I was at a pretty cool electronic festival in the mountains last weekend, that was fun! Today, I returned to Kamakura today to see more! Everyone says that Kyoto is Japan's cultural capital. I can agree, however poor little Kamakura gets no attention :( It is a day trip, only one hour from Central Tokyo and has a lot of cultural options to explore! Many temples and shrines and nature to explore! Here too, you can get an all-day bus-pass for 550 yen (Kyoto's is 500 yen, but all of the admission fees are higher in Kyoto).
Noteworthy things to see in Kamakura:
- Jomyoji Temple - beautiful temple and garden, only 100 yen!
- Hokokuji Temple - temple is free and the fantastic bamboo forest is only 200 yen!
- Tsurugaoka Hachinmangu Shrine - free, central and offers a decent view of the city from up top!
- Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine - you must walk into the path created through a rock wall to get here and it offers some interesting sights...also free to enter!
- Kotokuin Temple aka Large BUddha - an interesting sight! Enter for 200 yen, and actually enter the Buddha itself for another 20 yen! worth it :)
- Beaches: Yuigahama, Enoshima and surroundings are fun - especially during July and August months where parties occur here and vendors are open, selling a variety of refreshing beverages!!
I also visited the famous Tsukiji Fish Market, wow! Large tuna are caught fresh each day and auctioned off to the highest bidders. I got to watch the auction live from the viewing area. What this requires, is getting to the visitor permission zone around 4-4:30am in the morning to assure yourself a slot in either the 5:25 - 5:50am auction or the 5:50-6:15am auction. I was recommended to come at 5am but if you do you are likely to already have all the slots filled - there are 60 slots open for each auction, so 120 for each day and if you miss it you cannot go that day. You must wear a mesh, yellow vest and use no flash photography at the auction. Afterwords, you may stroll around the different sections of the market and purchase whatever you'd like - sushi, vegetables, etc. It was interesting to see how this operates! Tip - the first metros begin running a bit after 5am, and taxis are expensive, so what do you do? If you are young, energetic and want an adventure, go out for a fun evening in Roppongi, dance the night away and begin walking to the fish market around 2 or 2:30am (giving yourself plenty of time to get lost and ask for directions!).
Noteworthy things to see in Kamakura:
- Jomyoji Temple - beautiful temple and garden, only 100 yen!
- Hokokuji Temple - temple is free and the fantastic bamboo forest is only 200 yen!
- Tsurugaoka Hachinmangu Shrine - free, central and offers a decent view of the city from up top!
- Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine - you must walk into the path created through a rock wall to get here and it offers some interesting sights...also free to enter!
- Kotokuin Temple aka Large BUddha - an interesting sight! Enter for 200 yen, and actually enter the Buddha itself for another 20 yen! worth it :)
- Beaches: Yuigahama, Enoshima and surroundings are fun - especially during July and August months where parties occur here and vendors are open, selling a variety of refreshing beverages!!
I also visited the famous Tsukiji Fish Market, wow! Large tuna are caught fresh each day and auctioned off to the highest bidders. I got to watch the auction live from the viewing area. What this requires, is getting to the visitor permission zone around 4-4:30am in the morning to assure yourself a slot in either the 5:25 - 5:50am auction or the 5:50-6:15am auction. I was recommended to come at 5am but if you do you are likely to already have all the slots filled - there are 60 slots open for each auction, so 120 for each day and if you miss it you cannot go that day. You must wear a mesh, yellow vest and use no flash photography at the auction. Afterwords, you may stroll around the different sections of the market and purchase whatever you'd like - sushi, vegetables, etc. It was interesting to see how this operates! Tip - the first metros begin running a bit after 5am, and taxis are expensive, so what do you do? If you are young, energetic and want an adventure, go out for a fun evening in Roppongi, dance the night away and begin walking to the fish market around 2 or 2:30am (giving yourself plenty of time to get lost and ask for directions!).
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