The second-largest Buddha statue in Japan, 13 metres of 13th-century bronze in the open air; admission 300 ¥.
The Great Buddha of Kamakura —Kotoku-in Daibutsu— is without doubt the most iconic image in the entire Kantō region and one of the most important religious monuments in Japan. The bronze statue of Amida Buddha, cast between 1252 and 1263 during the Kamakura period, measures 11,39 metres in height (13,35 metres with the pedestal) and weighs approximately 93 tonnes. It was originally covered by an enormous wooden building that was destroyed by a typhoon in 1334 and by another in 1498; since then the Buddha has remained in the open air, with the Kamakura forest and the green hills of Kanagawa prefecture as its only roof. The meditation posture, the rounded shoulders and the serene expression of the statue have a formal elegance that no photograph fully captures: you have to stand before it. You can go inside the Buddha for an extra 20 ¥ (stairs up to the shoulders). The Kotoku-in temple precinct has an admission of 300 ¥. Hours: 8:00-17:30 (until 17:00 from October to March). It is reached by bus from Kamakura station in 10 minutes (Kamakura-enoshima line) or on foot from Hase station (Enoden) in 10 minutes.
