Kamakura's Hase Temple in January

Autumn is still hanging on, but spring is on the way

來自 Larry Knipfing

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Some statues outside the entrance soaking in the sun

A statue sitting in the temple's small pond, with dusk coming soon

The lovely momiji maple trees made me think that autumn was still with us

And this lone, simple ume (plum) blossom told me that spring is right around the corner!

One of the many beautiful Buddhist statues here

A great view of the sea from Hase Temple on a windy day

Happy-go-lucky Ebisu, the God of Fortune

The temple also has a very nice garden just inside the entrance, to the right

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Kumamoto Castle sustained heavy damage during the 2016 earthquake. During the summer of 2021, the inner keep reopened after a 5-year reconstruction period. However, sitewide renovations are expected to continue until around 2038.

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Hase Temple is just down the street from Daibutsu (The Great Buddha) so be sure to visit both of them. It's also just a five minute walk from the beach, so you might want to fit that into your Kamakura itinerary, as well.

I visited on a warmish day in mid-January and I felt like we were skipping winter and going straight to spring from autumn. There were still beautiful momiji maple in the temple grounds, but I also spotted the first ume (plum) blossom of the year, a sure sign that spring is right around the corner!