Since the tour ended around noontime, my friends and I along with our sensei decided to head over to Yokohama where the Chinatown was located since it was in such close proximity. It was also to be my first visit to Yokohama Port.
I was thrilled at getting the chance to visit Chinatown in Japan. It is one of the top tourist attractions in Japan. I was also excited to get a chance to eat Chinese food as well. A good friend of mine who lives in the same apartment complex as me is originally from China though she studied in Vancouver for about 5 years. She had many Chinese dish suggestions.
When I first entered chinatown I was surprised at how big it was. It was incredibly lively. The streets were lined with vendors selling roasted chestnuts and pastries and beautifully colored laterns. There were many places to eat and shop and I couldn't resist visiting a couple of shops along the way. It was interesting because I couldn't help but compare this Chinatown to Boston's. For one the Chinatown in Tokyo was ten times bigger. It spanned many streets that intersected with the main road. At these intersections there were giant Torri gates similar to the one found at the entrance to the Chinatown in Boston in the direction facing South Station. Many of the shops catered to the tourists and sold Chinese style dresses, tea sets, food, and fans to name a few.
Chinatown is right near Yokohama Port. Yokohama Port is a picturesque scene of ships, shops, the sea and most of all the Ferris Wheel. Japan has got a thing for Ferris wheels or karanshas. I loved Yokohama Port because it reminded me so much of boston. There was a beautiful park where you could view the ships. A 45 minute walk leads to a board walk that led to the large outlet mall and the amusement park that was placed right on the water. The ferris wheel had a large clock that could be seen even from as far away as the park. I made a promise that I would definitely ride the ferris wheel. Landmark Tower which was one of the highest buildings in Japan also towered along the harbor line. The whole view was gorgeous. At the end of the boardwalk was a large ship that was in permanently anchored in port. At first it looked like it was placed within a mound of grass because there was a grassy field that led up to the ship. After I got a closer look at the ship I realized that the ship was definitely in the water just on the other side of the grassy mound. By the time we reached the ship the sun was setting fast and we decided to head back.
On Sunday, I decided to head out early with a couple of friends to Kita-Kamakura. Kamakura is known for its many shrines and the great buddha or Daibutsu. The train was packed by the time we reached Kita-Kamakura. Apparently, Sundays were a very big tourist days for Kamakura. Our first stop was Eniji Shrine one of the major shrines in Kamakura. All the shrines there save for a few required an entry fee. But it was well worth it. Eniji Shrine itself took us about an hour to fully explore. There were many little temples within the shrine and we were able to take some really great pictures.
While we were in Kamakura we decided to eat a soba shop. The wait nearly killed me about 90 minutes but the soba was delicious and it was definitely worth the wait.
After the soba shop, we decided to visit the Great Buddha in Hase or the Daibutsu. In order to get to Hase, you have to take the Enoshima Line three stops out. What I didn't know about the Enoshima line until I got there was that it was an electric train and there were only about 4 or 5 cars compared to a normal subway which has about 10-13 cars. Because the Daibutsu is a huge tourist attraction, we had to wait with a huge group of people in order to line up for the electric train. The electric train could not hold many passengers so were were forced to wait for two trains until we got a chance to hop on. Once we got to Hase it was already very dark. I began to notice that it got dark very quickly in Japan. On our way up to the great buddha we stopped for some purple yam ice cream at the recommendation of a friend. It was one of the highlights of the kamakura visit. By the time we reached the park that held the great buddha it was five minutes to closing time so we quickly paid our entrance fee and ran inside. Even in the dark the great buddha was still breath taking. Two spotlights were aimed at the Daibutsu so you could see very detail of its enormity. The great buddha is called the great buddha because it is huge. There are even times when you can tour the inside of the great buddha's belly.
Hase and Kamakura were two of the most memorable places that I've visited so far. Unfortunately, because of the time I was not able to get out to the little island of Enoshima. I was told that sunsets at Enoshima were gorgeous. I know I won't have a chance to visit Kamakura again during my stay here in Japan because of time, but if I got a chance to go again i definitely would. One day is not nearly enough time to visit all that there is to see in Hase, Kamakura, and Enoshima.
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