While we were at the GaJoEn the hotel offered free bus tours to sites around Tokyo. One of the tours was to Kamakura which was the ancient capitol of Japan. Being we were without funds this fit in well with our plans. The bus took us southwest along the coast through Yokohama. It was an all day tour with a lunch. I think the bus stayed at Kamakura for about three hours so we had time to see most of the sights. The most impressive sight was the Great Buddaha.
The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a bronze statue that is located on the grounds of the Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 43.8 feet, it is the second largest Buddha statue in Japan (the largest is located in the Todaiji Temple in Nara).
The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were washed away by a tsunami tidal wave in the end of the 15th century, and since then the Buddha stands in the open air.
The back of the statue was open and I could walk inside. The day was dark and raining so my photos were not too good. The shot of the inside didn't turn out.
Additional History of the Statue
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