TacoCat’s Travels #265 (Tokyo): Temples, Buddhas and Tranquility ⛩

2 months ago · 7 min read

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 started our first full day in Tokyo by traveling out of Tokyo to Kamakura to visit the Great Buddha statue! We had some delicious local snacks on the way before exploring the minimalist temple full of history.

It wasn't a very big temple though so there actually wasn't much else to see other than the Great Buddha statue, but there was another temple nearby, so we decided to check it out too!

3 Feb 2023. Friday.

The temple is called Kamakura Hasedera Temple which tbh doesn't really sound very Japanese which was interesting. When we arrived there thankfully wasn't a line at the counter for tickets.

This temple definitely surprised me with its high-tech features! The modern ticket counter and automated ticket machines added a sleek touch to the experience, blending tradition with innovation.

It also seemed a lot bigger than the other temple according to this map. The temple is open from 8am - 4pm so we still had plenty of time to explore. I guess this temple is famous for the flowers that bloom in different seasons. Unfortunately, since we were there in Winter there weren't any flowers to see.

We bought our tickets at 400jpy each for adults, and were clear to enter the temple.

Just beyond the entrance, a lively crowd greeted us, far more robust than what we had encountered at the Great Buddha temple. This just goes to show the immense reputation that this temple holds.

Although the flowers weren't in bloom, the scenery was incredibly tranquil, featuring charming little ponds that made us feel like we had stepped into a serene Japanese garden.

There was a map of the temple and we could see just how much bigger this compound is compared to the Great Buddha temple. There was even an observation platform and a shop and cafe!

Here's some history of the temple:

Apparently there is a legend that in 721 AD a pious monk Tokudo Shonin discovered a sacred camphor tree in the Nara region and commission two sculptures to carve two Kannon (Guanyin) statues. One of them was enshrined in Hasadera Temple in Nara and the other was thrown into the sea with a prayer that it would reappear to save the people.

Fifteen years later, it washed ashore at Nagai Beach not far from Kamakura, sending out rays of light. The statue was then brought to Kamakura and a temple was constructed to honour it.

Anyway, there were multiple levels to the temple so we figured we'd do a lap and head upstairs first. That seemed like the route most people were taking.

On the way up we saw this family of adorable statues! I feel like they're supposed to be a religious character but I'm not sure who it is. Either way they look really cute.

We arrived at the higher level of the temple and there was a shrine surrounded by thousands of little stone Buddha statues!

There were so many of these all around us it was quite a sight to behold.

I can't even begin to think how many statues there were exactly but my guess would be 500?

It was a good thing they were made of stone since it looked like there were stacked like dominoes.

There was also a little container for candles if people wished to light any for prayers or offerings.

I think this was one of the temple's main shrines since everyone was gathered here. I'm not sure what the flags were for though but it made it look quite festive.

There were quite a few people coming out of this building which housed another statue.

I think this was the most official looking one and probably the one where people prayed to since there were also benches in there. It looked very regal and fancy.

Beside it was a table where you could get votive tablets for your wishes and prayers. I've seen different kinds of tablets before but never round ones, and I didn't know they were called votive tablets but I guess it's for your vows.

As with most Buddhist temples they had a big bell in a shrine that had a swinging plank to strike it. The public wasn't allowed up there though so I'm not sure if the monks here would strike it or if they ever did.

I think these were the only flowers that were alive in the area.

There was also a small shinto shrine here leading to more wishes people could write down.

These in particular were on oyster shells. I'm not sure why that is, maybe it's to imply that the wish is the pearl?

There was also a little shrine here called Kakigara Inari Shrine with fox statues guarding it. Turns out the temple's Hase-Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) was drifting through the sea with oyster shells, so the people deified the shells as a god which bring wealth to people. I guess that's why they used oyster shells to write wishes.

We walked onward into the temple building that was covered with flags and found out there was more of the temple behind this, including a counter. Initially we thought it was another ticket we had to purchase but turns out it wasn't.

I think this was the temple gift shop, and people were either buying souvenirs or other prayer and temple memorabilia.

This part of the temple was probably the most modern-looking. There were proper candle holders in front of this huge golden statue. I guess this was the recreation of the Guanyin statue that washed ashore in the legend.

I think technically I wasn't supposed to photograph in here but to be fair I didn't notice the sign until after I took the photo.

There were more historical artifacts inside the building which actually led to a museum, and we would've wanted to check it out but it was closed sadly.

We did manage to get a picture with this Kannon statue which is called the Sho-kannon Bosatsu. It does look quite different compared to the Guanyin statues we've seen.

Apparently the Kannon-Bosatsu is one of the most beloved deities known of mercy and compassion, and it's believed that the Kannon will immediately appear to those who seek salvation.

We arrived outside to where the observatory was.

There were more statues out here, with 4 unique looking guards around this Buddha statue that looked really cool.

We headed towards the observatory platform where we could see most of the houses here in Kamakura. It didn't seem like we were that high up.

But I guess we were high enough for them to have bird warnings. We found the sign quite funny and didn't realise Kites were a type of bird but I guess they must be like seagulls the way they snatch food.

We made sure not to stay there too long lest we get attacked by birds but we didn't have any snacks so maybe we were safe. We took a short break at the benches here to rest our feet for a while.