As I said I might do in my last blog entry, I returned to Meigetsuin Temple this weekend.
Fortunately, the Ajisai (hydrangea) flowers that did not have much color last weekend had now turned bluer and looked a prettier shape. At Meigetsuin Temple, most of flowers you can see are blue, because this temple has chosen to raise a blue hydrangea called Hime-ajisai, whose name means "princess hydrangea".

Besides hydrangeas, you can find another source of pleasure at Meigetsuin Temple during this limited season.
If you pay an extra 500 yen entry fee, you can enter the back garden and see lots of irises in bloom. To hear the birds singing in this quiet place also brings you a more relaxed feeling.　

If you like paintings, there is the Yoh Shomei Museum on the way back to JR Kitakamakura Station.
Yoh Shomei is an artist known for gentle paintings and poems.

Due to the beautiful weather (despite it being rainy season), even the Enoden train line was so crowded that I had to wait about 30 minutes to get on at Kamakura Station. But, if you have a lot of energy and don't like spending time waiting, I recommend that you walk to the Hase area, where most of the Ajisai temples are located. From the west exit of Kamakura Station, it takes about 30 minutes to get there on foot. By walking, you can find a lot of interesting souvenirs on the way to Hase. My favorite souvenir is the "Great Buddha's foot candy". But if you are too tired to walk, taking a rickshaw is another interesting way to get there.　

If you get tired of temples, the following two places are also nice places to drop by. First is the lounge in the Kamakura Prince Hotel near Shichirigahama.　The other is Inamuragasaki Park, an eight-minute walk from Inamuragasaki station. From both these places (of course, only during June) you can enjoy the scenery of Ajisai flowers and the ocean at the same time! If you are lucky enough, you can also see Mt. Fuji in the background of Enoshima Island from Inamuragasaki park.

- Kamakura Prince Hotel
- Sunrise Kamakura Walking Tour　
- Kamakura Daibutsu　
- Meigetsuin Temple