Quick Trip to Kamakura

This morning Jerry was bouncing off the walls. I'm not going to lie, it was driving me crazy. To make matters worse, the weather wasn't cooperating. It was pretty blustery and outside so our usual strategy of going to the park to look at the ships didn't work out well.

As a substitute we decided to head up to Kamakura. It's only a few stops away and there's lots to do within a very short walking distance. Also, the train station on our end is about 100 yards from our hotel. Minimal outside time, and a train ride to (hopefully) get some wiggles out. Jerry had to hold the straps just like the grown-ups. He's ready to start commuting.

As we left the train station in Kamakura the first thing we saw was some little snow flurries. We thought our outing might be even shorter than we thought, but we kept on going anyway. A little ways down the road, I noticed this hawk perched on a building. I didn't expect to see a hawk in an urban area.

This is the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. It's a beautiful place. This is a Shinto shrine and was originally built in 1063. Japanese history is divided up into many periods, one of which is called the Kamakura Period which was 1185-1333. During this period the first Shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo, established the government of Japan here. It's neat to have so much history so close by.

Nearby, there was this little shrine. Or it could have been a tomb, I'm not sure. I didn't feel like I could accurately identify it on the map. The woodwork was also very cool. You can't see it in this picture, but I took a detail shot (below) to highlight the eaves.

We passed a daycare and I couldn't resist snapping a pic of these cool bikes. Battery assist, seating for three, and a sweet paint job. All it needs is some tunes.