Kamakura

At the end of  World Congress of Cardiology conference we joined a tour of Japan for a week. Starting from Tokyo we first visited Kamakura  on our way to Hakone. It is one of the ancient Japan’s capital along with Nara and Kyoto. 

Our first visit to Kamakura was like that of most first-time visitors. We went to see the Great Buddha — immense, calm, and unforgettable. At that time, Kamakura meant only that statue to us. We did not yet know how much more the place held.

What brought us back to Kamakura ?

A doctor friend of ours suggested for us to go to Kamakura for teaching at Shonan Kamakura hospital. This connection continued for several years. It was a private hospital. It belonged to Tokushukai group of hospitals scattered all over Japan. This also became a reason for us to wander over many cities in Japan.

Later, Kamakura entered our lives again — this time through my husband’s professional work at a well-known private hospital. This changed everything. We returned not once, but many times, and slowly Kamakura revealed itself to us.

What stayed with me most was how deeply nature and spirituality are intertwined in Kamakura. Temples do not dominate the landscape; they submit to it. Trees, hills, flowers, and changing seasons are as important as statues and buildings.

After many visits, Kamakura no longer felt like a sightseeing destination. It became familiar, almost intimate. We visited temples without urgency, sometimes returning to the same ones, simply to sit or walk, not to ‘see’.

While my husband taught and worked in these hospitals, I discovered the landscapes around them — hills, rivers, local temples, markets, and streets where daily life unfolded without spectacle.

Looking back, it feels less like a series of trips and more like a long acquaintance with the country. Hospitals became anchors, and from them spread countless walks, train rides, and quiet observations that remain with me even now.

Without that first hospital in Kamakura, we might never have known so much of Japan beyond its famous names. What began as professional work became one of the richest travel experiences of my life.

Kamakura is a beautiful historical city in Kanagawa Prefecture, known for its rich samurai history, Zen temples, and coastal scenery. It was the political center of Japan during the Kamakura period (1185–1333), when the shogunate ruled the country. Today, it is a popular day-trip destination from Tokyo, offering a mix of history, culture, and nature.

Called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan, Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines and other historical monuments. It has many Buddhist Zen temples and Shinto shrines. Its most recognisable landmark is the Kotoku-in Temple’s Great Buddha, a roughly 13m-high bronze statue still standing after a 15th-century tsunami. 

• Engaku-ji Temple – A beautiful Zen temple with a tranquil atmosphere, built to honor those who died in the Mongol invasions.with its monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha, is the most famous atraction. A 15th-century tsunami destroyed the temple that once housed the Great Buddha, but the statue survived and has remained outdoors ever since. This iconic Daibutsu is arguably amongst the few images which have come to represent Japan in the world's collective imagination.

Kamakura also hosts the so-called Five Great Zen Temples (the Kamakura Gozan).

After this visit in 1978, much later in year 2003 and following that for several years we had the opportunity to go to Kamakura and a few other town in the area to  teach at a group of private hospitals.

During these visits we stayed at a small hotel conveniently located near Ofuna station. From here it was very convenient to go to many places including Tokyo. Also just outside the station there were many buses going to many interesting sites all over Kamakura. 

This gave me a great opportunity to visit all famous temples and shrines. I can enumerate many places we visited. And I continued to go repeatedly to my favourite places.

These include temples 

1. Kotoku-in temple with Bronze statue of Great Buddha  located out doors.

   
   

2. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

   
   

3. Engakuj

   
   

4. Hokokuji Temple

   
   

5. Kenchoji Temple 

   
   

6. Jochiji

   
   

7. Kuzuharaoka Daibutsu Hiking Trail [Jochiji Entrance]

   
   

8. Kotokuin Temple

   
   

9. Hasedera Temple

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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1. Kotoku-in temple (Daibutsu)

Most famous is the Kotoku-in temple with Bronze statue of Great Buddha  located out door. This monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha, is the most famous. A 15th-century tsunami destroyed the temple that once housed the Great Buddha, but the statue survived and has remained outdoors ever since. This iconic Daibutsu is arguably amongst the few images which have come to represent Japan in the world's collective imagination.According to temple records, the statue dates from around 1252 CE, in the Kamakura period. It is now designated as a National Treasure of Japan.

2. Tsuruoga Hachimangu Shrine is another most famous site. It is most important Shinto shrine in Kamakura, dedicated to Hachiman, the patron deity of samurai.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is a cultural center of the city of Kamakura and serves as the venue of many of its most important festivals with two museums. It was founded by Minamoto Yoriyoshi in 1063, and enlarged and moved to its current site in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura government.

The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family and of the samurai in general. The deified spirits of the ancient Emperor Ojin who has been identified with Hachiman, Hime-gami and Empress Jingu are enshrined at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

3. Engakuj is one of the leading Zen temples in eastern Japan and the number two of Kamakura's five great Zen temples. A beautiful Zen temple with a tranquil atmosphere, built to honor those who died in the Mongol invasions.
   

   

4. Kenchō-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture.

   And it ranks first among Kamakura's so-called Five Great Zen Temples and is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan. These temples were at the top of the Five Mountain System, a network of Zen temples started by the Hōjō Regents

   
   

   Kenchoji is the number one of Kamakura's five great Zen temples. The oldest Zen temple in Kamakura, Kenchoji was founded by the ruling regent Hojo Tokiyori in 1253 during the Kencho Era after which it was named. Its first head priest was a priest from China.

   
   

   Although considerably smaller than during its heydays, Kenchoji still consists of a large number of temple buildings and subtemples, and stretches from the entrance gate at the bottom of the valley far into the forested hills behind. After passing through the Sanmon main gate, visitors will see Kenchoji's temple bell (Bonsho), designated a national treasure, on their right.

   
   

   

   
   

5. If you follow the path and stairways for another 15-20 minutes into the hills behind Kenchoji's main grounds, you will eventually arrive at the Hansobo, a shrine for the protection of Kenchoji. There you will also find a small observation deck from which Mount Fuji can be seen on days with good visibility.If you climb even further (about another five minutes), you will reach a second observation deck with fine views over the entire temple grounds 100 meters below and the city of Kamakura. From there starts the Tenen hiking trail through the northern hills of Kamakura, which leads to Zuisenji Temple and takes about one hour to complete.

• Hasedera Temple – Famous for its statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, and hydrangea gardens.