Kamakura

Kamakura, originally uploaded by AdrielH.

Kamaura is a World Heritage site not far from Tokyo by bus or by train, full of temples and stunning landscapes and gardens. The city proper is also a bustling tourist trap full of trinkets, food, and the occasional gem of a shop selling custom carved goods, whistles or jewelry.
This year was my first trip to Kamakura, and I will be glad to go back with more time to poke around. There is a giant Buddha that I did not get to see on this visit, and it is definitely worth an all-day visit.
I you can get there when the sun is shining, the beauty of the gardens is absolutely incredible. The site pictured above is groups of temples and residences centered and hidden into a small valley carved into the bedrock. Many of the sites are as much as 900 years old.