Tokyo Day 4

 

 

 

 

@ Enoshima

 

@ Hase-dera

  

@ Kotokuin Temple

     Day 4 – 13^th Nov (Wed)

      Enoshima

Kamakura

• Kotokuin Temple - is renowned for the Great Buddha (大仏, daibutsu), a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha which is one of the most famous icons of Japan. The statue stands at 13.35 meters high and weighs approximately 93 tons.
• Kaikozan Hase-dera - Hase Kannon Temple. Head back towards Hase Station, half way along the path to on the right hand side is the path and entrance to Kaikozan Hase-dera (also known as the Hase Kannon Temple). It is one of the great Buddhist temples in the city of Kamakura, famous for housing a massive wooden statue of Kannon (Goddess of Mercy). The temple is the fourth of the 33 stations of the Bandō Sanjūsankasho pilgrimage circuit dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten.   

 Odaiba

• Take ferry to Odaiba, shop around special theme shopping complexes, Fuji Television Center, and have your first Japanese hot spring experience in a very traditional setup with newly renovated hot spring center call Ooedoonsen. From Shimbashi Station take the Yurikamome, an elevated train across the Rainbow Bridge onto a man made island in Tokyo Bay (Odaiba Kaihinkoen Station), 310yen. There, visit the shopping and entertainment attractions and view the futuristic architecture and landscape design around Odaiba and Tokyo Big Sight.   

It was another full day tour and we hopped to Shinjuku Station to purchase the Day Pass for Enoshima & Kamakura amounting to 1430yen . Enoshima is a small island that protrudes into Sagami Bay. Home to a goddess of legend that is worshipped by many, including celebrities.  Enoshima is a pleasantly touristy island just off coast but connected by bridge with the mainland. Several shrine buildings, collectively known as Enoshima Shrine, are found around the island and are dedicated to Benten, a popular goddess of good fortune, wealth, music and knowledge. Benten is believed to have created Enoshima before subduing a five headed dragon that had been terrorizing the area.

After half day spent at Enoshima, we headed out for our lunch before continuing our tour to Kamakura. Our first stop was Hasedera Temple, most famous for its statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. Hasedera is built along the slope of a wooded hill. A pretty garden with ponds is found at the base of the slope just after entering. The temple's main buildings are built further up the slope, reached via stairs. Next to the temple garden at the base of the slope stands the Benten-do, a small hall that contains a figure of Benten (also known as Benzaiten), a goddess of feminine beauty and wealth. Sculptures of Benten and other minor gods can be found in a small cave (Benten-kutsu) next to the Benten-do. 

After our walk at Hasedera, we proceeded to the Great Buddha. The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13.35 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. We missed out the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu since the skies are getting darker. We headed back to Shinjuku before an ad-hoc decision to visit Odaiba Island.

We boarded the Yurikamome in the evening and only be able to witnessed limited attractions at Odaiba. Nevertheless we took the elevated train to travel the whole Odaiba Island without stopping. We alighted at the Shimbashi Station and walked out for our late dinner along the street. We went back to our guesthouse after the meal.