Just a 60-minute drive from Tokyo — the maple leaves at Kamakura’s Great Buddha have turned red

▲ The Great Buddha’s face reflected in the red leaves.

Reported and photographed by You T-Ru / Japan

As autumn arrives, temperatures across Taiwan have also turned colder. In Kamakura, a 60-minute drive from Tokyo, Japan, recent temperatures have also dropped below 10 degrees Celsius. At the famous Kamakura Great Buddha site, the maple leaves are beginning to turn red. After being blown by the cold wind, the leaves in front of the Great Buddha shift from green to red. Upon entering the grounds, the interplay of red and green creates a scene as vibrant as the transition between summer and autumn.

 
▲ Upon entering the grounds, the interplay of red and green creates a scene as vibrant as the transition between summer and autumn.

The Kamakura Great Buddha is housed at Kotoku-in, located in Hase, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is a temple of the Buddhist Jōdo (Pure Land) sect, and its revered “Kamakura Great Buddha” stands 13.35 meters tall, cast in bronze — the second tallest in Japan after the Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji in Nara. Historical records indicate that the Great Buddha was once enshrined inside a temple building, but it was later exposed to the elements after a tsunami destroyed the structure. This Great Buddha retains the iconic features of the Kamakura period, including its flat face, low usnisa (protuberance on the head), reclining posture, and proportions, all of which contribute to its deep reverence among the Japanese people.

As you approach Kotoku-in, the Kamakura Great Buddha’s majestic presence becomes clearer, transitioning from a distant silhouette to a vivid bronze figure. Its sacred and solemn aura stands firm like a mountain, offering a sense of inner peace. Visiting Kotoku-in during the transition from summer to autumn, you’ll find many of the temple’s maple leaves turning into vivid crimson and golden yellow hues. Strolling through the grounds and soaking in the crisp autumn atmosphere, with the dignified visage of the Great Buddha nearby, makes for a truly seasonal spectacle.

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