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.
Kamakura
After I went inside, I went to explore a bit more. There was a beautiful garden with a pond that I discovered. That's when it really hit me that I was in Japan. The beauty and the serenity I felt at the Temple was something I had never felt in the US. It's just one of those historical places you HAVE TO visit. It has a beautiful ocean, mountains, and great temples... Just be prepared to walk for hours on end hahaha.
Kyoto
I went to Kyoto a few months later, but I feel that I couldn’t enjoy it as much. It was the smack dab middle of summer. My first summer in Japan. There aren’t as many trains in Kyoto as there are in Kanto. So there was MORE walking there! I did go to sooo many temples and shrines though. But to be honest, the walking, and sweating had me dead. I know that Kyoto is a more historical place. I think that’s another reason that I didn’t enjoy as much. I looove the bright lights, and big city that is Tokyo. For me it was great to visit at least once though. And that’s where I fell in love with the matcha, mochi, anko, and ice cream desert! I also bought some traditional Kyoto deserts, that I fell in love with! It was when I started to embrace my surroundings a bit more and got to see Japanese people outside of Kanto. Just beware that in the summer, there are a TON of tourists from all over. It was extremely crowded and hot, but I wouldn’t trade my visit for the world.
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