Temple Hopping

An hour beyond Tokyo’s choking concrete lies Kamakura, an ancient city and former capital. Sprinkled with 65 temples and 19 shrines, Kamakura’s shady side streets lead to cultural treasures…and the beach. I followed a circuit of the best known Zen temples, and paid homage to Diabutsu the Great Buddha, the third largest in the world. For 20 cents I climbed inside his hollow back, which felt like climbing into an oven. Cast of bronze in 1252, Buddha shrugged off a tidal wave in 1495 that swept away the wooden temple housing him. His meditation has remained uninterrupted despite being inundated with tourists. Sacrilege or early supper, down the street I slurped Buddha udon soup with ingredients cleverly arranged as Buddha’s face: egg yolk eyes, scallion hair, fish cake nose, and pink ginger mouth. Tasty and enlightening!

In between manicured gardens and tranquil temples, I battled the summer heat with two helpings of purple sweet potato ice cream. It tasted better than you’d expect; however, I found something better than any flavor ice cream. Kakigori (shaved ice) is a refreshing Japanese sweet. A friendly retired Japanese couple treated me after a steep climb in the woods above Kencho-ji Temple. I had my kakigori flavored with green tea syrup, garnished with azuki (sweet red beans), and capped with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. As the syrupy ice began to melt, I blended in the cream and red beans for heavenly refreshment. Although variations are available nationwide, this shop’s kakigori is worth a return trip to Kamakura.

After large helpings of culture and cuisine, I relaxed beachside at a café with a frosty beverage. Boarders rode waves while windsurfers zipped across Sagami Bay. Children flung wet sand at each other; older kids buried one of their own on the beach. Sunshine faded to dusk. I soaked up a seaside atmosphere that felt more like California than Japan, and frowned at the thought of returning to the current capital city.

See surf n’ shrine images from what I consider to be my finest day in Japan to date.