During my travels and excursions here in the Land of the Rising Sun, I have already passed by quite a few places and many of them fascinated me so much that I wanted to visit them again. A few times I have succeeded and in the course of time I have found some favorites. The main reason is often the easy accessibility, which makes it more convenient to return to certain places, but there are many areas in Japan that I had only been to once before. And of course, there are still a lot of white spots on my map of Japan, with areas I haven't even made it to yet. I would love to erase these white spots, but time and money play a big role for me as well and are a factor I unfortunately can't ignore.
But I am all the more grateful for all the opportunities I have had so far to explore and get to know the Land of the Rising Sun. Up to now I have seen quite a lot of this wonderful country and I am still curious and full of interest to learn what else might be hidden behind the next corner.
But sometimes I take the time to return to places where I had lost myself before and which since then have a very special attraction for me. When the opportunity comes up to visit these places again, I gladly accept it and embark on a nostalgic journey full of anticipation, which at the same time awakens my thirst for adventure. Most of the time I don't want to go home anymore, I want to go on and on, to see what else there is to discover. But even if I end up back in my everyday life, I bring back a lot of pictures, impressions and experiences from these trips, which I will continue to reflect on for a long time.
This also happened not too long ago in spring, when during a stay in Tokyo we took the opportunity to make a small side trip to Kamakura. About 800 years ago, this city in Kanagawa Prefecture was once the center of the Japanese empire, when the military leaders of the Kamakura Shogunate established their capital here.
The Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, a shrine whose origins date back nearly 1,000 years, also dates from this time. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, is said to have moved the shrine to its current location in 1191, which initially served primarily to protect the rulers of Kamakura. Although in the end this rule did not last forever, the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū is still one of the most famous sights of Kamakura and belongs to the list of important cultural properties of Japan.
For me it was the third visit to Kamakura and the second visit to the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, which we now take a closer look at together.
The entrance area to the shrine is marked by a large red torii, which stands directly on a busy road. The path there led us directly under a long alley of blossoming cherry trees, which helped to ensure that we were already in the best of moods and looking forward all the more to all the things that were lying ahead of us now.
Just behind the red torii is a small old arched bridge that is now closed to the public. In earlier times, processions moved over here towards the shrine, but today all visitors are led to the left and right past this bridge.
Just behind it you can already see some of the many visitors who came here with us on this beautiful day. And in the very background, on a small hill, you can also spot the main building of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, where we are going now.
If this bridge could talk, it would probably have quite a story to tell. Throughout the various eras of Japanese history, it has probably seen quite a few people pass by here, and experienced quite a few changes.
I couldn't ignore this conifer-like tree, it elegantly embraces the bridge and makes for a really wonderful picture, which I had to take immediately. Exactly such sights are what always make me stop and take a closer look.
To the side there was a small side shrine, which we of course also went in to explore. Since we are already here, there was no reason not to accept such invitations.
And it looked inviting here in any case, as there were also some blooming cherry trees which, together with the blue of the sky, the fresh green of the bushes and the red of the small torii, created a very special atmosphere that quickly grabbed me and didn't let go.
The main building is located on a hill, in front of which there are a few gates and outbuildings, where there are some stores where you can buy various talismans and lucky charms. Here you can equip yourself for a better future.
The shrine was well visited that day, as many visitors from home and abroad had had the same idea as we had. But who can blame them, on such a beautiful day you just have to get out of the house and Kamakura is a perfect choice for a day trip, and then of course you need to stop by here at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū as well.
Here's another photo taken from the entrance area to the main building, where it was unfortunately not possible to take pictures inside. We then took a short tour of the premises and also had a look at a few outbuildings and the shrine garden. Even though there were quite a few visitors at the shrine that day, we still found places where we could stop and relax for a short while. I find it so important to not hurry back the way we came, but to take some time to explore the shrine a bit more.
From up here we had a nice view back towards the city and the cherry tree avenue we came from. The many blossoming cherry trees can be made out well even in the distance, as they glow until here in their white and pink beauty. And that is exactly where we will walk along on our way back and I was already looking forward to another round under the canopy of blossoms.
But we were not in a hurry yet. First we wanted to enjoy and absorb a little more of that special atmosphere here in the shrine, which as usual had managed to relax and stimulate me at the same time. Hopefully, one day in the future I will be granted another visit to Kamakura and also another stop at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū.
But Japan has a lot more to offer and I still have so many places on my list that I still want to visit. I am quite curious where I will feel amazed the next time. And if you want to see more impressions and pictures of the land of the rising sun, please check back here soon...
[//]:# (!pinmapple 35.32755 lat 139.53619 long Exploring Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū 👹🍣🎎 Wonderful Japan d3scr)