Temples, and Buddha, and McDonalds? -- Oh, my!

  After a slight misstep on the train - and some help from three young American men - we made it to Kamakura. Out first stop was at the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. In a country of mainly Buddhists (sadly, less than 1% are Christian), this is a place of great significance in the Japanese culture and is dedicated to the Emperor Ojin and Empress Jingu. Originally built in 1063 near the seashore, it was moved to the present location in 1191 by the first Shogun of Kamakura.  There are beautiful gardens and there are many baptisms, weddings, and funerals conducted here. While we were there we saw the priest procession and a baptism.  New things I tasted: fresh pineapple on a stick (seriously -- so good) and candied strawberry on a stick (everything's better on a Ritz!) The textures and blends of favors was excellent.

                                  

                                          Looking up at the shrine from bottom of hill.

          

                                          Shoguns were carried in these for their burial.

         

                                     Prayers are written on papers and tied to these ropes.

        

                                          Procession of priests before the baptism.

         

                                               Candied strawberries.  Close-up below.

         

                                  NEXT DESTINATION:   Kotokuin Temple of The Great Buddha 

While trying to figure out the local bus system in order to reach our next "must see" in Kamakura we were blessed to meet Sham, who spoke English. We had a good time talking to him and he helped us find the right bus. God is good - yes, even in Japan.

                                    

                                                      THE GREAT BUDDAH (Daibutsu)

                                  

You can get an idea if its size when you compare the people. It is 13.4 meters in height with the pedestal. The cast itself is 11.3 meters. It weighs 121 tons!  It is the principal deity of Kotoku - in temple and is a designated national treasure.  For an extra 200 yen, we were able to go inside the back of the Great Buddha.  It was cave-like, hot, and a bit creepy, to be honest. They had an interesting museum that we toured. Pictures were not allowed, but we saw samurai armor and some beautiful - but, I am sure terribly uncomfortable - women's court dresses. There were also some architectural drawing plans that were quite advanced for the time period.  At least, I thought so!

Some other sites here:

      

                                                                Bamboo fence

         

                                                   Lotus plants - Yoga anyone?

                                    

                                                             Very large Bonsai tree

After several hours, we were thirsty and in need of a snack. So, we decided to stop at the McDonald's and check it out. Ordered a large Diet Coke. No Diet Coke. Do I sense panic in Becky Berends and a few other co-workers? Haha. They do have Coke Zero and regular Coke in Japan, but that's it. Anyway, their large is similar in size to our small ...  Or maybe even smaller. Also, we ordered a large fries for the three of us. Now when they say large in fries, they do mean large. They were easily twice the size of the USA. Interesting. They may not stay a small-sized population for long!  Notice the McDelivery on the sign? Think that might catch on in the States?

                                    

         

We made it back to the Grand Hyatt with no problems. Had a delicious dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse and then it was "lights out."  Business meetings on the docket for tomorrow. TTFN