Entrance Crosswalk
16mm, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/125
I knew I would find myself back in Kamakura sooner or later. In fact, I even mentioned I looked forward to a return visit upon planning another route in my last walkthrough around the historic city. Just as Fall colors entered their season, I decided it was time to give it another shot. As luck would have it, though, I quickly found the day to be mostly overcast and rainy. Granted, this made it easier for getting deeper colors in the foliage (and avoiding those pesky hard shadows), but as many know, I’m a sucker for deep blue skies and fluffy clouds in my images.
On this return trip, I visited many of the same places I originally ventured to the very first time I headed to Kamakura, which was almost exactly a year ago! Back then, I had only my iPhone camera (household goods shipment had not arrived yet) for snapshots, and most leaves had already fallen. On this trip, I was excited to finally get to slow down and make photos like I wanted to back then.
Up first, I walked around the Komachi-dori street, one of many shopping streets in Japan that cater mostly to pedestrian traffic with just about every kind of specialized shop.
Komachi Entrance
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/100
Komachi Street
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/125
Malaika
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/160
Kamakura Boushiya
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/100
Rice Crackers
16mm, ISO 100, f/2, 1/80
Specialty
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/80
Best Beef Buns in Kamakura
16mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/80
Hid Away Plaza
16mm, ISO 100, f/4, 1/40
Wavy Sidewalk
16mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/80
As I arrived to Kamakura a bit after lunch with two locales yet to visit, I grabbed some quick Oyakodon (delicious chicken/egg/rice bowl dish) and headed to the main Hachimangu Shrine, one of the highlights of Kamakura. Even on rainy days, it is still common to catch families and groups walking around in traditional Kimono, which make for fun photo ops themselves.
Kawaii
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/80
Second Gate
16mm, ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/500, in-camera panorama
Girls Day Out
105mm, ISO 800, T3.2, 1/640
Clean-Up Crew Efficiency (cleaned almost 2 feet per second)
105mm, ISO 200, T3.2, 1/200
American Muscle, Japanese Tradition
16mm, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/125
Looking Back
16mm, ISO 100, f/2, 1/320
At this point in the day, the clouds settled in for a light and slightly-annoying rain. As the silly amerikajin I am, I came unprepared without an umbrella. Can’t win them all, I suppose. In spite of the overcast, the shrine was just as beautiful as I remember, and even more so in the areas with splashes of Fall color.
Raised Bridge
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/40
Signs
16mm, ISO 100, f/2, 1/60
Wait out the Rain
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/200
Not Ready
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/200
Hachimangu Shrine Approach
105mm, ISO 200, T8, 1/125
Maiden Dancing Stage
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/50
Maiden Detail
32mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/20
Kakure Icho Remains (1,000 year-old Ginko)
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/60
Side Shrine Entrance
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/30
Hachimangu Main Shrine
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/30
Hachimangu Approach (heavy crop)
105mm, ISO 200, T3.2, 1/100
Pondside Garden
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/30
Second View
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/8
Photo Op
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/40
Maiden, Ginko, Barrels
16mm, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/500, in-camera panorama
With the light quickly fading (and the rain letting up!), I began the quick walk over to my last destination of the day. However, I got a little sidetracked at the Egara Tenjin Shrine (over 900 years old!).
Egara Tenjin Shrine
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/25
Decorative
16mm, ISO 100, f/2, 1/30
Egara Tenjin Statue
16mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/60
Statue Detail
16mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/40
Side Path
16mm, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/30
Back on the main path, I made it just 30 minutes prior to closing time at Hokokuji Temple, a very compact vista known for its dense bamboo garden behind the main plaza.
Entrance Garden
16mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/15
Delicate
16mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/40
Resonate
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/20
Backside Garden
16mm, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/20
Ogane
16mm, ISO 800, f/4, 1/30
Rippled Stairs
16mm, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/8
Lined
16mm, ISO 200, f/2, 1/20
Curved Path
16mm, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/13
Manicured
16mm, ISO 100, f/4, 1/13
Hanging On
105mm, ISO 800, T5.6, 1/100
Moss
16mm, ISO 800, f/2, 1/15
And just to give a bit of sense of the scale of the bamboo itself, here’s a few clips of the “forest” thrown together before it got too dark. Unfortunately since I arrived so late, I missed out on participating in the tea ceremony at the cozy tea house. That’s why there’s always next time!
With sore legs and knees, and the sun well gone, I headed back from another great outing in Kamakura. I may try to visit one last time on a photo-centric trip in the Spring to catch some more Sakura, though Tokyo and its huge cherry blossom groves are just as enticing. Hey, maybe if I get two weekends off in a row I can head to both!
That’s all for this post, guys and gals, thanks for dropping by! I still have a bit more to catch up on for the website from my outings in November, but slowly and surely I am processing them all. In other news, my a6500 arrived a few days ago! So far it’s just the camera I thought it would be, but I surely do miss the Tri-Navi my NEX-7 so masterfully features. Oh well, can’t argue with the better grip, IBIS, and phase-detect autofocus for my Touit! As always, have a great day!
Matthew Durr Photography 