Don't Be Greedy - A Computer Geek's Blog: July 06 - Visiting the Great Buddha at Kamakura and Arrival at Kawaguchiko

Although initially we had planned almost every single step we'd take in Japan, plans have some sort of affinity for failure. In most cases, this is bad. But not for us. I already wrote about how spontaneously changing our plan in Tokyo allowed us to see the real Tokyo, and not only the tourist attraction.

Well, today we headed for Kamakura. On the way there, we met Jerome, a really nice Canadian who, like us, wanted to spend a month here, in Japan. On the train he gave us some really nice clues about where to go in Tokyo. When we arrived, we decided to visit Kamakura together, which turned out to be really amusing. He was way more informed than we were, so thanks to him we could get to see a lot more than 'just' the great Buddha. Our first stop was at a temple near the train station. Although we had to pay 300 yen in order to enter, it was worth it. Not only the temple itself was interesting, but also the beatiful gardens around it, with small fountains, statues, and a unique view of the coast.

Afterwards, we walked up to the great Buddha. You really can look at as many pictures as you like, but you don't really now how huge it is untill you see it. Seriously. Standing in front of it was simply impressive.

Another thing worth seeing, which doesn't directly belong to Kamakura, were the crowds of high school and kindergarden stundents wandering around. I don't really know why, but I find it something really interesting to watch. It might be because of diversity of characters you see, while they are all dressed with the same uniform and have to follow the same strict rules. It might also be that I just see the thing I've always seen in mangas and animes become real, which reminds me of the [still somewhat unbelievable] fact that I'm in Japan. I don't know... ^^

After spending an hour in a post office to exchange some traveler check we visited one last temple, after which we said goodby to Jerome and got on a train back to Tokyo. There, we had to get another train to Otsuki, from where we took the Fuji Express to Kawaguchiko. Unfortunately our Japan Rail Pass was not valid for that last one, so we had to pay 1110 yen to get in.

So far so good. We were in the right train, headed for the right direction. We even got out at the right station. But then the trouble started. The map we had was sort of misleading, and the scale wasn't shown (thus making us believe that it was a short walk... WRONG!). Technically, we were walking in the right direction. But soon it started to get dark, and there was no single sign in romanji... But the along came some help. A car stopped at the intersection we were on. We asked the two occupants for directions showing them our map. First, they explained us how to get there. But soon after, 'just to make sure', they pulled over, parked, and started looking for our hostel on their GPS. Since they couln't find it, they called up the hostel, told them were we were, and asked for directions. After making sure we got the direction right, they drove all the way up to the place they had told us to go to, in order to make sure that it was right... Can someone still question the hospitality of Japanese people?

By the way, K's House Mt. Fuji, the hostel we're stayn at, is really great. For 3900 yen (the price you get at most Japan Youth Hostels for a bed in a dormitory if you're not affiliated) we got a really huge japanese-style private room with a nice balcony, TV, a table, etc. Also, you actually have a conversation in English with the staff, which is something slightly uncommon here in Japan.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Temple in Kawaguchiko