Day 2 of the business trip.
I had set my alarm for 7 AM, but as you get older, you wake up earlier, so both of us were up after 6 AM. We were so quick to get ready that there was nothing to do, so we decided to head out early!
And we departed at 7 AM.
The bad weather from yesterday was like a lie; it was a clear and refreshing morning.
Today we're heading to Kamakura.
It's been 30 years since I was in Yokohama, but this is my first time in Kamakura!
Surprisingly, it's N's first time too!
Oh man, I'm just so excited.
We arrived.
Oh, so this is the famous Komachi-dori...
As it was still early, there were few people around, and the shops weren't open yet.
We decided to head to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, which I really wanted to visit, while it was still quiet!
It was the one place I wanted to go to most in Kamakura.
Ohh!
Oooohh!!
For us, who watched "The 13 Lords of the Shogun," this is just incredible.
On these stairs...!
Would an assassin hide there? Our conversation continued non-stop.
It was a large precinct, but we took our time looking around.
I'm so glad we came.
After all that excitement early in the morning, I was hungry.
Time for a meal.
A leisurely breakfast in a stylish house.
Pure bliss.
It was my first time having pancakes with lemon, but it's a perfect match!
I feel a little guilty enjoying such delicious food by ourselves (though not really), but to everyone in Hiroshima, it's alright.
I later found out there's the same store in HiroPa lol.
Please do visit.
We stopped by to visit DAILY by LONG TRACK FOODS inside here.
When in Kamakura, Hato Sabure! (Pigeon Sable)
The main store had limited edition goods and was a very enjoyable place.
There was a line at Kurumikko's Beniya Hachimangu Main Store nearby, so we gave up on entering.
By this time, the number of people had increased dramatically, and since we still had some time, we decided to go see the Great Buddha!
Boom.
Unlike the Great Buddha in Nara, being outdoors gives it a different kind of power.
This place was also packed with inbound tourists. It was hard to get a good picture.
Of course, there were many Japanese visitors too, and the comment I overheard about the Great Buddha stayed with me:
"Even the Great Buddha has a straight neck."
Suddenly, I felt a connection.
After circling the Great Buddha, we still had time, so we walked to Hasedera Temple.
Of course, this place also had many foreign visitors.
I hadn't expected to come this far and had no prior knowledge, but the lighting for Japan's largest wooden Bodhisattva was magnificent and impressive.
While I was doing that, it was time.
Actually, I didn't come to Kamakura for sightseeing.
I came for the first-ever TOWAVASE exhibition in Kamakura!
We took a bus from the "Daibutsu-mae" bus stop and headed to the designer's home, which was the venue.
The newly renovated house was absolutely lovely. It's a dream home.
The fixtures and lighting were all so tastefully chosen; I wish I could live in a house like this!
It matched the world of TOWAVASE so well that you could almost forget you were in Japan.
As I was getting excited again, they kindly offered us a meal and cider!
Quite some time had passed since the pancakes, and we were just starting to feel a little hungry, so we were overjoyed.
And everything was so delicious!
Thank you very much.
Since last year, TOWAVASE has changed its system to showcase and allow orders for a full year's collection at once, instead of every six months.
So there's a large number of items, and it's quite a sight to behold.
There were many classic items, as well as new designs and fabrics, so we delayed our return bus by one to take a thorough look.
I'm sure you all want to see it too, right?
And guess what? Right now, we're holding an exhibition at CRÉER where you can see all the samples!
I apologize to those far away, as we can only show them at our Hiroshima store, but if you live nearby, please do come and visit.
It's being held until tomorrow, March 29th (Saturday).
I'm thinking of placing a personal order for a vest and linen pants!
For more details, please see here: →TOWAVASE 2025 Autumn/Winter & 2026 Spring/Summer Exhibition at CRÉER
We returned to Yokohama and boarded the Shinkansen.
When in Yokohama, it has to be this!
I had Kiyoken's Shumai Bento for the first time in a while, and it was even more delicious than I remembered.
I want to eat it again.
I seemed to be eating a lot, but it was a great exhibition nonetheless.
I sincerely thank the designer and staff for their warm welcome.
Finally, I'd like to dedicate this image to staff member Y, who loves Disney, and conclude.
This is something that doesn't run in Hiroshima.
Day 1 here →Tokyo Business Trip ~ Tokyo Yokohama Edition