Hase-dera

Hasedera or the Hasedera Temple has a long history; it is said that this old temple was established in 736, long before the Kamakura period (1192–1333). The principal image of Hasedera is an eleven-faced Kan'non Bodhisattva, which is one of the largest wooden statues in Japan with a height of 9.18 meters. The upper precinct consists of the Kan'non-do Hall, which houses the eleven-faced Kannon Bosatsu (Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva) statue lined with other main halls as well as a lookout tower from which you can enjoy a view of the ocean and the city, one of the best scenic spots in Kamakura. Hasedera also has a circuit garden where you can walk and enjoy the surroundings. You will see beautiful flowering trees (magnolia, somei-yoshino cherry tree, hydrangea, fragrant olive, and camellia) all year round, season by season. It is suitable to call the garden Kamakura's Saiho-gokuraku-jodo (the Pure Land of Highest Happiness). You can practice sutra copying or visit the Kan'non museum on the site to enjoy and learn about Buddhism. It is a five-minute walk from the Hase Station on the Enoshima Dentetsu (Eno-den) Line.