A Not so English-Speaking Tour of Kamakura

A Rocky Start

The sun is shining and it’s going to be a hot day.

We get to the meeting point for our tour to Kamakura. It is the same point as the Mt Fuji tour. For Mount Fuji, although the weather wasn’t good, the tour was still professionally done and contact information was accessible and clear. We were all joined with the guide as a WhatsApp group. Updates were sent by our guide, Evita.

The same can not be said for today’s tour with Gogoday Tours.

First of all we booked an English speaking tour. The info for the tour comes to us in some English and some Japanese. The pertinent information of the guide’s name is written in Japanese caricatures. Also the contact number is with WeChat which for some reason will not work for me…even though I did use it seven years ago. WeChat is very hit and miss with North Americans.

So we get to the meeting site on time and our guide is no where to be seen. When we ask other guides from Gogoday, we are basically told “Not my tour”. Other people are also running around, confused.

Finally our guide and bus show up 30 minutes late. We get on and leave… apparently without two paid guests. The guide spends a good 10 minutes giving information in Chinese, then sits down.

When he turns around, I put up my hand and he comes over. He has a huge, thick, yellow booger hanging out of his nose. I do not know where to look when he is talking to me.

He explains that there are only six English speaking customers on the bus and he will tell us things separately. We never do hear what the first ten minute speech is about.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura

The ride to Kamakura is an hour and a half. Our first stop is the Great Buddha Statue. This is the second largest bronze Buddha in Japan. It was built in 1252AD. The stop is very quick.

The guide quickly tells us basic details about the statue. The booger is now gone but he does wipe the back of his arm and hand across his nose a few times.

Anime Slam Dunk Location

We get back on the bus and head to a train station where we catch a train. We only go a few stops along the side of the ocean. We get out at a train station and look at the view of the ocean where people are surfing.

The big draw, unbeknownst to us, is the train crossing intersection which many people are photographing. We learn that it is the location of an opening scene from an anime called Slam Dunk. For anime lovers it is like photographing the Abbey Lane intersection with the Beatles walking across.

Enoshima Island

We get back on the train and then head to our bus which takes us for a rushed tour of Enoshima Island. We are allowed 40 minutes for lunch. Our guide then runs us up a few hundred stairs to a shrine.

Then we continue running up more and more stairs past pretty village scenes and lovely scenery…but we are moving so quickly that we don’t get to enjoy them.

We ask about the view of Mt Fuji. He leads us into a restaurant and points out a window. “Over there”.

We see nothing.

We run down a few hundred more stairs and he points at a pretty view before we have to run up and down hundreds more stairs.

While waiting for the rest of our tour group, I try the island specialty of raw little bait fish. They are surprisingly pretty good.

I also have green tea ice cream and mochi balls with red bean paste and sesame. Also delicious.

Tsurugeoka Hachimangu Shrine

We take the bus to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. This shrine was founded in 1063 and is dedicated to Hachiman the God of Victory and samurais.

There were ponds of lotus and carp on the grounds. Unfortunately the lotus are no longer in bloom.

There were a number of couples at the temple in traditional dress. The ladies are so delicate and beautiful.

We then walk up and down Komachi Street which consists mostly of food and souvenir shops.

We were given an hour to do both Komachi Street and the temple before we head back to the bus for the hour and a half ride back to Tokyo.

The actual places we saw were good but for what it cost, the tour wasn’t worth it. I would have enjoyed more time at Enoshima Island and skip the Slam Dunk site all together. The tour felt thrown together.

We end our night packing our bags at the hotel.