Kamakura

The weekend saw me driving to Kamakura. I had been there before about this time last year, but last time I went by train, this time I went by car.

The drive was pleasant, until we exited the expressway in Tostuka, and got onto the main drag. "Drag" being the operative word. Traffic was backed up because someone had rear-ended another car and bent their numberplate. But instead of moving their cars 15 meters down the road to a Denny's car park, they chose to block a very busy street by taking up 1 of 2 busy lanes while they waited for police.

In any case, it took just over an hour to get through the traffic and onto a quieter section of road. From there it was another 30 minutes. As soon as we got into Kamakura, arriving alongside the Kamakura Daibutsu, we hit more traffic. It took us another 30 minutes to get to the beach which when we walked the same road later that day, only took us 10 minutes to walk. All in all, buy the time we got to the underground carpark next to the beach, we were all pretty sick of being in the car, and quite ready to stretch our legs. The carpark was extremely spacious, and for only 500 yen an hour, very cheap. As it is now summer it makes a lot of sense to park in the shade, so the underground carpark is highly recommended. It is also right next to the beach, making it ideal for beach goers.

We spent the day in Kamakura, enjoying the many touristy religious money making attractions it has to offer, and downed a few soft serves in the process. The people in Kamakura all seemed very happy, and very healthy. A bit of a contrast from Tokyo where people often look depressed and lack the muscles to make a smile. It was very refreshing to see so many smiles.

The evening came quickly and we decided to call it a day and head home. Again, we were stuck in traffic heading over the hills toward the expressway. I got very proficient at clutch control. Perhaps this was the trip I needed to get my feet and car in sync, as by the end of it, although my leg was a little shaky from the excessive clutching, in the slow progressing traffic I was able to clutch my way up the mountain without the handbrake. This may not be such a feat for many, but for me, having learned that all hill starts are to be done with the handbrake, and no other method ever being introduced, this was a big step forward for me.

After a long slow journey over the hill we hit the expressway again. It was plain sailing from there, all the way back home. Even the traffic lights were kind to us. The only thing that wasn't kind was the weather. It was amazing to watch as we drove toward a heavy rain storm along the HONSEN. Then the rain hit the windsceen. Heavy globs of water requiring full wipers to give some kind of visibility through the rain.

Kamakura is a place I think I would go to again soon. This time I might take a friend with me who knows the back streets and can keep us from getting caught in such heavy traffic.