After walking along Komachi-dori, getting lost and finally finding the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) at Kotoku-in, we ended our time at Kamakura by visiting the Hasedera Temple. This is one of the most popular temples in Kamakura and is known for housing a massive wooden statue of Kannon. Kannon is the Japanese name for Guanyin, a being of enlightenment and commonly known as the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion (like the 18 arm statue we saw at Wat Plai Laem in Koh Samui). There was so much green and so many little things to see everywhere!
^^ ema’s will forever be my favorite thing about temples ^^
^^ I couldn’t believe my eyes when I noticed these were messages written in oyster shells ^^
^^ prayers written on paper, so many fun different emas at this temple! ^^
Hasedera also houses this amazing wooden prayer wheel, which holds thousands of handwritten prayer slips. According to the sign outside the building, only on the 18th of every month can people turn the big wooden wheel and it was a super coincidence that we went on the 18th of August!! On any other day people can only turn the metal prayer wheels on the walls. This was my first time seeing prayer wheels in Japan!
Here’s a map of the places we visited in Kamakura: