Kamakura – the Beautifully Scenic First Shogunate Capital

Take a train heading south from Tokyo for about 1 hour and you will get to Kamakura, the old Shogunate capital of Japan. MINAMOTO no Yoritomo, who became the first Shogun in Japan, created a Kamakura shogunate in order to carry out his political aims. From that time, Kamakura became a center of politics and economics but its power gradually waned when the Minamoto clan fell from power after Yoritomo’s death. Kamakura has seen all the ups and downs of the country’s history, yet still shines with an old-style atmosphere.

Go outside from the east exit of Kamakura station and you will see the local shopping street called “Komachi dori.” On both sides of the street is a string of Japanese sweet shops, cafes, general stores, pickle and baked rice cracker shops. You can easily forget how time flies while walking through the shopping streets. In weekends, the street becomes crowded with tourists.

Komachi dori runs side-by-side with the approach that leads to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Each side of the approach is lined with souvenir shops and businesses selling specialty goods from Kamakura. The areas surrounding Hachimangu and its approach have much to offer including must-see sightseeing spots such as historical temples and shrines with old-style atmospheres. Rickshaws that run around the areas are very popular among young people and foreign tourists.

Yoritomo had built the city of Kamakura centered on Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Yoritomo re-established Hachimangu as the guardian god of Minamoto clan. Kamakura Museum is inside the shrine grounds, as well as Genji pond where egrets live and where you may see white pigeons, the symbol of peace, flying. Shrine rituals such as yabusame and court dances and music are still performed today at the shrine.

Yabusame is the shooting of arrows by samurai while riding horses. This is one of a number of historical shrine rituals that are still carried out by the shrine even today in many places in Japan. Resplendent in beautiful Japanese clothes dating from ancient times, the sight in which shooters fire off arrows with loud encouraging voices brings back images of the brave samurai. The event draws a huge crowd.

See Red Ocean Sunset from Train
Walking back to Kamakura station under the ‘tunnel’ of blooming sakura (cherry blossom) in spring on the shrine’s approach, you will find a traditional tram car, the Enoshima Dentetsu, otherwise called the ‘Enoden,’ that starts its route at the station. Running through Inamuragasaki and Shichirigahama on the Shonan coast, the Enoden connects Kamakura to Fujisawa station. The train’s green body has had a warm place in the hearts of many people for a long time. On clear days, Sagami bay is a spectacular view, and the evening sun is beautiful when it sets. Taking the Enoden line is a must-do experience in Kamakura.

If you get off at Hase station on the Enoden line and walk for about 7 minutes, you will come across a temple called Koutokuin. Yes, this is the temple of the daibutsu, the big Buddha that is a symbol of Kamakura. You will probably feel overwhelmed by its 13.31 meter height that includes the base it is sitting on. This statue, the third biggest of its kind in Japan, may give you the impression that Buddha is listening to all the worries of the world and protecting us with a gentle smile. For over eight centuries, the Buddha has brought peace to the people.

Kamakura is also the city that created the careers of many literary men including Nobel prize winner, KAWABATA Yasunari, OSARAGI Jiro, AKUTAGAWA Ryunosuke, among others. These men held meetings, drank sake, and kept writing to support Japan’s literary world. Kawabata’s house still remains near the big Buddha.

If you leave from the west exit of Kamakura station and walk for about 15 minutes through the quiet residency, you will find the Zeniarai Benzaiten shrine. Minamoto no Yoritomo built this to save people from suffering from natural disasters. In time, people have believed that if you wash your money in the flowing water that wells up within, the money will double. The shrine is named after this belief. Washed money can be dried by the flames that burn nearby. A nearby cave adds to the mysterious atmosphere of the area and is one of the popular spots in the region.

Kamakura has many shops selling kimono and Japanese products that reflect the town’s time as the ancient capital. The city is also famous for wood carvings covered with Japanese lacquer known as Kamakura-bori (Kamakura carving.) The skills and elegance of the craftsmen who made these products shines. People learn how to carve as a hobby, and gifts produced using this skill are popular gifts among foreigners. On the other hand, even though Kamakura is known as Japan’s old capital, it is home to many stylish and modern shops as well. Specialty sweets and coffees, handmade soba, and udon noodles can also be tasted.

Over 800 years ago, aristocrats lived extravagantly in Kyoto. In desperation about aristocrat’s arrogant attitude towards the people, samurai of the Kanto area stood up and established a political base in Kamakura where they ruled and which was centered on the Shogun. Remains of Kamakura’s political history still abound in the area. As a genuine sightseeing spot close to Tokyo, Kamakura is always popular among tourists from all over the world.

In cooperation with Kamakura City, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

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