The coastal town of Kamakura has one of the most famous Buddha figures in Japan. The Great Buddha of Kamakura is located on the grounds of the Kōtoku-in temple. At 13.35 metres, it’s the second tallest bronze Buddha in Japan.

Work kicked off in 1252. Originally, the statue was inside a wooden temple building and was covered in gold leaf. The building collapsed in 1334 and 1369, and was rebuilt both times. When a massive tsunami washed the building away in 1498, they gave up on plans for further restoration. Instead, the surrounding area was redesigned. Since then, the Buddha has been meditating outdoors.

The Great Buddha is about a 10-minute walk from Hase station, near the equally well-worth-seeing Hase-dera temple. Entry costs 300¥. For another modest 20¥, you can actually check out the inside of the statue. You can clearly see the 30 layers that the 121-tonne figure was cast from in there. An absolute engineering masterpiece when you think about how old it is.