A Day in Kamakura with Fireworks

Visiting Hachimangu Shrine, Great Buddha and Enoshima

George Popescu Aug 01, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>I suppose this bridge near Hachimangu Shrine is famous for being one of the oldest bridges in Japan and for being used in photos of newlyweds. </p>

<p>Some people decided to dress traditionally to visit the shrine, with sunglasses on top though. </p>

<p>They had some type of ceremony at the shrine that day and this monk was walking around all the time. I got lucky to catch him as he was going up the steps into the dark house. </p>

<p>This is a very wide view of Hachimangu Shrine and the people visiting. </p>

<p>This is what you'd see from being at the top of the shrine and looking down at the horizon. </p>

<p>There is a fairly large lake nearby with many plants, flowers and leaves. I also caught a glimpse of a large turtle in the water but not in time to take its photo. </p>

<p>Around the lake there's lots of pigeons including the very rarely seen white pigeon. </p>

<p>The area has many train lines and the trains look a bit old or outdated. They are smaller than the trains in Tokyo but having a lot of charm. </p>

<p>Beautiful traditional street in Kamakura. </p>

<p>Lots of people have some very wonderful and traditional looking houses complete with gardens and gates. </p>

<p>This is the front of the Buddha statue which is made of bronze so it gets very hot in the summer time. </p>

<p>This is the back of the great Buddha statue. There's air holes since you can go inside the statue; it is still very hot though.</p>

<p>This is a view of Enoshima Island as seen from the bridge leading up to it. I didn't have much time to visit around since I had to return and get ready for the fireworks. </p>

<p>The beach in Kamakura was full of people waiting to see the fireworks, and they didn't disappoint. They went on for over an hour with a couple of minutes in between each burst. </p>

<p>At the end they had different types of fireworks popping continuously for about 5 minutes, and bursting into different colours. </p>

In the summer there's many fireworks events in Japan and one of the most famous ones is in Kamakura, about one hour south of Tokyo by train. I enjoyed walking around for the whole day and visiting Hachimangu Shrine as well as the Great Buddha statue and a quick look at Enoshima Island. I set up my blue tarp on the beach early to make sure I have a space to watch the fireworks in the evening, as the beach will be full of people well before the 7 p.m. starting time of the fireworks.

George Popescu @george.popescu

I was born in Bucharest, Romania and after a brief stay in London, England I settled and lived in Toronto, Canada for 20 years. I moved to Tokyo in late 2013 and have lived here ever since. I enjoy exploring the city with my camera as well as going to many special events that Tokyo has to offer e...