With any trip I take, the urge to do a day trip within the trip is strong.  In many ways, I find it can be an indulgent mini-vacation from my vacation. When I visited Tokyo, planning a day trip also came with the idea of escaping the crowds of the city to seek out a bit of tranquility. In reality, I didn’t ever find Tokyo too crowded or busy, but I did enjoy a slower pace and quieter day when I visited Kamakura.

A little over an hour after leaving Tokyo in the morning aboard a crammed train, I arrived in sunny Kamakura. About a ten minute walk from the train station, I made my way to Tsuruoka Hachimangu, the most important Shinto shrine in the city. With my early start, I beat most of the tourists here.

I was glad to have this site mostly to myself and enjoyed the tranquility of exploring the shrines (the senior shrine is at the top of the hill in the photo above, the junior shrine is below) and the torii (gates) marking paths up and through the hills.

Leaving Tsuruoka Hachimangu, I set off on a winding uphill hike to Hokokuji temple. The hike was through a residential area and it was great to see a slice of everyday Japanese life. One property caught my eye with a sign with a dog drawing on it above a number of dog ornaments in their quaint front garden.

The approach and entrance to Hokokuji at once made me feel at peace. Tucked into the side of a small mountain and densely forested, I was feeling worlds away from big city life back in Tokyo.

This temple site was completed in 1334 and the grounds and gardens here were stunningly beautiful. I stood in front of this fountain listening to the stream of water land in the small pond feeling as relaxed as I had at any point in 2019.

One of the features I was most interested to see at Hokokuji was the bamboo grove containing more than 2000 moso bamboo. As the heat of the day was starting to rise, walking the path through the grove was refreshing.

At the top of the grove is a small tea house where I stopped for a bowl of matcha. Enjoying my tea, I sat here for about a half an hour contemplating life to the sounds of hushed voices, birds and the breeze through the bamboo.

It was nearing mid day when I returned to the centre of Kamakura. I was lucky to have caught a bus back here as I was standing on the wrong side of the road at Hokokuji until I remembered that the traffic would travel up and down the mountain in a different direction that I was used to. I arrived back near the main train station where my day started and headed for Komachi-dori Street.

Komachi-dori Street is the main shopping street in Kamakura and popping in and out of the stores was a great way to get a taste of Japan. There were ample samples of interesting and very foreign (to me) tastes – everything from fermented fish and vegetables to matcha ice cream to interesting Japanese snacks.

After a lot of snacking that made up a reasonable lunch and stopping to savour a local craft beer on a patio, I headed to catch a streetcar like train on the Enoden line for a couple of additional sites just to the west of Kamakura.

After a short train ride and a ten minute walk I arrived at the Kotokuin temple site. For me, the temple itself wasn’t the attraction. I was interested to see Daibutsu, a “Great Budda” statue of Amida Buddha, which is one of the most famous icons of Japan. As I sat just to the side of the statue and took it in, its peaceful pose reminded me of how lucky I was to be able to take this trip to Japan and to be spending a day of introspective thinking.

Next up on my tour of temples around Kamakura was Hasedera temple about a ten minute walk away from Daibutsu.

Hasedera is a Buddist temple and it is strikingly beautiful. I sat down at a table opposite the temple to admire the ornate detail of the roofline and to rest my weary feet from all the hiking so far.

The grounds, only starting to show the beginning of fall on this nearly 30C day, were lovely to tour. Away from the main temple site, I was virtually alone and took time for contemplation to the sound of the water fountains.

Before leaving Hasedera, I found its highest point so I could get a clear view of Yuigahama beach and Sagami Bay in the distance. As a former Maritimer now landlocked on the prairies, there should be no doubt about my next, and final, destination.

About a half hour hike down the mountain I made my way to the beach. I took my shoes off and walked the length of the beach, happy to be so close to a large body of water.

Yuigahama beach became a perfect end to pretty much a perfect day spent outside Tokyo. I sat on the sand and just looked out to the water, soaking up the sun and the sounds of the tide coming in. It also gave me a chance to continue one of my travel traditions. Whenever I get near water, I let the waves wash over my feet, and if there is sand like there was here, I write the names of my loved ones (both 2 and 4-legged) in the sand.  They were not here with me in body, but it was nice to feel them with me in spirit. Pretty much a perfect way to end a perfect day in Kamakura.