Kamakura's Kencho-ji Temple

Entering after hours from the backend

Steve Morton Jul 01, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>Green and gold; an interesting contrast!</p>

<p>When approaching Kencho-ji from the rear you will pass through an isolated area containing several smaller temples and shrines</p>

<p>It is possible to see Kencho-ji Temple well before actually entering its grounds </p>

<p>One of Kencho-ji's main structures </p>

<p>From right to left; two of these buildings are known as the 'Butusden', and 'Hatto'</p>

<p>When viewed from a different angle</p>

<p>Close to the priests living quarters is this very colorful structure known as a 'Karamon'</p>

<p>An alternate view of this bright and colorful gate</p>

<p>Part of the priests' living quarters</p>

<p>The Butsuden with the 'Bo-sho' (bell tower) in the background</p>

<p>Approaching the 'Butsuden' from the rear</p>

<p>A rear view shot of the 'San-mon' (Grand Gate)</p>

<p>The 'San-mon' (Grand Gate) looks much more impressive when viewed from the front</p>

<p>The outer front gate, otherwise known as the 'So-mon', is where the vast majority of visitors enter this temple. On this occasion however, this is where I ended my visit</p>

Ranked high amongst Kamakura's top tourist attractions is the impressive Kencho-ji Temple which I was fortunate enough to see from its lesser known 'back entrance'.

Forming part of the Tenen Hiking Course, this impressive temple marks the start or finish point of this interesting hike where if you time it right, you may be lucky enough to have this whole temple to yourself.

With virtually no-one else around this was the first (and most probably only time), I was able to enjoy one of Kamakura's top attractions without bumping into an endless sea of people

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Steve Morton @steve.morton138

Yokohama based content creator, editor, and researcher. Steven likes, eating, reading and traveling on a streamlined budget guaranteed to make any self-respecting local gulp. When not too busy with work assignments, Steven attempts to not get lost while following Japanese tourist maps.Follow me o...