The main purposes from here, however, involved a visit to the monumental bronze statue of Amida Buddha at Kōtoku-in, which involved a switch to a local tram line and a bit of a hike once we’d alighted. There was also the possibility of catching a view of Mount Fuji, though as the tram made its war along it wasn’t easy to see how this was going to be managed. The landscape on that side of the vehicle seemed to be dominated by hills, and while Madam was certain there were views to be had she wasn’t sure where you needed to alight and how far you had to walk to avail yourself of them.
Once we were on the ground it was obvious the Daibutsu is a major crowd-puller, and when we arrived, while the statue itself is impressive and represents one of the standard images of Japan, I must say I preferred the peace and tranquility you get with a less readily accessible location.
The statue was originally housed in a temple which must have been an equally impressive structure, something along the lines of Nara’s Todaiji, but possibly not quite as large, but the temple was destroyed by a fifteenth-century tsunami, and the Great Buddha has remained outdoors ever since.
Still, despite the crowd, I was glad we’d been, though I don’t see any reason to call again.
Crowds do, on the other hand, bring some benefits, and the road leading up to the Daibutsu was liberally lined with shops selling souvenirs and such and, more importantly, refreshments. Madam was inclined to stop for a drink at one of them, which turned out to have an impressive array of local beers to go with the softer options. There was a pear juice for Madam, a very impressive India Pale Ale for Yours Truly, and a range of other options I could have tried.
Maybe we need to call back after all, possibly diverting off the roadway to the hilltop site that had been suggested as a possibility, but the day was getting on and Hughesy was experiencing a decided itchiness in the pedestrian equipment.