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Showing posts with the label Kamakura

Travel in the Time of Corona, Week 7

Reading poetry is one of many things I’ve enjoyed during this period of isolation. So on Week 7 of this series, I would like to share with you some poems/excerpts from poems that remind me of the places I’ve visited over the years. Please check the links to find the full verse for some of the poems I’ve included here. Kamakura On Meditation by Milarepa Rest in a natural way like a small child Rest like an ocean without waves Rest within clarity like a candle flame Rest without self concerns like a human corpse Rest unmoving like a mountain. https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2009/07/wooded-hills-of-kamakura.html House of Federico Garcia Lorca in Granada, Spain Sonnet of Sweet Complaint by Federico Garcia Lorca Never let me lose the marvel of your statue-like eyes, or the accent the solitary rose of your breath  places on my breath at night. I am afraid of being on this shore A branchless trunk, and what I most regret Is having no flower, pulp, or clay For the worm of my despair…… https

The Wooded Hills of Kamakura

Daibutsu The Kamakura countryside is within an hour by train from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo but is so far removed from the trappings of the big city. Set amidst a backdrop of wooded hills and sea, it is the ideal place for prayer and meditation. A small train chugs along the Enoden line from Kamakura to Hase where we got off for the short stroll to see the Daibutsu or Great Buddha. Measuring 37 ft. in height and weighing 93 tons, it is the second largest bronze statue of Buddha in Japan. I could see its face through the wooden slats which made up the gate enclosing an area where a temple once sheltered the statue. That temple was washed away by a tsunami in 1495, exposing the Daibutsu to the elements for the last 500 years. But this has proved to be a godsend because visitors can see the Amita Buddha in full view, serene yet majestic against the natural setting. Closer to the train station is Hasedera (Hase Kannon Temple) which is up on a hillside. A typical Japanese garden leads