On Saturday I went to Kamakura. This is another historical power centre of Japan. Japan abounds with former major power centres. This one was particularly important in the 12th to 14th centuries when the Minamoto shoguns had it as their base (making it the military capital but not the imperial capital which was Heian-kyou (now known as Kyoto) during that period).

As with any place that was a major power centre for any length of time, it has quite a few historical sites of interest. I visited three of them, including the kotoku shrine with a Daibutsu (huge Buddha statue).

Despite the paucity of bird life in general in Japan (there were a few crows and the odd seagull around on the beach, but nothing compared to what a seaside area in the UK would have) there were a significant number of Kites around. At one point I counted more than ten circling overhead. These birds are well adapted to urban living and are particularly partial to hamburger. So much so, in fact, that warning signs about them.

A few more pictures in the gallery.