We have an exciting Breakfast in store!
Breakfast @ Kishin Kamakura
喜心
8am - 3:30pm. Closed on Thu.
https://www.kishin.world Can book online - we booked the 8am-9:20am slot.
¥2500 per person.
Arrived: 8am
My parents were really excited about this restaurant: they serve exquisite breakfast with a personal touch. For our seating, we were all seated at the counter, though I spotted a long dining table behind - perhaps for larger dining groups.
Our breakfast started off with a Kamakura local vegetable dish.
At Kishin, they cook white rice in a large Donabe, an earthenware pot designed to cook rice over an open flame in Japanese cuisine. Watching the steam blast their way through the lid hints that the rice is just about ready. The white rice really shone brightly in our bowl.
Speaking of crockery, we were given the opportunity to pick our own rice bowl and tea cup. So happens that my two pieces were made by the same artist.
Because the new year just passed, our soup of the day was Ozoni お雑煮. Ozoni is a miso-based soup, typically prepared on New Year’s Day. Preparation differs based on region and household. The common theme is a piece of mochi in it. In our Ozoni, the mochi was gooey and delicious. There are two types available that day: Kagoshima-styled which had a deeper and earthy flavour, and Kyoto-styled which is made from white miso, giving it a sweeter and creamier taste. Our fish of the day was grilled in a cedar wood wrap.
This was so good! I would drive back to Kamakura for this.
btw, we parked at a public car park nearby. Believe it or not, our parking fee came up to ¥2000, as much as our breakfast.
Kotokuin Temple
高徳院
Suggested parking locations: Google map link
Tel: 0467-22-0703
(Apr-Sep) 8am-5:30pm
(Oct-Mar) 8am-5pm
Admission for adults: ¥300, child: ¥150.
Additional fee of ¥20 to enter the interior of the Great Buddha Statue
Parking available across the road. Fee applies.
Arrived: 9:45am.
The most visited place in Kamakura, Kotoku-in houses the Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu 鎌倉大仏), a designated National Treasure by the Japanese government. The statue is a huge copper structure, made in the image of Amitabha Buddha (Amida-butsu). Typically, the statues of the Great Buddha are housed in temple halls, so it is unique that Great Buddha of Kamakura sits in the open. It used to sit in one before until the building was eventually destroyed by typhoons.
Hokokuji Temple
報国寺
Tel: 0467-22-0762
9am-4pm.
Admission fee: ¥300 If you would like to have Matcha and sweets during your admission: it would be an additional ¥600.
Parking can be a bit tricky. We got a lot in this small parking lot (Hananohashi Parking Lot): Google map link
Arrived: 11:30am
My parents loved the bamboo forest which we walked through in Kyoto. In Kamakura, Hokokuji Temple has their own beautiful version, which is a smaller but more interactive that that in Kyoto.
Bamboo Forest © Hokokuji
At the corner of the bamboo forest, one can seek a small retreat, with a cup of warm Matcha green tea.
Main temple hall © Hokokuji
Hokokuji has a modest looking frontage, with a long walkway, bolstered with a beautiful garden. Past a small flight of stairs, one would be greeted by the main temple hall. It is to the left of the temple hall where one can gain access to the bamboo forest.
From here, we headed towards Yokohama. We dropped the car off at Yokohama
Nissan Rent-a-car: Kannai Ekimae
We chose to stay at Hotel Wing International Yokohama Kannai because it was right across the road. From here, we went stay in Yokohama for a day, and headed over to Tokyo the day after. Thank you for following me on this short 4D3N road trip. [click on me to return to the beginning of this roadtrip]