Day Three- Kamakura

And on the third day... we decided to venture outside Tokyo. Up bright and early (almost fully recovered from jet lag or jet jump or whatever it is that you get when you fly east), we set off for Kamakura. The journey was a bit of a mission as we were only allowed to use local trains as we had bought a "Free Pass" (which actually cost 1430 Yen) but eventually we arrived, amid throngs of Tokyoites who fancied a Saturday away from the big city. Why they chose THAT Saturday I do not know, as the rain was BIBLICAL (or whatever you might say for very heavy rain in a Shinto/Buddhist country). Actually, no. The weather started off all right. Here is a photo in which there is no rain:

 This is the entrance to the main shopping street in Kamakura. It is full of biscuit shops, noodle shops, cake shops, paper shops, souvenir shops:

baby phone charm shops:

 you name it, you could buy it on this street in Kamakura.
Kamakura is famous for two things.The major one is something I will come to later as it is the piece de resistance. The secondary claim  to fame is having nice hydrangeas during the rainy season.

They are very pretty. There are big ones, small ones, some the size of your head. There are pink ones, blue ones, purple ones, white ones. I could bore you with millions of photos but I shall restrain myself.

The Meigetsu-in Temple is especially famous for them. Looks like Buddha lurrrrves hydrangeas.

(incidentally, it was while we were going round this temple that the rain REALLY got going)

 We went to so many temples and shrines they all kind of blend into one. However, this grave, with an offering of an orange stood out in my mind somewhat.

 Buddhist temples are very peaceful, the graveyards even more so.

Obviously I have no idea what the kanji means (though even I can spot that they all say the same thing!), but these wooden sticks seem to be very important. There are normally three or four on each grave. Dad thinks they are made of cedar wood, there is a little fact for you.

 Vending machines are well-loved in Japan. Mostly they sell normal things like drinks. There are some others though:

 For a long time, I have loved Japanese umbrellas. Since Mr Boring started studying the language I have hoped that he would bring me one back. I now realise that this would have been very difficult as the handles are so massive (I bought a teeny tiny one). This one was at a temple. I love love love the rainbow threads.

 I think Buddhism is a lot about being calm. Temples make you feel very calm, even if you are not religious. The gardens are beautiful and everything seems very simple but beautiful.

 It was in Kamakura that we discovered that map reading is definitely NOT covered in Welsh schools. Boyo led us into a bamboo jungle on the quest for another temple. We did not find the temple. The forest was impressive though. There was also a rather amusing incident with a spider which I should probably not go into or I might find myself being shouted at.

 Did you know I love manhole covers? You do now. Most of them are boring, but every now and again you come across a beaut like this one:

 And now, ladies and gentlemen. The sight you have all been waiting for- the Daibutsu:

 He is a BIIIIIIG Buddha, let me tell you! He is 13.35m tall (approx). Normally you are allowed to go inside him via the rear entrance, but we got there too late unfortunately.

 The rain was absolutely ridiculous by this point, had it not been we would probably have stayed a lot longer. As it was, we retreated to Tokyo for a spot of Cake Biking. For those of you who don't know, Sweets Paradise is an all you can eat cake restaurant! Yes, really. It is one of the most brilliant places I have ever been. This was my first plate of cake:

 this was my second plate of cake:

 I like cake. LOVE a bit of cake, in fact.

 After two plates of cake and a bowl of ice cream, I had to call it a day. Boyo managed a third plate. Disgusting. In a vague attempt to burn off some of the cake, we went for a wander round Shinjuku looking at the lights:

 I can't really think of a good word to describe them. Pretty isn't right. Nice is a bit bland. I am too old to describe things as cool. So I suppose you should just make your own minds up which adjective you think is appropriate.

While it was still quite bright to us, I think that only a small portion of the lights were turned on due to power saving measures. Though it is a bit sad that we didn't get to see it in full flow, I think it is definitely a good thing that they have done. And it just goes to show how much electricity is wasted in other cities across the world. Just a shame it took such a horrible disaster to make people aware of it. And before I go off on an environmental rant I shall leave.