as to how you got a train from Kamakura to Tokyo. I thought the Enoden line was the only service around. At least that's what I was told.

I've decided to retire in Kamakura. That news about the polluted water makes me want to reconsider. I know the house I'm going to buy and have an alternate choice just in case I can't buy the first one. But I might have to wash my money first so that it doubles.

[Courtney]

I really envy the sharpness and brilliance of your pictures. They never cease to amaze me!

If you want a place with some hiking and Buddhism entwined, you need to visit Nokogiriyama in Chiba. There are incredible views of Tokyo Bay and the Pacific from the top of the cable car, as well as thousands of brilliant arhat statues to walk amongst and admire, as well as statues of giant statues Kannon and Buddha.

There's a Metropolis feature with information on how to get there:

http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/605/travel.asp

It's an unsung highlight of Chiba, and a place I would have loved to revisit at some point.

[gg]

I live near Enoshima and I dont know where you are getting your info from but the locals think the water is fine. I go swimming often and the only concern is jelly fish not pollution. The water is tested often and is not a concern. Sorry to say but you`ve been misinformed.

[Tamakikat]

Looks like a great hiking course. I especially like the idea of a swim and gelato to finish.