owenfinn

Yesterday I was out on the Carryme researching a route for a possible new Yokohama Rides and Rentals bike tour(on Carrymes) of nearby Kamakura. Thought I would share a few pix I took along the way.

I bagged the bike in Yokohama Station and took the train 20 minutes to Ofuna Station.





From Ofuna station I biked 15 minutes along a river and through a big rice field to my off- the-beaten-path destination, Taya Cave. A bit removed from touristy Kamakura which requires a hike from the station, hard-to-find Taya cave is usually overlooked by travellers to Japan even though, the hundreds of meters of hand dug tunnels and wall carvings built by monks from 1200-1700 are every bit as awe inspiring as the Big Buddha(Daibutsu) located 8 miles down the road in Kamakura.

The photo inside the cave was taken last year - since then they don`t allow taking photos. I think they don`t want the secret to get out any more than it has!



After Taya, I re-traced my path back to Ofuna Station and then headed south for about 3 miles down to Kita-Kamakura where the incredible temples Engaku-ji and Kencho-ji are located.





Climbed up and over a small hill and tunnel on the way to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu in Kamakura. The shrine was built in 1063 when Kamakura was the capital city.



Took a break at a Starbucks near Kamakura Station that was originally the home of a famous manga artist. Sitting outside by the pool is especially nice.







Frome there, I rode another couple miles down to the town of Hase where I caught a glimpse of the Daibutsu through the entrance gate (didn`t want to pay to go inside - been there done that). The photo is from one of those times I went in.

A short distance away is Hasedera Temple from which you can enjoy some spectacular views of the beach. (But again I didn`t go past the entrance. Same reason.)



Finally the Carryme on the beach in Kamakura where I enjoyed a Sapporo before riding the short way back to Kamakura Station.

Here`s a map of my route:

https://classic.mapmyride.com/route/j...31488825153541

Azreal911

wow nice pics of kamakura and looks very nice to bike along. When I was there last year I had only time to go to either hakone or kamakura. I chose the former and at least I can seen some of what I missed on

ccsdc83

Very nice images thanks for sharing. I could pedal around there all day long if I had the means.

Jiten

Good pootling, owenfinn, thank you for sharing!

How's the Carryme rental business coming along? Are you just renting out bikes or is it a bike tour? (Or am I thinking of someone else?)

owenfinn

Thanks - it was really a great ride!

The name of my business is "Yokohama Rides and Rentals". Bikes can be rented by the day during weekdays(we deliver and pick up the Carrymes at customer's hotel or at Yokohama station). We have escorted rides around the city most weekend days and sunset rides at night along the waterfront.

Actually, I haven't been as busy as I'd like to be. Since the earthquake, the number of overseas visitors to Japan has decreased dramatically, plus there's a new bike sharing system in Yokohama that's easy for Japanese people to use. It's not so dead that I am ready to give it up but I realize I will need to make some changes, so I have been thinking about some different tours/rides to offer that take better advantage of the Carrymes unique features. Hopefully, the cave exploring in Ofuna and ride around Kamakura will be popular.

feijai

I love Kamakura. My favorite Japanese town.