While walking along the hiking trail from Hase to northern Kamakura, I found a charming open-air cafe with a nice atmosphere in the middle of the wilderness. If the weather at the cafe holds clear, I bet you can see Mt. Fuji!

Recommended Tours in Kamakura

After my breakfast at bills, I walked along on the beach to Hase. It took around 30 minutes on foot.
*Actually, getting on the Enoshima-dentetsu (Enoden) Line and taking the train is a bit easier and a faster way to get from Shichirigahama to Hase.

One of the best parts about Hase is the great budha of Kotokuin Temple. You can see the buddha for yourself by joining one of our Kamakura Walking Tours.

Recommended Tours in Kamakura

I went to Shichirigahama, Kamakura this weekend to have breakfast at the restaurant "bills" by chef Bill Granger, also known as the breakfast king. It's the first restaurant by the famous chef outside of his native Australia.

I orderd ricotta hotcakes with fresh banana and honeycomb butter after I heard that Leonardo DiCaprio used to eat them frequently in Sydney while on location for a movie. To go with the hotcakes, I also ordered some scrambled oraganic eggs with toast and avocado.
Both dishes were really great. I want to visit there again, even though I need to get up early!

bills Shichirigahama

Address:
Weekend House Alley 2F, 1-1-1 Shichirigahama, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken

Open:
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. (lunch 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.; dinner 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.; Fri & Sat. bar till 11:00 p.m.)

Nearest station:
Shichirigahama (Enoshima Dentetsu Line)

How to get there:
Ride the Enoshima Dentetsu (Enoden) Line from JR Kamakura Station or JR Fujisawa Station.
At Shichirigahama Station, cross the tracks, walk down to the coast road and turn left. Bills is in the modern building on the left just before the lights.

Recommended Tours in Kamakura

The traditional Japanese dolls known as kokeshi were first made in the Tohoku region of Japan. Sendai's Sakunami Onsen area is home to a particular variety called Sakunami Kokeshi. Kokeshi dolls are known for their simple construction and enlarged heads. Sakunami Kokeshi in particular have a very thin trunk and basic, but charming faces. Sendai's kokeshi are a famous product of Japan and would make a great souvenir to take home to your family!

The World Heritage site Koyasan, a sacred site of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, was founded by a priest named Kukai about 1,200 years ago. Koyasan is a religious city on a summit of the Koya mountain range about 1,000 meters above sea level. Located to the south of Osaka, it is composed of more than one hundred Buddhist temples, huge and beautiful halls and towers, a Buddhist college as well as its 5,000 residents including 1,000 Buddhist monks.

Koyasan is particularly famous for its 52 temple-inns, or shukubo, where guests can stay over night and experience Japanese Buddhist culture firsthand. While the life of a true Buddhist ascetic can be quite severe, guests in the temple-inns are still afforded a measure of comfort during their stay. As an alternative to traditional Japanese ryokan lodgings, shukubo are a unique way to gain insight on Japan.

Although standards have relaxed somewhat in recent times, traditionally Buddhist monks were not allowed to eat meat or fish. Keeping with that tradition, the only food served at shukubo are vegetarian dishes called shojin ryori. The dishes are skillfully prepared without the use of any meat, fish, onions, or garlic. Hence, the food has a very subtle flavor. Some of these dishes include tempura, fried wild spring plants, herbs, tofu, miso soup, sweet and sour seaweed in a vinegar sauce and many other vegetable dishes. For over 1,100 years, the old recipes and cooking methods have been passed from monk to monk, chef to chef.

One of the most important dishes is tofu prepared with sesame seeds. At first glance, it may look like ordinary bean curd, but the special techniques used make it even more nutritious and delicious. It is also popular as a souvenir. A splash of soy sauce or honey is all it takes to finish preparing it at home.

-Taken from the Nankai Electric Railway newsletter, 16 Feb 2008

[Access]
Koyasan is easily accessible on the Koya Line leaving from Osaka's Nankai Namba Station. Including the cable car ride to Koyasan's summit, it takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes by limited express or about 1 hour and 40 minutes by express to reach Koyasan from Nanking Namba. Nankai Railway also offers 1- or 2-day tickets to Koyasan that make travel more convenient and save up to 17% off of the normal fare.

Koyasan Free Service Ticket (1- or 2-day excursion ticket)
-Discounted round-trip train fare
-Discounted bus fares at Mt. Koya
-Discounted entrance tickets
-Discount souvenir coupons

Fares with the Koyasan Free Service Ticket start at JPY 2,780 for adults, or JPY 4,000 for Limited Express tickets.

Koyasan Free Service Tickets are available at major Nankai Line stations, including Kansai Airport Station, Namba Station, Shin-Imamiyama Station, Tengachaya Station, and Hashimoto Station.
URL: Nankai Electric Railway's Koyasan Page (external site)

[Temple Stays]

JAPANiCAN.com's Top 3 Shukubo Temple Lodgings

1. Koyasan Onsen Fukuchiin　　Koyasan, Wakayama

Guestrooms are surrounded by a large garden that was designed by a famous landscape artist. The hot spring (onsen) bath is open 24 hours a day.

From JPY 7,875

2. Hongakuin　　Koyasan, Wakayama

Hogakuin is surrounded by five unique gardens in the center of a quiet wooded area. The food here is especially famous.

From JPY 12,600

3. Henjoko-in　　Koyasan, Wakayama

This temple used to be the imperial chamber for Emperor Shirakawa. Here, visitors can see many items on display that have been designated as important national treasures. Visitors can also enjoy rooms facing a bright new garden, each with fusuma (Japanese-style sliding doors) covered with gold dust.


From JPY 8,925

This is a picture of the Hirose River taken at Nishi Park in Nishichi-ku in Sendai. I think beautiful areas like this are part of the reason why Sendai is such a great place to live (and visit!) On a clear day, just sitting in the park and watching the river is enough to make you feel refreshed. It's a great place to relax for anyone visiting Sendai, the City of Trees!

If you ever have the pleasure of experiencing the deep flavor of a true Japanese rice wine, you'll immediately understand why it's been the drink of choice for so much of Japan's history. Miyagi Prefecture, with its high quality rice, also produces some of Japan's best sake. In Sendai and other parts of Miyagi, rice wine made without any sugar or alcohol additives, called junmaishu is popular. The techniques used to make this variety of sake produce a rich aroma and profound taste. Try it for yourself in Sendai!

With over 400 years of history, Sendai's miso is some of Japan's finest. Unlike the white miso of the Kansai area, miso in Sendai has a reddish hue and a dry, rich taste that has made it very popular. Date Masamune actually built Japan's first miso factory, "Onensogura" to make sure his army would always have a steady supply.

There is so much more to miso than miso soup. Experience all the flavor of Sendai at one of our many ryokan!