The Japan I've been looking for

Today was so wonderful. It may go down as one of my "best days" (the others were a day in Florence & Rome and a day at La Alhambra in Granada). In fact, we can assuredly add Kamakura to that list of days that are just so wonderful you want to replay them over and over again.

Fernando, Janelle, and I had breakfast this morning and then boarded the train to this small seaside town in the hills south of Tokyo. It's only about an hour away on the train, but is worlds apart. The pace was slower, the prices lower, and even breathing seemed easier. We first visited the Great Buddha statue, then did some shopping, visited the Hase Temple (a Buddhist temple), had lunch, shopped some more and walked around the town before boarding the train back to Tokyo. What a wonder to be in this small delight of a town! I could have stayed forever and ever; after you look at the pictures, you'll have some understanding of why. In fact, why don't you just go ahead and look at those; words fail me in describing the beauty and serenity of the day.