[ Kamakura ]

"Kamakura is a coastal town in Kanagawa prefecture, less than one hour south of Tokyo.

Kamakura became the political center of Japan, when Minamoto Yoritomo chose the city as the seat of his new military government in 1192. The Kamakura government continued to rule Japan for over a century, first under the Minamoto shogun and then under the Hojo regents.

After the decline of the Kamakura government in the 14th century and the establishment of its successor, the Muromachi or Ashikaga government in Kyoto, Kamakura remained the political center of Eastern Japan for some time before losing its position to other cities.

Today, Kamakura is a very popular tourist destination. Sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan, Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines and other historical monuments. In addition, Kamakura's sand beaches attract large crowds during the summer months." (Japan-Guide.com)

Kaoruko escorted some of her Temple University students on a field trip and i tagged along. We realized that the little statues were not that old and that many of them represented aborted or deceased babies from after the war. They are called Jizou. There are many different kinds of Jizou statues that represent god's or spirits or saints. We went to a short tea ceremony overlooking a Japanese garden and visited several temples and shrines*.

[ *link ] Buddhist and Shinto gods