Kamaku-ra

Yesterday we had an impromptu trip to Kamakura....since nothing had been planned, we didn't leave the house until near 11am, but we are now quite close, so got there in time for lunch - picking somewhere to eat in Kamakura without any "research" is always fun, but we chose one of those restaurants that advertise on boards all over the street - it was cheap (for a touristy spot) and filling, about 1000yen for 定食 with halfネギトロ丼halfしらす丼　for me　（J had いくら・さけ丼）some udon, a few bits of tempura and pickles. I gave K my noodles, and half my 丼, really only in the hope that I would have left room to pig out afterwards on the yummy snacks around, but as it turned out, we never really found a "yummy snacks" place...J and K shared some だんご but that was it. We walked up the main shopping street with all the touristy shops, then stopped by Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and gardens there, where K ran around the whole grounds. I had hoped it would tire her out, but she was still wide awake and asking for ice-cream (the bribe we used to get her to sit back in the pram) hours later still. So we went looking for a nice cafe kind of place that does お茶 - for some reason, whenever I go to temples or shrines or 祭り I just get the urge for 抹茶. But we can never find a nice place to have a 和 style coffee break. There was one joint that did ocha, and the gardens next to the Tsurugaoka shrine, but you had to pay to get into the gardens first, and welll that just wasn't what I was looking for. I remember a cool little 和cafe in Beppu, that had 和desserts, like やせうま　（which is just thick udon type noodles with kinako on it). That was the kinda place I was searching for. *sigh* Anyway, since we are so close now, I will be sure to research for next time in case J comes out with an impromptu "Let's go to Kamakura" again.

So in the end, we ended up at Mr Donuts near the station (I know, I know, was only there 2 days before, oops) and then caught the train home again, home by about 4pm. It was a nice day of ぶらぶら, but I was a bit worn out by the end. And I slept WELL last night, as did K who missed her nap, so was out to it by 8pm (early for her).

Also, it seems that I change my pronunciation of Japanese towns when talking in english, so K now says that we went to Kamakuuura, just like a foreigner, lol.