Kamakura

Well my rough and crazy night was followed by a full day of adventure with Taiju! Taiju is a friend of Momoko (who works at the cafe). Taiju is currently learning English and wanted to practice with me, which basically meant for me another day of awesome things to do. I met Taiju at the cafe and we rode the train to city of Kamakura, about an hour outside of Tokyo. Kamakura is known for its many shrines/temples and it has the second largest statue in all of Japan, the Giant Buddha. Also known in Kamakura is a well-known surfbreak...this was the first time I'd seen the ocean since I was back home. It feels strange seeing this side of the Pacific. Here we took a step in another shrine, my 5th one this week and I am in no way getting sick of them! The Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu, the most important Shinto Shrine in Kamakura and definitely my favorite one so far. The city of Kamakura has been built up around this gorgeous shrine. The stair case that leads up to it is the best! Walking around the small city, we thought it might be a nice idea to learn a little bit more about the history of the town so we took a ride on the Jinriksha, a human-powered vehicle. Definitely one of my favorites! Oh yes and for dinner, Japanese style tacos and pepperoni pizza.

Taiju

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