Budda, Beach and Noodles for All

This trip we are going to visit the second largest Budda in Japan. One of the most famous Budda statues is in a beach town 24 miles from our home. It is only 24 miles, but it takes over 2 hours to get there. Enter my blah face here!

His name here is "Kamakura Daibutsu" ("Comma-cur-a  Day-ebb-ut-sue"). We just call him "Big Budda". I hope that doesn't offend anyone.

The bronze statue of Budda stands about 44 feet tall. He was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, over time multiple typhoons and a tidal wave destroyed the temple. Since 1495, the Budda has been standing in open air for all to enjoy.


The red square on the map is where Budda is located. Can you tell how close the Pacific is?

Since I am not Buddhist or Shinto, shrines are more like a visiting a monument to me. It is not a holy place to me, but it is to the Japanese. We have taught the kids to be respectful and as quiet as possible. This is the first sign I have seen while touring that says to 'respect' the site.

The admission was pretty cheap. It is hugely popular, so maybe the volume is so high that they can charge less per person? Not sure.




There is a spot where offerings are left for Budda. The day we were there a watermelon and flowers had been left. I am not sure why, or if they meant something special.

Like all shrines in Japan, you must 'wash' before you go inside. We are used to this one by now.

It is possible to walk inside the Budda. It costs $0.20. I now it is weird, but it's the cheapest thing thus far in Japan, in we go.

According to the brochure there are a few dozen pieces of bronze sauntered together. It is believed it was done that way for two reasons: 1. The pieces weighed so much that it was difficult to move all together, so it was done in pieces or 2. The pieces were sauntered together to strengthen Budda after numerous natural disasters.

There are some 'air vents' on the back of Budda. We tried to understand why, but never got a good answer. It was incredibly hot inside, so maybe the vents are for to allow for airflow.

Around the edges of Budda are a few little tidbits about Budda. Pictured here, are sandals that would fit Budda just in case he ever walked. The woman below gives you a little perspective on how large the sandals are.


All around Japan we have noticed the same strange phenomonon. Every time we see someone having their picture made they put up the 'peace' sign. We have no idea WHY, but it happens everywhere! It has gotten to be such a joke that now our kids are doing it! Ugh, time to retrain those little ones! While we were at Kamakura, we saw a group of young school kids touring the site. When someone asked them to pose for a picture, guess what they did?

Then, we walked to the front where there are two statues of some crazy half men/ half genie things. There was a couple in traditional clothing. Guess what they were going? Well, there you go. Now, YOU are in the know!

We took a picture there as well. We left our 'peace' signs down though. Can you see the man / genies?

We left Kamakura and had to find a place to feed this crew. We drove around and looked for a place that was crowded with locals. We knew that was the place we wanted to try.

This was the place. I would love to tell you the name of it, but I have no idea. No one inside spoke a word of English.

The tables were traditional Japanese, which means sitting cross legged on mats, shoes off and table about ten inches off of the floor.

The kids were cool with the tables. It was our first time actually sitting this way. Most places have the choice, and those tables have been full every time we have wanted to try.

I can tell you that when the table is only a few inches off the floor it feels like I am WAY taller than six feet! I can say, without hesitation if I had to do this my whole life I would eat a lot less and be a lot more flexible!

The menu did not have too much variety. It was pretty basic, but we are not too picky at this point. We ordered a few different things and decided we could share if we needed.

 There were 'hot dogs' with fries for the kids that came with noodles. The adults each got a version of noodles with different meat. There was also a great fried egg with ride side dish. It had a tad bit of scallions and shredded pork on top. It was yummy! (The pork was cold though, that was interesting. We have noticed food temperatures are often not what we think they are going to be.)

Our visitors loved the 'hot button' at that table that brings the waitress to the table.

 The kids weren't too thrilled with their noodles. but they loved the hot dog and fries. Since they tried their noodles, they got to get a dessert after dinner. Yes, their Momma is a pushover.

Little Miss A  was thrilled that the Japanese think it is a compliment to 'slurp' the noodles. She was pretty good at the slurping part ;)

Since we were so close to the Pacific, we decided to let the kids put their feet in. It's not very often that they will get to be in the Pacific Ocean, so we found our way to the shore.


(We did take a bit of a frustrating detour on a oneway, very tight alleyway. Short story: never try to find the ocean without looking at a map.)

This was our first glimpse of the ocean! There was a typhoon coming in around Okinawa. We are quite far away though, so we just got the waves.

On the way, we caught a glimpse of a bride and groom on the beach. It was cool!

We found the beach. We were a little off put by the beauty.
It was amazing.

We let the kids take off their shoes while we watched the locals enjoying the sand. They looked like our kiddos at the beach don't they? Well, maybe not the mom with the towel over her head.

We all walked into the water and were enjoying the cool water. A lifeguard came over and tried to tell us something. We were clueless to what she was saying, but when she motioned us to scoot up we followed her directions. A few minutes later we were taking pictures of our visitors when waves just swept right in. The waves took E right off his feet. He didn't seem to mind. Then again, neither did Miss A. Look at that huge smile!


It was hilarious! Our kids played around in the waves and enjoyed themselves as well. We all got socking wet! In the end we were glad we decided to stop by that little ol' ocean. It is a memory that will always bring a giggle to our faces.

We changed, hopped in the car and headed home. The kids were exhausted by the time we got home. We all slept very well that night!

Spread Joy & Leave Smiles,

~Aggie Amy