1 Fuji-san (Mount Fuji)
2 Hagi
3 Hiroshima
4 Iriomote-jima
5 Kamakura
6 Kanazawa
7 Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto
8 Miyajima
9 Todaiji Temple, Nara
10 Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo
A delightful day trip south from Tokyo will take you to one of the most historically important sites in the country - a medieval capital and the home of many beautiful temples and shrines.
In 1192, after years of fighting, power in Japan lay in the hands of the Minamoto clan. When Minamoto Yoritomo became shogun he moved the capital from Kyoto to his base in Kamakura. It remained the capital until 1333.
The most famous site in Kamakura is the Great Buddha (Kamakura Daibutsu) to the west of the town, completed in 1252. The Buddha (the Amitabha Buddha, or the Buddha of Salvation) sits in the open air, the hall that housed it destroyed by a tidal wave in the 15th century. Made of bronze, it weighs over 800 tons and is 11.4m high. It is considered an artistic masterpiece. The Tsuruguaka Hachiman-gu Shrine, in the north of the town, is dedicated to Hachiman, guardian of the Minamoto clan and also the god of war. Close to the entrance is the Kamakura Museum, displaying early ceramics and teaware in vibrant and unusual designs. The Engakuji Temple is one of the principal Rinzai Zen temples in Kamakura and has pleasant gardens and a number of smaller temples, of which the most interesting is the Shari-den, or the Shrine of the Sacred Tooth of Buddha. The Engakuji Bell is the largest in the town. The most important temple of Kamakura, as well as the most picturesque, is the attractive Kenchoji Temple, located to the north of the town and founded in 1253 as a seminary for Zen monks. Although the remaining buildings are mostly reconstructions, the Zen gardens are charming and there are plenty of quiet paths to follow in the surrounding woods. Among the many other temples and shrines in and around Kamakura, others worth visiting are the Zeniarai Benten, reached through a stone tunnel cut into a steep rock face, where you can wash coins to guarantee prosperity; the active Hokokuji with its pretty gardens; and the Sugimoto-dera, thought to be the oldest temple in the town, founded in AD 734.Address: 50km south of Tokyo
Hours: Most temples open daily. Kamakura Museum closed Mon
Bus: JR Hase station for the Great Buddha
Train: Kamakura and Kita-Kamakura (from Shimbashi, Shinagawa and Tokyo stations in Tokyo) to Matsuyama and Beppu
Admission: Entry to temples is generally cheap
Info: Outside Kamakura station PHONE: (0467) 223 350
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