Dave in Japan (8)
Food (2)
Futureland (Japan) (6)
Holidays (2)
News and Other Scary Stuff (17)
Other Travels... (12)
Picture Postings (21)
Rants and Ramblings (13)
The Magical Kingdom (33)
* Visit to Odawara Castle
* Some pictures
* Geocacheing
* They let women DRIVE here!
* Cool things here in Japan
* Adventures in Sushi
* Adjusting to Life in Japan
* Konnichiwa!
* What an exciting year...
* TIBETAN CHEST: DETAIL
* NEW FURNITURE!
* Feb Brunch at Shonan Village
* KH hongkong
* HONG KONG: FEB 05
* Eat a camel?
* This Just In...US to Cease Existence in 2007!
* This Just In...
* This Just In...Easter Bunny Gets Pummeled by Boy at Mall
* This Just In....When Old Ladies Attack
October 09, 2004
Our house in Japan is in Kamakura. It's quite an historical place (Kamakura, that is...not our house), a former location of the Japanese government and a big site for Buddhist temples. The best part of it is that it's also close to the beach.
The drive to where Melo works is about 30 min on a good day, and up to an hour or more on bad ones. So far, those have tended to be during the summer, when beach traffic is gets thick.
Fortunately, in spite of the traffic, it's a beautiful drive. As you head west along the coast, the Sagami Bay is off to the left. The shore sweeps around from the south, the Miuri Peninsula, off to the sunset. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji. It's pretty amazing to see. Perfectly conical, it pretty much embodies the ideal volcano.
As you drive, you can see literally hundreds of black kites, sort of hawk-like birds, everywhere. They're by many ornithologists' opinions the most successful raptors around...they'll eat pretty much anything, including hamburgers from your hands if you're not careful...We saw them pounce on some poor lady trying to eat her lunch by the shore.
So far, work has kept Melody from doing too much sightseeing. We've done some whenever I've come for visits, but she's only gotten out a few other times. There is a lot to see, and you could easily spend a week going around to everything. One of the best websites for information is http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2166.html
SIGHTS
There's the Great Buddha of Kamakura, the Daibutsu.
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JOJUIN TEMPLE
Another interesting temple is Jojuin, renowned for its hydrangeas (ajisai, in Japanese). The place was a shock of color, with brilliant blues, whites, purples and pinks...it seemed to saturate the air itself.
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ENOSHIMA ISLAND
A small island jutting out into the bay, Enoshima is a popular destination. It's a short train ride from our local station, and is rife with temples, shops, and some beautiful views. If you go, try to get there around sunset...you get a magnificent sight of Mt. Fuji.
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