The big side trips in our short holiday in Japan was to head to the ancient capital of Kamakura as well as head to the hot spring resort area of Hakone, if only to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji.
A bit of an early morning, as we promised to meet our friends in Fujisawa at 10:30am. We had to be out the door of the hotel by 9am, in order to grab a train to be there in time. Well, the fact that I had no idea what train I was getting on, we went ahead and left about 15 minutes early.
My guidebook told me that to get to Kamakura, you had to take the Yakosone train and get off at the Kamakura station. I tried to find a map, but couldn't, as I needed to figure out where the Fujisawa stop was. So, I bought a ticket and we headed to the platform. Once on there I spotted a map on the wall...no Fujisawa stop. Holy crap.
Back up...quickly...to check with the ticket booth. 'Tokkaido Line, platform 2,' is what he said. Again, no map to confirm this, but we headed up anyway. We jumped on the train and hoped it would stop where we wanted it to and it did; 15 minutes before we needed to be there. So, you could say I was either smart or stupid to leave a little early.
Once we met with our friends, she guided us to the Enoshima Dentetsu Railway for a fantastic ride through the city of Fujisawa and along the coastline through various villages until you reach Kamakura. The train is so close to the houses in some parts, you could literally reach out the train and touch the buildings. As our guide told us, 'I wanted you to see what the real Japan looks like.'
After we departed the train, we strolled a few blocks from the station to the Hasedera temple and shrine. We paid a nominal fee and walked through the gardens and buildings of this shrine, the centerpiece is a 10 meter tall standing Buddha with 11 faces; Jiuchimen Kannon. You'll have to imagine it, as I was honoring the 'no photo's' signs that were visible inside all of the temples in Kamakura. 
The other highlight for me was and area with hundreds of stone statues, lined up in a row. They had the
same expressions and face...but they are all different sizes. Some about 6 inches high and others about 18 inches high. There was an eerie sort of feeling with these little guys staring back at you with their happy faces. Eerie...but calming with the immaculate gardens and ponds surrounding the area.
Once finished here, we walked around the corner and up to one of the largest bronze sitting Buddhas in the world; Kotokuin Temple At one time, this guy sat inside a temple 
complex covered in gold foil, but a couple hundred years ago, a tsunami wiped out the temple, but he remained.
After a fantastic soba lunch, we headed to yet another shrine; Tsurugaoka Shrine. To our surprise, in the center shrine, there was a traditional Japanese wedding taking place. The bride and groom had just stepped up to the platform before we arrived and were performing a small tea ceremony as well as their vows. Dressed in traditional robes, it was attracting quite a crowd.
We carried on further into the temple complex and then began making our way back after a long day. The
bride and groom were heading out of the complex as well, but were stopped by a traveling singing group who performed a couple of wedding songs (were were guessing they were German) for the couple. It was pretty cool to see...because knowing that Tai-Tai's father belongs to a similar type of singing group, they would have done the same thing...because they just love to sing! The bride was visibly moved by the surprise song and was a bit teary eyed. Nobody could communicate with each other...but her tears and the constant bowing and smiling from the family said it all.
After all of that...we headed back to the train and then caught a baseball game that night!
Our last full day was a trip to (hopefully) see Mt. Fuji. We held out according to the weather forecast, which told us it would be clear on this day. While the weather was nice, it wasn't clear. We didn't see Mt. Fuji, but we did have a great, relaxing trip up and back to the Hakone region.
This was where I fulfilled my desire to ride the bullet train. The regular express train leaves Tokyo station and travels to Odawara in 1 hr 20 minutes. The Shinkansen does it in 37 minutes. Fast, smooth and quiet...that's all I can say about it. The video is pretty cool, though.
We also took the slow and meandering Hakone Railway up to Gora, where we transferred to a tram...and then a cableway car to the sulpher vents and volcanic area. The trip was long...only to
arrive at the final destination we planned for at approx 1:30pm...and overrun with tourists. It was nice enough and the vents were definitely stinky...but it just seemed too much like too many national parks in the USA with restaurants, gift shops and tour buses everywhere. It was slightly disappointing, but, the view was magnificant up there...and would have been breathtaking if the mountain was visible.
We ventured back down to Gora and popped into a noodle house for some lunch...a late lunch. Once again, the food was fantastic. A bit pricey for a small town place, but it is also a tourist spot, so I understand. The service was friendly and the food was hot and fast.
It was finally time to head back and start thinking about preparing to go back home the next day. But after a week of Japanese food, the Tai-Tai was hankering for some western food. I must say it was a bit difficult to find western food on the streets where we were staying. There was, however, a TGIF on the map nearby the hotel. So, we set out to find it. The signs are all there...but the restaurant was gone. Back to a familiar Japanese place for our final meal of snacks and beers.
As both of us were watching the 'points' as to what we ate during this trip...we ate a lot. However, the amount of walking we did was astounding. Our feet and legs were pounding after the first day...but got stronger and stronger as the week went along.
Overall...a great, great trip. We definitely want to go back. Tai-Tai would like to spend more time in Kamakura to see all the temples and sights. I would like to spend more time in the city, exploring the latest shopping trends and people watching.
Photo Albums: Kamakura and Hakone
