In this article, I'll tell you about my first time going to a Temple in Japan.
The Amazing Seaside Town
On my second or third week in Japan, I decided to try to go to a very traditional place. Like I said before, I had NEVER left the United States before. And even within the United States, I had barely traveled. Plus, the United States is such a new country. We have nothing, structural wise, that's as old as things they have in Japan.So, the first place I decided to go was....
KAMAKURA!!! Kamakura is a seaside city in Japan. In medieval times, it severed at the political center. It's close to Tokyo. I was living in Kanagawa then. The trip from my city to Kamakura was absolutely STUNNING. I am from Kansas in the US. If you know anything about Kansas, you know that it's a little boring. In Kansas there are NO mountains, and there's no ocean. I hadn't seen the ocean for the first time until I was about 22 on a trip to California. But on the train ride to Kamakura, you get a BEAUTIFUL view of the ocean.
The City!
I was in awe when I stepped off the train. It was extremely busy!!! It was on a Sunday that I went. Side note: most places in Japan are PACKED on Sunday!! For us Americans, it serves as a day of rest… So, I was completely shocked by the amount of people I saw on Sundays. I don't know why, but it's their family day. Back to the story, everything was so lively. Now that I think about it, it may have been a festival that day also. There were food vendors out. I got something to eat and walked. I walked and I walked, and I walked some more that day. I couldn't also believe how much I had to walk! In Kansas we drive EVERYWHERE, so I had to get my body use to all the walking in Japan.Great Buddha
I remember going to only one Temple, but I honestly could have visited two. I can't remember. But I did see the HUGE Great Buddha!I had never seen anything like it! And I still haven't to this day. I didn't know this type of thing existed to be honest before I went. It was so big! And it's also incredibly old! I had never seen anything as ancient as that. I thought it was so cool!! It was big enough to go inside!!! I was scared to touch it. I thought if I touched it wrong, that it would break LOL.
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