Kamakura

A Statue of Buddha

A Buddhist temple in this Kanagawa Prefecture town hosts one of the largest bronze statues of a seated Buddha. It weights 93 tonnes and stands over 13m high. It was built in `252.

The path to a god

Kamakura is a place of pilgrimage for Japanese, who revere global Buddhism and the native Shinto faith coequally

The hill shrines of Kamakura, and the Daibutsu (Great Buddha). This small Shinto shrine is a place where people ceremonially wash cash they have brought with them at the beginning of what they hope will the beginning of a prosperous year.
A cemetery
A Shinto shrine near the Buddha. Though distinct from Buddhism, Shinto is the native Japanese faith that coexists with Buddhism, even in its holiest places
Detail under the eaves of the shrine. Shinti shrines are typically unpainted, so that the quality of the carpentry can show through.
Detail under the eaves of the shrine
Plastic policemen are low-cost reminders of authority
The lighthouse