Wednesday, 22 October 2014

Day Trip at Kamakura (Part 4)-The Inamuragasaki Beach

The Inamuragasaki Beach
I put Inamuragasaki Beach in my Kamakura trip for one main reason. It was to capture the beautiful view of Mount Fuji from the Inamuragasaki Park. The day was cloudy when we visited Kamakura and I felt that the chance of seeing the elusive sacred mountain of Japan was pretty low. Nevertheless, we decided to continue with our plan since we have already came so far.

We walked back to the Hase station from the Kotokuin temple and took the Enoden to the Inamuragasaki station which was only two stops away. Not many people alighted at the station when we arrived. In fact, Inamuragasaki gave me a feeling that it was a very slow paced town. Perhaps we did not come at the peak season.

Street Photo by the beach

We heard and followed the sound of the wave which indicated we were not very far from the sea. True enough, after navigating a few streets, the sea was right before us. The first thing that I looked was for the sight of Mount Fuji. It was supposed to situate between Enoshima and the main land. The sight was supposedly breathtaking during a clear day with blue sky and during sunset. But it was not to be. Mount Fuji was nowhere in sight. Though already setting the expectation of not being able to see the Unesco Heritage Sight for this visit, I still could not hide my disappointment.

Black Kite
With the "since we are already here" mentality, we walked towards Inamuragasaki Park- a place where many would gather on a good day to enjoy the beautiful sight of the sacred mountain. Along the way, we could see many Black Kites flying around. I spotted their presence at the Hase-dera temple too. From the internet, I was warned not to eat anything under their razor sharp eyes and claws or risked injuries when they swooped down to rob the food. 

Tsunami Evacuation Route

I would say that the beach was not very impressive. Perhaps I have higher expectation of beaches in Japan than those in Singapore :-P. The signage for the warning of Tsunami have me worried a bit. They noted down the procedure of spotting and evacuating from a Tsunami.I wondered how would I react when there was a Tsunami attack. It was very difficult to imagine what was the mindset of the people residing near the sea here with the genuine potential Tsunami threat everyday.

View from Inamuragasaki Park
The Inamuragasaki Park was a place to admire and capture beautiful photographs of Mount Fuji. It was hidden from sight but we still chose to rest on the many benches around to enjoy the sea breeze. I could only use my imagination how the scene would look like on a good day. I looked into the distance, hoping for the faintest of hope that the sky would suddenly clear up a bit for me to catch a glimpse of the sacred mountain.

Self Photo at Inamuragasaki Park
Plaque indicating Mount Fuji Scenic View Spot
Though not able to accomplish the objective of coming here, I was still glad I have made it to this place. Mount Fuji is well-known for it's shyness. It always take a a mix of luck and timing to witness it's glamor. Perhaps I will have better fortune next time :-) This would be our last stop at Kamakura. My family and I have enjoyed every bit of our time here. Thank you, Kamakura! Good bye, Kamakura!
Mount Fuji missing between Enoshima and Main Land