Kamakura Shrines Part 2: Great Buddha and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

After Odaiba, driving down to Kamakura and seeing the Houkokuji shrine, we then went over to the Great Buddha, which we'd visited before, but wanted to show Andrew.  Even though it's only a couple of miles from Houkokuji, the traffic was absolutely horrendous and since we were literally stopped on the road just under a mile away, Andrew and I finally decided to just jump out and run the rest of the way to see it while Peter and the kids slowly made their way over in the car to pick us up afterwards.

Unlike the last time we went, this time the place was packed!  There were tons of people, so it was impossible to get a clear shot, but regardless, seeing it up close is amazing and its size and construction are just so impressive.  

After walking around the grounds for a few minutes and checking out a souvenir shop, we ran back down to meet Peter and the kids and we drove back over to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a huge shrine in the heart of Kamakura.  The grounds were huge, there was tons of variety in the landscaping and buildings; we really had a fun time walking around and exploring it all.

Thailand and Singapore Trip: Chalong Temple, Big Buddha, and Phuket Weekend Market

On Saturday, our first full day in Thailand, after swimming and playing at the beach in the morning, we went out and explored a few cultural spots in Phuket.  First up, the Chalong Temple.  I honestly don't know much about the history of the Chalong Temple, but the buildings were beautiful and it was fascinating to see all of the ornate architecture and gold statues of Buddha.

There were vendors lining the streets along the temple, selling everything from toys to food, and some of that food being roasted bugs!  Peter was lucky enough to try some silkworm!  GROSS.

After we visited the Chalong Temple grounds, we drove up to the Big Buddha.  And, let me tell you, that thing deserves its name!  It was HUGE!  Their goal is to make it the biggest Buddha in Thailand and they seem to me to be well on their way.  It was incredible, and the whole time we were there, there were monks inside of it chanting their prayers.  It was a really cool experience to see such a magnificent structure, hear the melodic chanting, and see the view of Phuket and the ocean below.  

Last on our list for the day was to visit the Phuket Town Weekend Market.  This was actually one of the top 5 things I wanted to do while we were in Thailand!  I'd heard that the markets were awesome, with food and clothing and souvenirs for super cheap.  And, we were not disappointed!  The weekend market was bigger than I had expected and had more than I could have imagined!  I wish we had taken more pictures of everything, but honestly, I think we were too focused on not losing each other and our kids in the madhouse to stop and take photos!  Peter grabbed a couple of pictures of some of the quail eggs and street meat that was being sold, but they had booths and booths filled with every other type of Thai food you can imagine!  And probably some that you can't imagine as well :)

In addition to food, you could really find just about anything your heart desired.  There were stores and stores of clothes--Clara and I each got a pair of Thai harem pants for about $3 each, and Will got a Japan National Team soccer uniform for $15!  (Although I wouldn't put money on its authenticity . . . )  Will and Clara also got a couple little knock-off Big Hero 6 toys and we picked up a cool, wooden carving of an elephant to hang on our wall at home.  

The market was insane--crowded, loud, and huge--with winding aisles, making it almost impossible to not get lost or find the exit, but it was a blast!  With Peter's and my love of shopping and of unique trinkets, had we not had 3 tired kids with us (it had been a long day--they were troopers!), I think we could have spent all evening there and done quite a bit of damage!  But, we're happy with our purchases and it's probably better that we saved some of our money for the rest of our trip!

Kamakura Great Buddha, Fujisawa Beach, and Enoshima

Yesterday, we drove down to the coastal areas of Kamakura, Fujisawa, and Enoshima.  I've been wanting to see the Great Buddha, or Daibutsu, in Kamakura since we arrived in Japan, and so yesterday we made it happen!  It was so cool.  And huge!  

We walked the grounds, took lots of selfies, and then the kids ate their bentos on benches near the Buddha.  It was freezing though, so we hurried them along :)

After hanging out with the big buddha for a while, we made our way down to check out the shore.  Fujisawa doesn't have the prettiest beaches I've ever seen, but on a clear day, Mt. Fuji can be seen straight across the bay, which makes up for EVERYTHING else.  Sadly, it was quite overcast yesterday, so Fujisan was hidden by clouds, but we'll back to enjoy the views again!  

Even though it was so, so cold, there were tons of surfers and stand up paddle boarders out in the water.  It made Peter and me excited to try and surf sometime this summer or next.  And, despite the fact that their fingers were freezing, the kids had tons of fun searching for shells on the beach.  Will said it was his favorite part of the day :)

Also, right at the top of the stairs from the underground parking lot, and across the street from the beach was a cute little playground.  We let the kids run around for a minute before heading off to the next spot.  It's little things like shell collecting and playgrounds that make sight-seeing with kids possible!

After checking out the beach and scoping out places to take my parents and brother when they come, we drove out to the little island just off the shore, Enoshima.  Enoshima is a little touristy spot built on the island, which is kind of like a giant rock.  It's full of vendors selling seafood (lots of mollusks and octopus!) and souvenir shops.  After walking through to the top of the little village is the entrance to several shrines, an observation tower, caves, a garden, and more.

The views from the top were incredible!

Driving down was pretty easy!  It's only an hour and a half away, although we got stuck in traffic coming home, which made the trip quite a bit longer.  Otherwise, it was great.  And there are plenty of parking lots (not cheap though . . . ) around all of these sites.

GPS Coordinates for the Great Buddha: 35. 317085, 139.535757

The beach we went to was literally straight down the road from the Buddha.  Once you hit the T in the road, turn left and it will lead you right onto the 134 coastal highway.  And, then Enoshima is just about 15 minutes west on that same highway.