November 11 – 14 2024, Japan. We had booked an Airbnb in the house of an older couple in Kamakura. We had some stressful times getting there, as Shawn misheard the name of a town on the metro platform, and we ended up going 1 1/2 hours out of our way. Luckily he figured it out, but not before we had a big misunderstanding. I was tired, and when he asked me something, I just walked up and down the platform to get rid of the stress. He misunderstood, and ended up writing down the stops on a napkin, telling me I could get through Japan on my own. I was floored. Having been abandoned by travel companions in the past, I got very scared and asked him to reconsider. He was in a terrible mood, which didn’t improve for some time. I mentally prepared to be on my own.

It was evening when caught the Enoden- Enoshima electric railway to the Shichigirahama train station near Enoshima. We were in search of the Airbnb, and had a big hill to climb. I carried my bags, worried that one more insult would drive Shawn over the edge. We got lost several times, but finally arrived at what seemed like the house. We knocked and were greeted by the mother of the host. She welcomed us and offered us tea and a snack. She held up a large hand drawn welcome poster, and she conversed with Shawn. I could only smile and thank her in Japanese, but felt her warmth and kindness. Finished with the meal, we hauled our things upstairs. We had two rooms upstairs, one for sleeping and the other for eating and storing. As usual, Shawn and I were at odds about fresh air. He is skinny as a rail and gets cold when the wind blows. I am more robust, and menopausal. Say no more. But we were beat and grateful to have found the place. Without ceremony, we hit the sack.

The next day was going to be jam packed. Shawn wanted to see the Hasedera Buddhist Temple, founded in 736 during the Nara period, and there were a host of other temples and shrines to see. We took the train a few stops toward Kamakura and got out near the temple. It was cold and rainy, but no matter. My layers and windbreaker were doing the job, and I had a small umbrella. The temple grounds were stunning. We wandered separately, and I enjoyed when we inevitably bumped into each other. Along a rock wall, I saw a small doorway and explored a series of caves through a tunnel like passage. The caves were full of small Buddhas. Outside there were tasteful gardens and a koi pond with a sōzu, a type of shishi-odoshi (“deer scarer”). I loved the rhythmic sound as it filled and dipped. The mossy stone steps beckoned, and I climbed along the hillside, appreciating the detail to plants and the small shrine along the way.

According to legend, in 721, the priest Tokudo Shonin found a massive camphor tree in Nara and commissioned two eleven-headed Kannon statues from it. One statue remained in Nara (Hasedera Temple in Nara), while the other was cast into the sea with a prayer to wash ashore elsewhere to save people. After 15 years, the statue washed up on the Miura Peninsula and was moved to Kamakura, where the Hasedera temple was established to house it. I peeked into the temple, and could only see a giant gold-leafed shoe.

I entered and slowly my eyes adjusted. I craned my neck to see all 30 feet. I was tempted to take a photo of the giant Kannon, but refrained out of respect. After gazing at the behemoth eleven-headed Kannon for minutes, I made my way into an adjoining room, where I found a museum with history about the temple’s construction. I ran into Shawn outside on the terrace, and we looked out to sea. The view was stunning. On our walk down, Shawn spied a raccoon dog. I thought it was a mythical creature, as I’d only seen cartoon-like drawings on temple walls. I saw its tail as it scurried into the bush, and an acolyte gave a start upon seeing it. Shawn said he’d never seen one in the 10 years he lived in Japan. I appreciated that Hasadera was not only a sanctuary for the Kannon statue, but also for wildlife like the raccoon dog.

Outside the temple gates I found an anachronism: the Kamakura Music Box Museum. The word museum was a misnomer. They sold music boxes of every conceivable type. Something like a Hello Kitty Disney store next to a centuries old Buddhist temple. Somehow Japan manages to hold such contrasts gracefully.

We had seen an interesting building from the train and wanted to investigate. Shawn as usual was hungry and hoped it served repast. We found our way to WITH Kamakura, which looked like an old Japanese traditional house. My hunch was correct. We learned that it is a renovated 220-year-old Gassho-style farmhouse relocated from Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture. It features an exhibition space to enjoy art, a café with a view of a garden that reflects the changing seasons, a gallery, a pop-up store, and utility spaces that can be used for screenings and workspaces. I ordered a fish dish. Delicious. If I lived in Kamakura, I’d come here daily. Lovely garden, beautiful ambience, and delicious food.

