kamakura by bicycle
the journal of Michael Werneburg
twenty-seven years and one million words
At some point over the interminable Winter, I picked up a rather excellent little guide book for bicycle tours in Kamakura.
Today I took Geoff and Ken, both visiting from Canada, on a modified version of the principle tour. The cycle rental went smoothly, and the guide's choice in first site to visit was perfect: a bamboo forest. We took in a small selection of sites that ended with the big Buddha. It was a beautiful day and a great outing. At the last stop before the big Buddha, we set some incense burning for our friend Jan.
I strongly recommend the book for anyone visiting Tokyo: you can make a lot more out of a visit to Kamakura with this book than on your own. The book is called "10 temples on 2 wheels : exploring Kamakura by bicycle or on foot" by Vicki Beyer. The ISBN is 9780646489834. I haven't found a website for it, yet, but I picked up my copy in Hiroo's "National Azabu Market", the unreasonably-priced gajin supermarket. The book itself is reasonably priced.
Three good things that happened today:
1. the first sunburn of the season was mercifully light
2. perfect weather for the planned activity
3. made a prayer for a friend who needs some support