Kamakura – Giant Buddha

Wednesday July 20, 2016

 Today was another Viator (JTB) tour.  This time it was to Kamakura and Tokyo Bay. When we boarded the tour bus, I was surprised to see that the Spanish speaking couple and their young son that sat in front of us the day before were once again sitting in front of us.  What were the odds of that?  Thankfully, the bus was half full and I was able to move away from them, the kid was well-behaved but wasn’t interested in the tour and continually talked over the guide.  I didn’t want to listen to it again.

As with the previous day, we again left Tokyo and were taken to the countryside.  We would spend the day around Kamakura, a resort area close to the beach.  The first stop was the Kamakura Giant Buddha, a bronze statue over 45 feet high.  The statue was cast in 1252 and was housed inside a large temple which has since been destroyed many times and is therefore standing in open air.

Besides the Buddha, there was not a whole lot else to see at this first stop.  Lunch was the next stop!