Ofuna's Great Buddha, caves, and botanical garden (optional: Monorail & Enoden)
Details
Welcome to Tokyo Fun Hikes and Day Trips.
Signing up early helps get the event noticed and attracts more people. Of course you can change your mind and cancel later if you need to.
早めに登録していただくと、このイベントが目に留まりやすくなり、参加者も増えます。もちろん大丈夫です — 後で気が変わってキャンセルしても問題ありません。
To join this event please see below and send me a message on LINE. Without this, you will not find out our meeting point. EVERYONE needs to do this EVERY TIME, including those who have participated with me previously.
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Join us for an amazing day out, where we will visit temples and flower gardens.
We'll get to see 3 temples, the Great Standing Buddha at Ofuna and the Taya Caves, and hopefully beautiful hydrangeas, irises, and roses.
We will meet at Kita-Kamakura Station BEFORE 10am. Please kindly ensure you arrive punctually.
◾️After you have applied to join this event, please contact Mark via the Line application quoting your FULL NAME and this message: [Ofuna Great Buddha - 13th June] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
If you would like to bring a guest, please ask me via Line.
◾️参加されるイベントの名前(フルネーム)と日付を付けてマークにLINEしてください。
例: [Ofuna Great Buddha - 13th June] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
定員の都合上、お連れ様がいる時は事前にLINEでご相談ください。
OUR ROUTE:
Just steps from Kita-Kamakura Station, Engakuji is a prestigious Zen temple—ranked second among Kamakura’s Five Great Zen Temples—known for its vibrant hydrangeas in early summer. Surrounded by lush greenery and historical architecture, the temple grounds become a tapestry of blues and purples that gently shift with the light. The hydrangeas here bloom in various corners of the expansive grounds, offering visitors a moment of calm with every visit.
Hydrangeas begin to bloom in late May, with peak season occurring from mid to late June.
We will then walk to the Great Buddha at Ofuna. At a commanding 25 metres in height, this impressive "goddess of mercy of the white robe" sculpture saw completion in 1960, despite initial construction having begun in 1929. WWII put various attempts to recommence on hold but it was certainly worth the wait. The compelling stone and concrete bust watches over the area, affording protection to those who come to pray.
Ofuna Kannon
We will then take a bus from Ofuna station to the **Taya Caves **at Josen-ji, a Shingon Buddhist temple which was founded in Japan’s Muromachi period. The caves are said to have first been opened up in the Kamakura period, and the walls are carved with images of the great monk Kukai and the principle objects of worship in pilgrimage sites throughout Shikoku, Saigoku, Bando, and Chichibu. Pay a small fee to receive a traditional “yuraisho” documenting the history of the temple and a votive candle, after which you may follow a 300-meter-long path to a worship site. As you engage in quiet and solemn prayer in the caves, you will begin to feel their long history.
We will then return to Ofuna station by bus, and then walk 15-20 minutes to Ofuna Botanical Garden.
Japanese Iris (best viewing season: June) and Rose (best viewing season: May to Jul., Oct. to Nov.)
Visitors can enjoy a variety of flowers, which have been improved and cultivated on this site since the Taisho period (early 20C), and can be seen only in this Garden. They also grow and display excellent ornamental plants collected from home and abroad with a focus on the systematically-gathered roses and rhododendrons.
The event will officially end back at Ofuna station.
Optional: join me for a monorail ride to Enoshima, 14 minutes ¥340 and then the Enoden to Kamakura, 24 minutes ¥260. Let's take a look at the nighttime sea views around Enoshima.
Please bring your lunch with you.
Additional fees (approximate):
Engaku-ji ¥500
Ofuna Kannon ¥300
Taya Caves (Josen-ji) ¥400
Ofuna Botanical Garden ¥400
Bus Ofuna to Taya Caves ¥240x2
Event fee:
¥750 (discount fee) limited to the first 5 applicants (make sure you contact me on LINE immediately!) - payment is required via PayPay within 24 hours and is non-refundable. If you think you may need to cancel, then choose the option below ⬇️
¥1250 (regular prepaid fee) if you pay by 7pm on 12th June (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1500 in cash on the event day (13th June) - please bring the correct money (see the NOTE below).
If you don't have PayPay, please ask a friend or coworker to do the transaction for you (give them cash!).
Cancellation policy:
- Full refund given for ¥1250 payments if cancellation is notified BY LINE MESSAGE at least 36 hours before the event start time.
- Reservation and then no-showing without prepayment requires full payment of the event fee via PayPay within 24 hours. Further non-payment will result in removal from the group.
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After the event, you may submit a review/evaluation. Please kindly rate appropriately as a low evaluation has an impact on the group. Things you should clearly understand in advance:
- I (Mark) am not a tour guide. For many events this will also be my first time, and events are mainly organised based on intensive internet research.
- Nature cannot be guaranteed, so flower festivals may be impacted by the recent climate.
- We aim to depart on time, however bus schedules might change. This is unavoidable.
- We request participants arrive EARLY. In rare cases we might wait a few minutes if we do not need to take a bus.
- The number of participants is not guaranteed. However we will not have large groups.
- The event finish time might be earlier or later than advertised. The hiking time might be longer/shorter than anticipated. Return bus times are not guaranteed.
How to calculate your review appropriately:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) = Everything was as described.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) = The event was generally ok, but there were a few things that you weren't happy with (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) = The event was disappointing (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) = The event was poor (please provide further details).
⭐️ (1 star) = The event was terrible (please provide further details).