Veteran's Day: An Adventure in Kamakura

Let's just start by saying Josh is the angel of all angels when it comes to putting up with his parents. He's so patient but especially if we make a game of things.

Today was Veteran's Day and coincidentally the only sunny day that we had this holiday weekend so we decided to savor the day and take in the Autumn sites in Kamakura.

The night prior, Mike and I were taunted by a mosquito buzzing in our ears. The end result was me going downstairs and sleeping on the couch and Mike not being able to sleep the rest of the night. We have named the mosquitoes here "Ninja" mosquitoes because every time they are caught buzzing in our ear, we turn on the light only to find absolutely no sign of them. We've tried leaving the light on and a number of other tactics, all of which have proven in vain. The Ninja endures.

Today got off to a fairly late start due to Mike having to try and catch up on some of the sleep he had missed. We ended up getting to Kamakura station at around 1:00PM. I had done some research trying to find restaurants in the area. Not only is the Kamakura area known for it's numerous temples and shrines but also for its plentiful local organic grocers and delicious cuisine. Unfortunately, I have yet to find an English guide leaving us to our own devices.

Our plan was to go to Zuisenji Shrine located a few miles away from Kamakura station. We had never been there and the brief information we found on it was intriguing. It was founded by Zen priest Muso Kokushi, one of Japan's most famous garden designers. The temple is known for its pure Zen rock garden which was designed by Muso himself, but also for the many flowers and blooming trees found in the other parts of the temple grounds.

When we got off at Kamakura station we found a coffee shop called Rondino just outside of the Enoden Line exit. I had read online that there was an English menu and that their coffee was made the "old style" way. After really googling this for a while, it seems as though this is called the Coffee Siphon Brewing method. The taste of coffee brewed in this fashion is in my opinion the absolute best. The bitterness is gone and as one writer put it, 'the purity of flavor stands". My first time tasting coffee brewed in this fashion was at a UCC Cafe in Hiroshima and today I finally found the same taste much closer to home. Each cup is individually brewed, so if you are into drinking A LOT of coffee I recommend ordering your second cup when you receive your first cup. Boy, is it worth the wait. Rondino, in addition to serving several different brews, also serves tea, snacks and meals. There is no English ads on the outside of the shop, so just be brave enough to walk in and have a seat in the small little cafe. Westerners will be offered an English menu. The waiters are courteous and most patrons are extremely considerate. While we were there we were offered to switch with a customer for a bigger spot (to accommodate Josh) and several customers waved and "KAWAII'D" Josh.

After our detour we hiked along to the Shrine only to find no clearly marked signs pointing the way. Armed only with a poorly marked map, we realized only too late that we had made a wrong turn (Thank goodness Mike can reach hiragana!) so we turned around and headed back. Not all was lost though. Along the way we were able to take in the sites and just enjoy the weather and scenery. We hung out at Hachimangu for a while, snacked on a candied grape, took pictures and watched all the very cute boys and girls posing for their Shichi-Go-San holiday pictures. Mike even got some good sneak pics in!

Josh took some pictures of us at the train station and some koi at one of the shrines. You can check out how much better he's been progressing with his pictures under the Josh Pics section. Mike's pictures from the trip are up in the Gallery, too.

To end our day in Kamakura, we had to choose between two restaurants that I had found during my online research. A sushi-go-round and Tipitina's Mexican restaurant. I was really feeling Mexican food but as soon as we walked past the sushi joint, Josh pulled us in. Lucky for us he had. The Mexican place was closed and by the time we would have found it, we would have been completely cranky with hunger pains. This looks like it will definitely be a place to go back to in the future though. The sushi-go-round was a typical experience but because it was on the main strip it had touristy prices. The chef was a little smitten watching Josh slurp down salmon and kept on slipping him more slices on the sly and on our way out, the waitress gave him a lollipop shaped like tomago.

Today was a great Veteran's Day. Laid back and fun. I can very much relate to a comment I had several years ago from one of my posts, "Getting lost in Japan is the fun part". Today that really rung true.