Daibutsu no Naka

Back in 1998, when I was here for three months working outside of Tokyo, I made a trip down to Kamakura, which was the capital (or at least the seat of power) for a century or so, around 1200. It's a beautiful town, full of great old temples, but it was a pissy, cold, and rainy day when I visited.

Yesterday, Kate and I went back. And again, it rained-- it was a light drizzle when we left Yokohama, but a solid downpour when we were visiting an Inari shrine up in the hills. Apparently, I am not meant to see Kamakura on a clear day.

Anyway, having trekked down there, we saw most of the sights, including the money-washing Benten shrine, which was cool, and the Hase Kannon, one of a pair of thirty-foot statues that were carved from a single tree in the 700's sometime. One was enshrined immediately in Hase, near Nara, while the other was pushed out to sea, because why not? It drifted ashore near Kamakura on my birthday in 737, and was enshrined there.

And, of course, we saw the Great Buddha, a forty-foot bronze statue sitting out on a pedastal on a hill over the city. For an extra 20 yen, you can go inside the statue (hence the post title), and confirm the truth of the old saying: Outside of the Buddha, a book is a being's best hope for enlightenment and salvation. Inside of the Buddha... Well, you know how it goes.

Worldcon starts this afternoon, and we plan to spend the morning tidying up loose ends-- mailing postcards, buying gifts, etc. And then it'll be more geekery, lest touristery for the next several days.

Mata ne.