From the Enoden, we got off at Hase. A sweet from a shop on the way first, because it was hot and we deserved it.
The Great Buddha
The Great Buddha at Kotoku-in is 13 metres of bronze, cast in the 1250s. It used to sit inside a big hall, but the hall was washed away by storms and a tsunami in the 1400s, and the Buddha has been sitting outside ever since. Pictures don’t do the size justice.
Hasedera
A few minutes’ walk away is Hasedera. The entrance gate has a pine tree growing over it and a big red lantern hanging under it.
Up the steps, there are hundreds of small Jizo statues lined up on the slope. People leave them for children who have died, so it’s a sad place, though a peaceful one.
At the top, there’s the main hall and a terrace looking over the rooftops to Yuigahama beach and the sea.
Lunch in Hase
Lunch was a set at a place down the road: a seafood bowl, tempura and cold soba. Exactly what you want on a hot day.
Then back on the Enoden to Kamakura Station, for the cutest stop of the trip: the micro pig café.
Information About Hase
Hase Station on the Enoden is 10 minutes' walk from both the Great Buddha (Kotoku-in) and Hasedera. Do both in one morning.