By: Michael Tasseron

Made from 121 tons of bronze, 13 meters tall, and built in 1252, this bronze survivor shaded in green looks over the town of KamakuraAncient capital of Japan during the Kamakura shogunate, from 1185 to 1333. One hour from Tokyo. Very cultural city where best of traditional Japan is still alive..

A tidal wave destroyed the temple in which it was housed and since then it has been here exposed to sun, rain, snow and earthquakes; its stoicism a reminder of what epitomizes Buddhism, patience and resilience.

Countless visitors come to Kamakura every year to see the Buddha and the temples dotted around the town; and rightly so, the town is a charming stop out of the rush of Tokyo. Apart from the densely wooded hills so rare in Japan, the town has a casual feel to it. Even alongside the masses congregating around the sights at weekends you don’t sense the rush and stress so pervasive in Tokyo less than an hour away. In fact Kamakura feels far away from anything closely resembling the urgency of life in the teeming urban sprawl in this country.

The Great Buddha is set in a wooded courtyard; tranquility being the emphasis. Several small shrines surround the Buddha and the scent of incense permeates the air. The site is meticulous and attention is paid to the finest details, from a small red robed Buddha tucked away in a thicket to a prayer for peace inscribed on a wooden post.

A few minutes walk away down souvenir shop lined avenues is the Kamakura Hasedera – otherwise known as the Hase Kannnon Temple. If you make the trip to Kamakura don’t leave this one out as it’s equally as mesmerizing as the Great Buddha. A complex of several temples built on a hill overlooking the town, the Hase Kannon was built in approximately 721 AD. According to legend the Priest Tokudo Shonin made two statues of camphor wood, depicting the eleven headed Goddess Kannnon. The statue made from the lower part of the tree trunk was placed in the temple, the other statue was thrown into the sea, taking with it a prayer that it would return and save the people living in the area. Sixteen years later the statue reappeared, radiating light as it drifted to the shores of Miura in Sagami province. The statue was then taken to Kamakura and placed in the Hadera temple. Several golden Buddhas are enshrined the temple complex. The biggest, the 9 meter high Kanzeon Bosatsu, in the Kannon dou hall is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful Buddhas in Japan. The Hase Kannnon has been a focal point of worship for the faithful for hundreds of years and continues to this day, as visitors with their heads bowed hands clasped in prayer stand silently in front of the many Buddhas. The gardens surrounding the temple are beautifully styled to magnify the solace and beauty of the setting.

Kamakura beach is a short walk from the temples and perhaps the only place in Kamakura along with the train station where you are aware of the crowds. While by no means spectacular, walking on a beach and taking in Japan at play is a welcome sight. When one the ubiquitous SUVs, roars past the wide array of American styled beach cafes you can be forgiven for thinking you’re not in Japan.

Such is the nature of Kamakura, which for several hundred years has drawn travelers, pilgrims and more recently tourists both local and foreign. The town has seen a myriad of faces and accommodates them all. A Buddhist pilgrim’s song extends the welcome: ‘Come to Hasedera on a pilgrimage, Gazing at the sea, you see White horses on the shore at Yui’

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