Kamakura: my first tourist trap

So I went and visited Madoka's family in Yokohama, and they took us to Kamakura. Kamakura is a famous destination for tourists. It was the capital city for the first Shogun of Japan. Located here is Kenchoji Temple. The temple was built by a Chinese monk in 1253 and is still completely intact (and in absolutely perfect repair). Most of the pictures taken are of Madoka's family, but you can see some nice pictures of it here or just google for it (which is what I did *blush*).
The tree you see here existed when the temple was built. It is over seven hundred years old. It was quite impressive standing next to something that lived through the Middle Ages. The Shintoists say the tree is the god of the place. I think it's nice having gods you can actually meet.


Next up was the Kamakura shopping district. I saw more gaijin there in one day than I've seen since leaving the airport a week ago. It was nice to hear strangers speaking English again. There are all kinds of shops there selling clothes, snacks, shoes whose soles are made of tatami, baubles and knick knacks. The little guy in the photo here is Baiki Man (which means Cootie Man). He's a character from a popular classic animation call Ampan Man. He was outside a comic store if memory serves. You can see one of the Kamakura signs which littered the place behind him.

To finish off here's a photo from the lotus garden at Kenjoji Temple. I think it captures the spirit of the place quite nicely.