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A fascinating tourist spot in Kamakura is the Hase Temple with its garden and the 9.18 meter wooden statue of the goddess of mercy, Kannon - easily the tallest wooden statue in Japan .
Aside from Kannon, Benten (or Benzaiten), a goddess of beauty and wealth can also be found here in a hall called the Bentendo. Benten is joined by other minor gods in a small cave nearby called Bentenkutsu.
The Hase Temple is incidentally nestled by the shores of Kamakura . It features terraces and a restaurant providing a great view of the coast. This is a preview of the sand beaches Kamakura is also famous for. For its part, the small restaurant features yet another attraction: Japanses sweets like the mitarashi dango - rice flower dumplings served with a sticky mixture of soy sauce and sugar.
For a little prosperity, you may want to ensure a stop over at the Zeniarai Benten Shrine, where there is a spring that blesses money washed in it. Folks say the money washed here will double. Just be sure you are not afraid of snakes. Benten is the Goddess associated with the reptile and shrines can be very graphic of its deities.
If you know someone with marital problems, a stop at Tokeiji can help that person. While Japanese tradition did not make much room for divorce initiated by the woman, the Tokeiji is a known shelter for abused women who can seek divorce by staying here for three years. Established in 1285, this is actually a branch temple of the Engakuji school of the Rikai sect of Zen Buddhism.
Other temples in Kamakura also show as much religion and culture:, such as the five premier Zen temples - Kenchoji Temple, Engakuji Temple, Jufukuji Temple, Jochiji Temple, and the Zuisenji Temple Zen temple famous for its gardens. The Nichiren Sect house two of their major temples in Kamakura as well - Ankokuronji Temple Temple and the Myohonji Temple Temple.
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