Eight Gods of Fortune
A typical Japanese would know that there are only 7 Gods of fortune. Thanks to Mark who is a fanatic of Shintoism and Buddhism who knows everything about deities and Gods from Amaterasu to the Gods of fortune, I learned that there are 8 Gods of fortune.
But more than that what is more amazing is to learn how guides work their wonder. Guide Mayumi Hasegawa who is our current number 1 guide in Tokyo is the perfect fit to do the job guiding Mark. Mayumi not only is very knowledgeable of Japanese history and religion, but she is a very passionate guide.
The best guiding traits you will ever experience from her.
- Itinerary is well planned.
- Her phasing depends on her customer (marks case is very fast phased).
- She leads very well.
- She never stopped providing information, be it while walking, in the station, in the train, while eating so on. She talks from morning till the end of the tour non stop. Not to mention Mark is not so talkative.
- You can see and feel that she is having fun and loves what she is doing. Which makes the member enjoy and smile the whole time. You feel like you are just touring with a friend.
- She minds and careful to her customers.
- She is very flexible and can adjust her itinerary easily to save time.
- Very energetic, having long walks, climbing stairs up and down, taking the clients pictures, you will never see and feel she is tired.
GUIDE: Mayumi
EXPERIENCE: 長年塾講師、英会話スクール講師として勤務する傍ら、品川ＳＧＧクラブにてボランティアガイドとして活動。2016年2月通訳案内士登録済。国内旅行業務取扱管理者資格保有。各種エキジビションで通訳経験あり。
CUSTOMER: Mark
NATIONALITY: American
TOUR TITLE: Exploration of the world of Seven Lucky Gods in Kamakura plus Great Buddha and beach
LOCATION: Enoshima and Kamakura, Japan
OVERVIEW: I found that people who have already been to the major temples and shrines in Kamakura would like to explore deeper attraction of this historic town. To pay a visit to the seven lucky gods is one of the best ways to learn more about Japanese belief as well as samurai history. As elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, and native reliefs merged to create a syncretistic fusion of religion in Japan, they are the gods believed to bring good fortune. Actually, there are temples and shrines that enshrine the seven lucky gods nationwide. The custom of shichifukujin-mode, where people pay a visit to the seven gods around the time of the New Year is popular in Japan. But visiting the seven lucky gods in Kamakura is popular throughout the year. Why not experience the mysterious world of the unique belief? I'm sure you'll appreciate hidden attractions of Kamakura.
ITINERARY:
08:00 AM Meet at the lobby of Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu
Then take Keikyu Line from Haneda that leaves at 8:30.
10:00 AM Enoshima Usually we can see the beautiful Mt Fuji from Enoshima. The sight from Enoshima is amazingly beautiful at that to me of the year.Enoshima Shrine is dedicated to one of the three most famous Benzaiten in Japan
11:10 AM Goryo-jinja Shrine5-min walk from Hase Station, which is dedicated to Fukurokuju
11:30 AM Hasedera Templefor Daikokuten
12:00 PM **Great Buddha(Kotoku-in)**Kotoku-in Temple is close from Hasedera Temple
12:30 PM LunchThere are some good restaurants that offer Vegetarian dishes in the neighborhood of Great Buddha. Let's choose one of them.
01:30 PM Beach Let's drop by the beach and touch the ocean before taking Eno-den train from Hase station.
02:00 PM Kamakura station It takes 7 minutes to Hongakuji Temple for Ebisu-ten from the station.
02:30 PM Myoryu-ji Templefor Juro-jin, the god of longevity
02:50 PM Hokai-ji Templefor bishamon-ten
03:15 PM Tsurugaoka Hachimangu The most important shrine in Kamaura, which has Hataage- Benzaiten.In Kamakura Seven Lucky Gods, we have two benzai-ten and have to visit both of them.
04:00 PM Jochi-ji TempleOne of my most favorite shrines in Kamakura. This peaceful and tranquil temple has Hotei-sama in the cave.
04:40 PM Leave Kita-kamakura station Kita-Kamakura station is 10-min walk from Jochi-ji Temple
06:00 PM Finish Tour
