Category: Buddhism

Mono No Aware: Stills from Japan (Part 3 of 4: Kamakura Day Trip)

10/19/2025

Got to have a fun little day trip to Kamakura with my friend Ace who was living in Okinawa at the time. He had never been to Kamakura either!

We took the train to Hase Station. From there, there are small gardens to see on your way to the main attraction of Kamakura — the Kamakura Daibutsu located in Kōtoku-in.

On the way to Kōtoku-in, we stopped by the Kosoku-ji Temple for a quick stroll. There were sweet trails along gardens & a cemetery filled with mosquitos. We were covered in bites after.

From Kosoku-ji Temple we had a little coffee/tea break, then we came across a retro video game shop on our walk to the Daibutsu. Near the video game shop was a dango shop, so I had to get one of my fav Japanese treats while I was in Japan. Something about having fresh hot dango in a small coastal town in Japan just hit different...

After a little snack break, we finally made it to the Daibutsu at Kōtoku-in. Neither of us could believe how massive the bronze sculpture was in real life. It was def worth the hype. This was the one thing I really wanted to see the most in Japan this time & I'm glad we got to make the trip out to Kamakura to go see it!

After seeing the Daibutsu, me made the hike around Kamakura down to Kamakura Station to eventually end our day. We ended up at a tea shop where I got to try ochazuke for the first time! All around Kamakura Station is a small shopping district, so plenty of shops to visit around there as well.

If I'm remembering correctly, this was the route we took from Hase Station to the Daibutsu & then ending at Kamakura Station. It was a long walk, but we got to see a lot of Kamakura this way. Kamakura was such a charming & quaint small town by the ocean. The air & breeze felt so fresh, something my lungs haven't experienced for a long time! The combo of the ochazuke with the ocean breeze was both healing & cozy.

Here's a Google Map guide with some places I recommend in Kamakura! Make sure to check out the notes I left in the locations.

These were the few pics I got to take in Kamakura. As you read previously, I was getting burnt out on photography by this time of my trip. At this point, I really just wanted to spend time with my friend & take a break to just take it all in.

This is the 3rd installment of 4 parts. Keep following for the last part: Minato City. All blogs in this series can be found in the Mono No Aware tag. All photos were made using my Nikon ZF. Enjoy!

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Kosoku-ji Temple

Kōtoku-in Temple

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If you've read this far, thank you! Please feel free to share your thoughts or any questions in the comments.

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Mono No Aware: Stills from Japan (Part 1 of 4, Shibuya & Shinjuku, Tokyo)

10/15/2025

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I've finally had a moment to sort through the digital photography I did in Japan last year. I'm actually impressed it wasn't that many photos, haha!

Before heading to Japan last year, I'd just spent a month in the Philippines. During my time there, I started a new photo series, Return Call (WIP). By the time I got to Japan, I was so burnt on photography. I didn't take as many photos as I did the prior month in the Philippines. I was processing a lot at the time.

Being in Tokyo was a lot to process as well. From nature to neon, I felt overwhelmed by it all.

Mono No Aware (moh-noh noh uh-WAR-ee) shares some of the digital photography I created in Japan. Mono No Aware is a Japanese concept referring to the fleeting nature of life, an awareness for the temporary & finding beauty in impermanence. When I read about this concept, I felt this applied a lot to the photo work I create — documenting urban life & cityscapes that are continually changing.

This is the 1st installment of 4, starting with Shibuya, as well as a quick excursion to Shinjuku the day after I landed. Keep following for the next 3 parts including: Setagaya City, Kamakura & Minato City. All blogs in this series can be found in the Mono No Aware tag. All photos were made using my Nikon ZF. Enjoy!

BEST VIEWED FROM A COMPUTER FOR THE FULL EXPERIENCE. CLICK ANY IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE!

SHIBUYA

My first time doing street photography at night! Shibuya was not my favorite place & I definitely stayed in the most chaotic, but also most centrally located, part of Shibuya — near Shibuya Station. Shibuya was really easy to get to from Narita Airport, especially since I landed late at night. It was a straight shot on the Narita Express train. I remember getting off the train & immediately feeling sensory overload. There were so many lights, it was noisy, & there were huge crowds everywhere. It was also Halloween season, & they banned public drinking on the streets, haha. October was an amazing time of the year to go, because the weather was PERFECTION, & while the crowds did still exist, it was definitely more of an off-season.

While Shibuya was not my favorite place, I loved the apartment I rented, there were plenty of bike share hubs, easy to get to/from the airport, plenty of affordable food options, & it's heaven for street photographers & anyone who loves people watching! Shibuya is great if you love shopping & socialising.

Greater Shibuya was lovely & less chaotic, with way less crowded streets for cycling, AWESOME record shops, & incredible food & treats, especially in Ebisu!

kids & baby cut

(Yes, I'm aware Snoopy is wearing a racist costume.)

RECOMMENDATIONS:

BIKE SHARE: I mostly rode bikes around Tokyo, because I didn't want to deal with the trains (I thought they were so confusing!). Plus, I wanted to be outside & see more things. If you're interested in checking out their bike share programs, check out Hello Cycling (cute bikes, but cost a tiny bit more) or Docomo (bikes aren't as cute, but they're a bit cheaper). I would choose whatever was available & nearest to the places I wanted to go to. Keep in mind, you will need a Japanese phone number to activate your accounts through your mobile apps. I used my friends' phone numbers, but if that's not an option to you, consider looking into eSIMs for your phone. I also recommend you watch some tutorial videos on how to get the bikes off the kick stands.
Here's a Google Map guide I made of all the places I went to, or planned to go to, but ran out of time! Locations include in & around Shibuya & Shinjuku. Some were recommended to me, & some I found on Reddit. Check the notes I wrote on some of the locations.

Honozono Shrine in Shinjuku

I rode a bike, went to this shrine & record shopping the day after I arrived in Shibuya. There was a flea market here but none of the items were interesting to me. 😅 It was my first day riding out in Tokyo & I felt like I was fighting for my damn life. 🤣

(me in my head: I have this in Animal Crossing ⛩️)