Japan

Going back to Kamakura after several years, this time I had a friend from the Philippines visiting, Aim. He had originally wanted to check out the "Slam Dunk" station which was apparently in Kamakura so I suggested that we can explore the area for him to really get immersed in the culture and spiritual side of Japan.

We met up in Ikebukuro station and took a direct train to Kamakura station, from there we went to Komachidori Street on the way to our first stop, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a Shinto temple perched on top of a hill with a beautiful lily pond and really intricate architecture. We were lucky to have witnessed a traditional wedding ceremony with full on instrumental accompaniment, the flute-like instrument sounded so ancient, it gave me goosebumps. There was also this circular object where we would go around it several times in a symbol of infinity while carrying a paper human-shaped doll. We would then place it on our body and blow on it before putting in the box. The doll was said to absorb all negativity from our bodies. Super dope. We went to the main temple to pray and saw some floats where the kami were enshrined before going to the next temple.

A couple of minutes away was Ennoji Temple, a Buddhist temple dedicated to Enma, the god of the underworld. The fragrance of incense wafted through the air as we approached the temple. Outside stood Jizo, a boddhisatva of the underworld. It was a good time to introduce them to Aim and he was keen on learning as well. The main temple had Enma in the middle with several more statues lined up on each wall with another more detailed statue of Jizo at the left-most side.

We went to Kenchoji Temple next, another Buddhist temple but this time at a much larger scale. There was a monk in black robes giving a sermon. We went to the left side first where there was a cemetery, we went to the main temple where a giant Jizo was enshrined, one of the best I have ever seen in my life. At the back was another temple dedicated to Amitabha Buddha with Shakyamuni Buddha in front of him. We went deeper to find a Zazen meditation session on-going with the chanting of the lead monk accompanying us as we circled around to the Zen garden. On the way back, I also got to introduce Kannon to Aim.

We went to Eishoji temple next, a smaller temple but the main sight here was a bamboo grove and the wisteria trees that Aim was a fan of due to the Kimetsu no Yaiba anime. Nearby was Jufukuji, another small temple which thankfully was free unlike the rest of the temples so far. It was situated deep inside the forest with mossy cobblestones, just a quick look as we couldn't enter.

We grabbed some lunch at this place called Sasuke Cafe where I ordered tomato curry ramen while Aim got the hamburg steak, he treated me today too which was really a nice gesture. The cafe had a really nice aesthetic going on and it was a nice place to recharge.

The next few stops from here on out are some of the main highlights of Kamakura, right nearby was Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to one of the Seven Lucky Gods, Benzaiten who is the goddess of fortune. Originally derived from the Hindu goddess Saraswati, she is still seen carrying her lute even in the Japanese Buddhist tradition. Her shrine was tucked away up above a hill and deep inside a cave which led to an opening of a sprawling temple complex. With numerous wooden torii gates, we knew we were entering into a highly spiritual place. We went to the right side first where there was a shrine dedicated to all seven lucky gods, there was also a waterfall and a koi pond. The shrine was pretty unique because it had a special practice. People came here to wash their money in the sacred waters of Benzaiten which was believed to bring abundance and multiply wealth. It was a fun cultural experience so Aim and I opted to try it out, we got the woven basket and a candle and incense. The candle was the easy part but the incense took forever to light up, we then went to another cave to pour the water and prayed for success in our business endeavours. We decided to keep the washed over bill as good luck charms.

Sasuke Inari shrine was another major Shinto temple near Zeniarai Benzaiten shrine. A temple dedicated to the Shinto goddess Inari, the goddess of agriculture and commerce. The fox is an iconic symbol for her and they are known to be messengers of the gods. There were numerous red torii gates leading up to her shrine with a lot of tiny foxes sitting around the columns. The main shrine was really something else, with hundreds or even thousands of foxes placed all around. There was also a cave with a tiny shrine in the middle of the pond with a singular fox inside. They really know how to create a vibe.

The second to the last place was pretty much the most popular spot in Kamakura, the Kotokuin Temple which houses a giant Amitabha Buddha statue, it was really amazing to finally see it up close as we only looked at it from afar the first time we were here.

Finally, we went to Hasedera temple, another temple that we skimmed out on before because my companion didn't want to pay for the entrance fee. Now I know we made the right choice because this was truly the best one and it somehow ended up being the last as I decided that we didn't have enough time to visit the caves in Enoshima if we continued on with our temple hopping. Hasedera temple was probably the biggest one and pretty unique in that it was both a Shinto and Buddhist temple. A classic example of religious syncretism in Japan. We went up the stairs and saw a shrine for Jizo again but this time there were hundreds of tiny Jizo statues all around, with some more bigger ones towering above them. Behind the shrine were even more Jizo statues, the most I have seen in my life! We went higher up and passed by the main temples to check out the outlook platform first, with amazing views of Kamakura and the ocean. We also passed by a temple with prayer wheels where if we span it, we could gain the benefits of the whole sutra that's carved on the wheels so of course we did them. We did another smaller hike above to get even better views of the ocean before checking out the main temple dedicated to Kannon. Outside was a statue of a monk where it was believed that by touching the body part of the monk would also heal the afflicted body part of oneself. Inside Kannon's temple was an extremely grand, giant, golden statue of Kannon that stood above us, the feelings of reverence welled up inside me.

The other temple nearby was for Amitabha Buddha. We went down to the other side to find a cave temple for Benzaiten, inside were stone carvings along the cave walls of Benzaiten and there were also hundreds of tiny Benzaitens on the lower cave platforms. Further back below were temples to the seven lucky gods with statues of all seven of them which was a first for me. There was also a giant wooden Daikoku statue outside with his mallet and smiling face, apparently touching it was good luck. We had a lot of luck and blessings today it seems like, I felt really good.

With Kamakura coming to a close, we got on the train heading to Enoshima next.Læs mere