As I was able to explore Kotoku-in and after having this location on my bucket list, it was nice to finally say that I’ve finally visited.
Sometimes certain locations gets pushed away due to time, weather or changes in decisions.
It was great to see the Great Buddha, which has been since the 1200’s, still in great shape and to see the area around the bronze sculpture still there, still maintained and no doubt a great attraction for the Kamakura area.
But I wanted to take one more look around the area and I discovered more things… Also, considering there are stone monuments and monuments with poetic inscriptions throughout the area.
The Warazori (traditional Japanese straw sandals) which were a gift from the Matsuzaka Children’s Club of Hitachi-Ota City (in Ibaraki Prefecture). According to the main website, the warazori were first woven and donated by the children in 1951, a time when Japan was recovering from World War II, with a wish that “The Great Buddha would don them to walk around Japan, bringing happiness to the people”.
The Matsuzaka Children’s Club keeps this tradition alive to this day and since 1956, they have made these giant warazori and presented them to Kotoku-in once every three years.
If you happen to have free time, definitely take the trains from Shinjuku to Kamakura and enjoy Kotoku-in. It’s inexpensive and you may find the location but also the path to the location to be worth your time!
