This week we spent a few days exploring Kamakura. It’s such a beautiful town, although the sheer number of visitors, both local and international, was a bit overwhelming. We did manage to find a few quieter spots, which was lovely. The first was in the grounds of the Hachimangu temple, where the peonies were in perfect bloom. I sketched some of the incredible flowers…
Each peony bush was protected from the sun by a paper parasol, and with the backdrop of perfectly blossoming sakura trees it was like a dream.
We also visited Sugimoto temple, the oldest in Kamakura. It has lovely mossy steps and a quiet atmosphere. I loved the designs of the paper labels on the insides of the structures - signs of visitors long past.
The cherry blossom was blooming at its peak, and we walked along the longest avenue of sakura I have ever seen.
And no visit to Kamakura is complete with seeing the big buddha at Kotoku-in. We made it all the way there, but couldn’t face the sheer number of tourists, so we said hello through the gate, and decided to walk along the beach instead…
It was a lovely visit, and I especially enjoying going on both the old-fashioned Enoden train line, and the retro-futuristic monorail!