Friday we spent the day enjoying many of my favorites in Kamakura. We started with a visit to The Great Buddha. Armed with our umbrellas, we were ready to explore!
When we arrived at The Great Buddha, I explained the importance of the scary warriors outside the Temple to ward off evil. Nina and Noah posed with their scariest faces!
The good part about the rain, it kept the crowds down to a minimum.
No trip to The Great Buddha is complete without going into “Buddha’s Pooper” as coined by Bill Johnson.
As we walked back to Hase Station, we stopped for ice cream. Yes, despite the chill and rainy weather, 3 out of 4 of us wanted Japanese soft cream. I opted for a warm sweet potato hash brown.
I must address the significant temperature variation between Thursday and Friday. Thursday if you recall, we were drenched in sweat after walking around Kannonzaki Park and riding the roller slide. Today, we needed sweaters and scarves. Nina and Noah were so chilly at one point, we stopped at the 100¥ store for a pair of gloves!
We rode the Enoshima Line back to Kamakura around noon. Here we said “mata ne” at Komachi Dori (the main shopping street in Kamakura). Layla, Nina, and Noah explored the street while I went to my English Class. We regrouped at 2:15 by the Torii.
I was excited to hear about their time we were apart. Their first stopped was at the Owl Forest. They loved the experience of seeing and petting the owls.
After enjoying time with their feathered friends, they followed my map to Oxymoron. Oxymoron is a coffee shop. But, not the coffee shop I wanted them to visit! I wanted them to go to “character coffee” which is next door. Since I sent them to the wrong place, I took them back to the correct coffee shop. Nina asked for Daisy Duck, Noah asked for Goofy, and I asked for Cinderella. So KAWAII!
Also, while we were apart, Layla manages a couple cute pictures with the locals. Girls in kimonos and a puppy!
The final part of our cultural tour of Kamakura was a visit to the Hachimangu Shrine. It’s a beautiful Shrine even in the rain.
I also tried a new food. Ginko nuts. They were quite bizarre. They were roasted and reminded me of unopened pistachio nuts at first. Then once I placed my order, the lady cracked them open by hammering them.
After cracking them, she added salt.
Then final product was a salty soft nut. I’m not sure if I was so hungry that my judgment was twisted. But, I thought they were pretty good. I ate the whole bag!
By the end of the day, we were chilly and soggy. We decided to head home and enjoy an American pizza. Kanpie! Happy Friday!