Kamakura is a very popular beach resort located at 50kms from Tokyo and accessible through frequent trains (Yokosuka Line). The journey should not take more than an hour. In addition to the beach, it contains what is probably the most well known giant Buddha in Japan (the other one is in Nara), plus a significant number of relevant temples and shrines. Most of these are located in the neighborhood and should be accessed through the JR station of Kita-Kamakura. To reach the giant Buddha you should drop at Kamakura and take a small train call Eno-den. After three stops (and 190 yen) you'll reach the Hase station. Drop there and follow the crowds through the park where the Buddha is located. The admission fee is just 200 yen. Going back to the station you'll have the chance to visit the Hase-dera, a buddhist temple where there is the biggest wooden statue of Japan representing Kannon. If you're spending several days in Tokyo, this is probably one of the day trips you should not miss.

The Daibutsu is synonymous with Kamakura. The second largest bronze Buddha in Japan, the statue was cast in 1252 when the city was the national capital. It’s withstood fire, typhoons, earthquakes and a tsunami in the seven and a half centuries since then, untouched except for loss of colour in all but the ears and earthquake proofing to the base and neck.

The statue is magnificent, its scale--125 tons of copper, lead, and tin; twelve metres high, ten metres wide, and up to twelve centimetres thick--accentuated by its modest surroundings, the Buddha dead centre twenty metres beyond the small entrance gate and guardian gods, backed by a semi circular roof covering stone benches and a shop, stone lanterns either side of the front and a rounded hilltop rising away from the right shoulder. The statue sits on a stone pedestal, grey and green streaked across the arms and chest from centuries of erosion, eyes dropped and thumb and index finger circled in meditation. The repose is passionless, hands lightly resting on its lap, and mouth slightly pursed as if remaining utterly aloof from the affray at the base, where everyone crowds the steps vainly trying to get photos of only themselves and the Buddha.

Look closely at the statue, and you’ll see thin horizontal lines showing where the eight pieces of bronze that make up the body were patched together over the hollow interior. For an extra 20 yen, you can climb a narrow flight of steps and stand inside the body. In the gloom, the hole where the head juts out is surrounded with deep bronze like a Pharaoh’s headdress.

The Daibutsu stands in the grounds of Kotokuin Temple, a short distance from Yuigahama Beach and Hase Station on the Enoden Line. The nearest JR station is Kamakura, about a mile away. There’s also an excellent hiking trail running to the temple from Kita-Kamakura Station, which starts at the entrance to Jochi-ji Temple and cuts across the hills via Zeniari Shrine and the torii gate tunnel downhill from Sasuke Inari Shrine.