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People walk toward Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a Shinto shrine in Kamakura, Japan, May 21, 2020. The shrine was originally built in 1063.

People walk toward Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a Shinto shrine in Kamakura, Japan, May 21, 2020. The shrine was originally built in 1063. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

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KAMAKURA, Japan — This small coastal city about an hour south of Tokyo is among Japan’s most popular tourist destinations.

Kamakura is in Kanagawa prefecture, one of the few areas in country to remain under a state of emergency because of the coronavirus pandemic. Five new cases were confirmed in Kanagawa on Sunday, according to the Mainichi newspaper.

The prefecture counts several U.S. military installations as its neighbors, including Yokosuka Naval Base, Naval Air Facility Atsugi and Camp Zama.

Home to The Great Buddha of Kamakura, a massive bronze statue completed in 1252, Kamakura was once the nation’s de facto capital and boasts an abundance of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.

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