TacoCat’s Travels #264 (Tokyo): Temple Hopping and Tasty Treats! 🏯

8 days ago · 8 min read · Kamakura

Hey Hive!

If you missed the last few posts, I started sharing about our anniversary trip to Tokyo back in Feb 2023! It'd been at least 3 years since we visited Tokyo and the last time was pre-covid so we decided to go back and find some new places to explore while revisiting our favourite hot-spots.

Last week, we had some delicious curry rice for lunch before walking around for a bit then taking a catnap back in our hotel. By the time we awoke (we were pretty sleep-deprived from a night flight), it was dinner time so we had tried some corny noodles we came across on the street that was actually pretty good!

Anyway, it's time for our first official day in Tokyo so let's go!

3 Feb 2023. Thursday.

We were heading to a place that Sean wanted to bring me to for the longest time since the last time he visited was with his parents on a family trip. We headed to the train station a little early since it was quite a journey there from the heart of Tokyo.

But we definitely didn't go too early so we could avoid the morning rush hour of office workers flooding the trains.

Even the underground of Ginza Station exudes elegance, perfectly complementing the area’s luxury shopping scene.

But thankfully they had simple grocery stores as well, so we had a place to get snacks for breakfast.

We bought some buns and drinks and Sean chose this odd-looking yakisoba hotdog. It's literally just carbs on carbs, which is his favourite.

I'm not a big fan of yakisoba to begin with since I find the sauce too sweet for my liking, and this one was no different. It also had a little sour tangy taste to it which I found a little weird.

We boarded the train and soon enough, arrived at our destination in Kamakura!

Among the many sights in the area, the standout is undoubtedly the Kotokuin Temple, home to the magnificent Great Buddha. This colossal statue stands as a testament to Japan's rich cultural heritage, drawing visitors from all over to admire its imposing presence and serene expression.

Neither of us are great believers or religious people by any means, but it is a truly impressive sight worthy of a visit.

To get there, you can get a convenient one-day pass and a train will pass by most of the major sights in the area. You can hop off the train and hop back on any time during the day.

We decided to get the pass at 800yen each, since it was easy and convenient.

Once we got our tickets, we patiently waited for the train to arrive.

In the meantime, the station had some guides for the Enoden neighbourhood.

And of course there was a special stamp as well, but unfortunately I think I forgot to bring my notebook on this trip, and I was so bummed I couldn't collect the stamps.

If you ever visit these North Asian countries like Japan or Korea, definitely remember to bring a book so you can collect stamps like these!

There wasn't much else at the station but there was a pretty big souvenir shop.

They even had some food stalls within the souvenir shop like this one specialising in croquettes! I guess it's the local specialty snack here and since we were pretty hungry we decided to try a couple.

They had a few different kinds of croquettes but their specialty seemed to be made from potatoes, minced meat and onions.

They had both savoury and sweet options so we decided to get one of each, the sweet one being made with purple sweet potatoes and sweet chestnuts.

And of course, they even had a special croquette mascot with anime eyes.

We ate our croquettes while waiting for the train to arrive and they were really warm and tasty! The batter was fried until it was crispy on the outside but the filling was still moist. It was a delicious treat to have in the cold weather.

Don't worry we didn't jump onto the tracks for this shot, there's a walkway for when there are no trains crossing.

Pretty soon, the train arrived! I thought it was going to be a special touristy train but it just looked like any other train.

I was just thankful to get out of the cold for a bit. The cloudy weather made it especially cold that morning.

We had a nice comfortable ride and alighted after a few stops. We weren't super clear on where to walk since it just looked like any other Japanese suburb but figured we could follow the crowd since the Buddha is the only big sight to see in this area.

We did pass by some interesting shops on the way like this one selling lots of souvenirs, obviously catering to all the tourists coming through the visit the Buddha probably.

Thankfully there were road signs around to indicate that we were heading in the right direction, and even on a random Thursday morning there were still quite a few people heading there as well.

Soon enough, we arrived at the entrance to the temple.

The temple is open from 9am to 5pm, and general admission costs 300 yen for adults. We bought our tickets and headed in.

Here's the map of the temple, which didn't look that big to be honest.

As is customary at many Japanese temples, worshipers need to rinse their hands at the purification fountain or chozuya before entering.

We didn't partake in this ritual since we're not religious and we figured the water would be very cold.

I was actually surprised by how small and simple the temple was given that it was housing the Great Buddha. I thought there would be more grandeur or at least a long flight of steps or something up to the Buddha but no, he was just sitting there out in the open a little ways past the entrance.

Granted, there was a sizable rock garden on the way over there from the entrance, but for the most part it was a pretty minimalist and simple temple.

I guess the main focus was on the Great Buddha statue, which to their credit does look very impressive regardless of the surroundings.

We took some pictures with the statue while trying to remain respectful but to be honest, everyone else around us was also just there to take photos so it didn't feel like we were out of line.

Here's what the statue looks like from the back. I'm not sure what those open windows are for but I guess it's for workers if they need to go in and repair anything that gets damaged from the inside.

There was a temple shop beside the statue and a little outhouse-looking maintenance shed.

There were some other smaller buildings within the temple compound like this very traditional-looking house:

This plaque that I'm guessing either had some religious significance or is certification that the temple is legit.

Of course everyone was gathered around the souvenir shop that also sells snacks like soft serve ice cream and drinks.

Beside the statue was a little sheltered area with some artifacts on display like this huge pair of slippers! It looked like the slipper the Great Buddha would wear if he came to life.

Here's some information on the sculpting of the Great Buddha statue, which apparently was completed in 1252 AD! Unfortunately an earthquake in 1923 destroyed its base and it was repaired in 1925.

It's truly impressive how sculptors back then managed to build such a huge statue without any machines or technology.

Even the Crown Prince of Thailand visited this temple and planted this tree to commemorate his visit here in 2010.

It might be custom for the Crown Prince to visit since there was another tree by a different Prince back in 1987.

After we'd pretty much seen everything there was to see in the temple, it was time to go. We bade farewell to the Great Buddha before taking our leave.

Despite how simple the temple is people of all ages still visit here, so I guess it has quite the reputation.

We saw some curious statues on our way out. No idea if that red doll was placed there on purpose.

We made our way out back into the street and came across this cute shop with cat statues.

There was also another shop with this very cute trail of rubber duckies!

This seemed like a very peaceful town, different from the big city of Tokyo.

We enjoyed a nice leisurely stroll not back to the station, but to another sightseeing place nearby!

Apparently, there is another temple here that looks pretty impressive and supposedly has quite the view as well. Since we had time we figured we'd check it out for a bit.

But I think we'll cover that next week! In the meantime, here's a teaser: