Day Trip to Kamakura and Hase

Thursday was "field trip" day in our AOB/ICR class. The instructors told us that we were taking the train up to Kamakura and once we arrived we would have the day to ourselves to have lunch, explore the area and see the sights on our own. This was their way of getting us out of our comfort zone, forcing us to get off of the base, learn the train system and eventually find our way back home on our own.

After we arrived by train in Kamakura, Tim and I found the nearest sushi place for a quick lunch and then it was off to Hachimangu shrine which we were told about earlier in the week. The Japanese have two religions in their country, Shinto (known for their shrines) and Buddhism (known for temples). When we arrived to the entrance of Hachimangu we saw our first torii. A torii is a large red arch that marks the entrance of a Shinto shrine. We walked down a long half mile path and passed through three torris to get to the steps of the shrine, where the Japanese believe their Shinto Gods reside.

At the steps to the shrine...

Although it rained all day, we couldn't have picked a better day to visit. There was a Japanese wedding ceremony taking place...what a sight to see!

After visiting Kamakura, we had also read about Hase, a nearby town just a few train stops away. Hase is where we found The Great Buddha, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Japan.

Taking the train back home to Yokosuka!