June 30 Last day trip to Kamakura

On our last day in Japan, we were given a free day to go where we chose.  Some took long treks to Kyoto, others went up around Mt. Fuji, some stayed around Tokyo to shop and explore. I joined a group heading out for Kamakura, about 1.5 hours by train from Tokyo.  Kamakura is a really laid back coastal town, think Santa Cruz or San Diego but in kanji.  Three of us rented bikes so we could cover more territory, and went to see the sites.  Kamakura is an old capitol during the Shogunate period, and there are many temples to visit.  Plus, it is right on the beach and we took a swim on this side of the pacific (nice warm water).  One of the top sites is a giant bronze cast Buddha (Kamakura Diabutsu) dating back to the 11th century.  We were also hoping to get up to a giant bamboo forest, but ran out of time and had to get the bikes back to the rental shop (got a little lost trying to find it).

It was a really great last day, very relaxing after all the hustle-and-bustle of Tokyo.  Tomorrow the long flight back to Seattle, ready to get home and see family.

Signing off this blog!  Thanks for following along!