We went to Kamakura during our visit to Tokyo to spend time with my family. My parents planned a family trip to Kamakura with us as they wanted to take my husband there. We packed our bags and left for Kamakura three days after our arrival in Tokyo. You might think how hectic, but it was actually wonderful. My three sisters took care of our girls and entertained them, which allowed me to truly rest. Flying from the States, four of us were exhausted, but staying in a Japanese inn where all we did was play, eat and relax was divine.
Kamakura is one of my favorite cities to visit. If you plan a visit to Tokyo in the future and have never been to Kamakura, I highly recommend you include a trip there. It is only an hour away from Shinjuku, the heart of Tokyo, by train. Kamakura offers many historical sites mostly temples. If you take Enoshima Electric Railway, you can also enjoy the ocean view and visit beach areas.
Kamakura has a number of famous temples. We visited several of them. I must admit that visiting temples with young children can be quite challenging and tough. Fortunately my sisters entertained both of my girls the whole time which was extremely helpful. I think that the key is to pace yourselves with the number of site you plan to visit a day (one in the morning, lunch and one in the afternoon) and try not to cram.
During our vacation in this summer, a difference in traveling styles between my husband and myself seemed to have surfaced more this time. Growing up in Tokyo, I am used to traveling on public transportation. Traveling by train is quite normal and enjoyable to me. On the other hand, my husband, who grew up in Texas, is used to convenient traveling by car and thus finds traveling by public transportation like trains a bit of a hassle. It is understandable as it usually involves transferring trains, which can be a pain if you have some travel bags, and not only were we tired from jet-lag, but also we traveled with our 2-year-old on a stroller.
I plan on documenting the places we visited, ate and strolled soon. I would love it if it could help some future travelers to Kamakura.
you have some amazing photos as well. (thank you for your nice comment)
Oh I bet you enjoyed having your family there, it helps to have an extra pair of hands for your kiddos.
seems we share a few things in common. I really enjoy reading your posts. That picture with your little girls is just adorable.
Ps. good luck on your daughter starting english school, ( I would be interested to see how she adapts) You still continue to speak Japanese at home to them?
Elisa
Elisa, thanks for leaving me a comment! I did enjoy having my family. They absolutely adore our kids and I feel good about leaving them with my family as I know they enjoy taking care of them and I feel happy for our girls to get to know my family.
I hope my daughters, especially my older one, will keep Japanese. Once she starts the kindergarten, she’ll be immersed in an English environment and the time she spends with me will so little, I am not so confident about her retaining Japanese. I have been wanting to write about raising bilingual children as I noticed something during the vacation this summer. I am, however, so behind my posts, I need to get the Japan traveling part done for me to move on. We’ll see… I do plan on continuing to speak to my daughters in Japanese at home.
Kaho