Chasing Buddha in Kamakura

Mark's third photo at this spot in past 43 years

There’s one high-priority destination that we hadn't been to yet. Kamakura has a special place in the heart of the Toole family—there’s a photo of Mark as a baby being held in front of the daibutsu (giant Buddha) on the steps leading up to the statue. This is one of his family’s all-time favorite memories of being in Japan and a big reason Mark ended up studying and teaching Asian religions.

When Mark traveled to Japan in 2004, he took a photo in the same place as an adult. Plus, we had seen the other two daibutsu that reside in Japan—one at Gifu City and one at Nara. In other words, there was no

And with the rest of us

way we could leave the country without seeing the last of the Great Buddha statues and getting a photo with our daughters.

Relishing a quiet moment overlooking the Sagami Bay

After a five hour train ride from Hiroshima, we stashed luggage in a Tokyo Station locker near the Akihabara neighborhood where we'd stay later that night. On the long train ride, we caught our last glimpse (at least for awhile) of Kyoto and a few other places we’d visited along the way. On the train to Kamakura, the first feudal capital of Japan (1185 - 1333), we read a little bit about the history and the other things we'd see while there.

Benten kutsu cave at Hase-dera 

We jumped on another train to Kamakura. It is getting super hot in Japan, which is a warm-up to the summer we're expecting back home in Greensboro. Hiking up the hill to the daibutsu was challenging, but we fortified ourselves with ice cream along the way, so it was all good.

The bronze statue we were chasing was cast in 1252, and there was once a wooden temple surrounding it that was destroyed by a tsunami in 1495. (To put this in perspective with the girls, we talked about how this was just three years after Christopher Columbus stumbled on North America thinking it was India). Since that time, the statue has stood in the open air.

We also visited Hase-dera, a nearby temple. There's this cool, windy, low ceilinged cave that we went to, which was lined with hundreds of small statues. When Mark visited here in 2004, he placed a tiny statue with our names on it, as well as "Baby Toole" -- I was three months pregnant, so that baby would eventually become Kara. We repeated this exercise, this time with all four of our names.

We placed another statue here keeping in mind family members and friends and saying a prayer for good health, wisdom and ease as we face life's joys and challenges together.

Heading Home

After a morning in rainy Tokyo, we're ready to head home. I'm writing this from Narita Airport, where we'll board a plane in 10 minutes. This has been the journey of a lifetime--a dream that first took root 13 years ago when Mark and I pledged to see the world together, and that we've been working toward ever since. Thanks for coming along for the ride! 

With love,

Mary, Mark, Maura & Kara