JAPANKURU: *::UNKNOWN PLEASURES::* Tokyo Day Trip ☆ Visit Giant Ofuna Kannon Statue while Touring Kamakura

Kamakura Travel
VISIT
OFUNA KANNON

EVERYONE knows and loves visiting Kamakura.
Go see the Great Buddah of Kamakura (Daibutsu),
see some amazing temples and shrines,
eat at great cafes.
But ever wonder what else there was?
It's such a big area...
there has to be something that has the same culture
and history, but less the "attraction".
Well, that place is Ofuna Kannon!
You mention it to even some Japanese people,
they don't even know about it.

We had the chance to go during the winter
and loved it so much.
So we wanted to share the beauty of Ofuna with everyone!

The Ofuna Kannon statue began being buit in 1929.
However when the war in the Pacific broke out
the building the Ofuna Kannon
was put off for around 20 years,
eventually finished in 1961.

Since Kannon is the goddess of mercy and peace,
the brought stones from Hiroshima and Nagasaki's
atomic bomb sights to commemorate
those who died as a result of the attacks.

Let's find out how to get there!

~~⍟Access to Ofuna Kannon⍟~~

From Ofuna Station, exit from the West Exit and cross the Kashio River.
Take the laneway to the right of Lawson’s.
Turn left at the end of the lane and you will see the approach to the Ofuna Kannon that's up hill.

Google Maps

There was an event at Ofuna Kannon for the Japanese holiday Setsubun.
We planned on attending, but didn't make it in time.
So we couldn't enter the temple until the event was over :(
We were just happy we got to enter though.
Just look at Kannon's head poking up from the top of the trees!!

Where Kannon is the main god/goddess of the temple,
there are also other statues people pray at for other reasons
such as childbirth and health.

We're getting closer...

TA-DAAAA!!
Look at her!!
🌟Stunning🌟

You can expect that it's just as beautiful
during cherry blossom (sakura) season

and when the fall leaves are changing🍁🌸🍂

The people of the temple told us the statue of Kannon is
25.4 meters high, 18.6 meters wide,
and weighs 1,915 tons!!
Just to give you an idea,
the height of the Great Buddha in Kamakura is 13.35 meters
and weighs 121 tons!
We couldn't believe it when we found out Ofuna Kannon
is that much bigger!!

A small statue of Amida sits on top of Kannon's head under her hood.

Ofuna Kannon-ji is part of Kamakura,
but since it's not super close to the more popular tourist sights
like the Daibutsu (the Great Buddha of Kamakura 鎌倉大仏) or
Hasedera Temple (長谷寺),
it's not very popular
nor does it really come up on many Kamakura searchs.
Which is a shame because it's really beautiful and a sight to see!

We burnt incense and waved the smoke
towards the parts of our bodies that are bad.
So I did my lower back and head, hoping I'll become smarter 😉

There is also a display of mini hand carved Buddhas.
The craftsmanship is amazing for something so small.

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Kanagawa Prefectural Ofuna Botanical Garden Flower Center
(神奈川県立フラワーセンター大船植物園)

We found the Ofuna Botanical Garden by total chance.
It's about a 15 minute walk from Ofuna Kannon.

We went during the winter,
so unfortunately the main area of the park wasn't filled with flowers.
There were some that were in season like peonies,
but the garden was filled like it would be in the spring or summer.
However there was a greenhouse there that was a pretty good size.

Access from
Ofuna Kannon to Ofuna Botanical Garuden
↓here↓
Google Maps