Shawn had suggested we hike a trail that passed several shrines and temples, including two beautiful Shinto Shrines, Sasuke Inari and Zeniarai Benten Shrines. Sasuke Inari Shrine is populated with statues of kitsune (white fox), messengers of Inari, the kami of rice and agriculture. On further investigation, I found that in ancient times the fox itself was revered as the kami of rice. According to legend, Inari, a female Kami, came to Japan during a harsh famine that struck the land. She descended riding a white fox, and carrying sheaves of grain. Ine, the word now used for rice, was the word for a cereal that grew in swamps. Foxes running wild in rice-fields might have inspired the idea of Inari as they seemed to inspect the crops. To show their gratitude the farmers offered red rice and fried bean curd to the foxes.

I had been hiking the trail when I spied Sasuke Inari Shrine below. I descended a steep path to the main temple, a kind of back door. I loved the thousands of kitsune statues, and walked the path, ending by descending through the hundreds of red torii. From there I walked to Zeniarai Benten, an 11th-century Shinto shrine with a spring for ritual money-washing believed to increase wealth. I ran into Shawn on the trail, and we walked together to the shrine. We entered through a tunnel, and spied a large cave where people were putting bills into baskets and scooping water over them. The object of worship is a syncretic kami that fuses a traditional spirit called Ugafukujin with the Buddhist goddess of Indian origin Sarasvati, known in Japanese as Benzaiten. The shrine is one of the minority in Japan that still shows the fusion of native religious beliefs and foreign Buddhism (the so-called shinbutsu shūgō), which was normal before the Meiji restoration.

According to the sign at the entrance, Zeniarai Benzaiten was founded in 1185 by Minamoto no Yoritomo, first of the Kamakura shōguns. He had dreamt that Ugafukujin, the kami of this land, told him that “In a valley to the northwest, there is a miraculous spring that gushes out of the rocks. Go there and worship (Shinto) kami and (Buddhist) hotoke, and peace will come to the country. Yoritomo reportedly found the spring and built a shrine for Ugafukujin, whose symbol is a snake with a human head.

There were a myriad of forest paths to choose, and Shawn suggested we walk the Tenen hiking trail, which starts from Kencho-ji and passes by Engaku-ji. Zuisen-ji is at the end of this trail, the perfect conclusion of a hike in the hills and valleys north of Kamakura. On the way we met an Australian woman who was in Japan for a few days, and had decided to take a hike in Kamakura. I was eager to get to the trail’s end before dark, and took off at a gallop after chatting for a few minutes. Shawn stayed behind and walked at her pace. I passed many yagura, ancient rock-cut tombs and meditation caves and wondered who had sat or been buried there.

Zuisen-ji was founded in 1327 at the end of the Kamakura period. Its founder, Muso Kokushi, was a Buddhist monk and writer, famous for designing Zen gardens. He had designed the small pond and cave to the right of the temple, which together with the small rock garden, have been designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty of Japan. Two little wooden bridges connect the small pond to a path climbing up in the hills representing the link between the different elements of nature. The wooden buildings, partly hidden by the vegetation, are simple but elegant. I loved the labyrinth of trails through the garden, located in front of the L-shaped buildings on the temple. The Hondo or main hall shelters a large statue of Jizo Bosatsu, protector of children and travelers. Other smaller Buddhist statues are laid out next to it.

What a peaceful spot! Shawn emerged from the Tenen hiking trail 10 minutes later, and we both walked around the site, taking in the natural beauty. The sun was setting, and the sunlight glinted on the tops of the mountains surrounding this protected valley. It was a magical spot, and I was so glad we had made the trek here. It had been an excellent choice by Shawn. We walked down to the main town and walked through the heart of the city along Komachi-dori, looking for a place to eat. It seemed that all the places were either full or closed, which was amazing given that it boasts over 250 shops, restaurants, and snack vendors. We finally found a fast food venue and was forced by hunger to capitulate. We walked home and prepared for the next day.

This was our full last day in Kamakura. We headed first to the main part of town, where I came upon a Christmas fair. They were selling handmade items related to the holiday, and I purchased a pine cone bear made of wool that I have to this day. Adorable! I poked my head into a couple of interesting shops, including a home that seemed a boutique for women’s clothes. There were several bikes in the yard (the customers had come by bike), and group of a few friends were talking with the seamstress who owned the place. It was cozy and welcoming, and made a singular impression. I would not forget how cool Kamakura was.

We headed out of town to investigate more Zen temples. Shawn had made a list of the most popular ones, as well as his favorites. We had seen Engaku-ji, Kencho-ji, and Zuisen-ji the day before, so headed to Hokoku-ji, Jochi-ji, and Jufuku-ji. Hōkoku-ji is an old temple in the Kenchō-ji school of the Rinzai sect of Zen. Famous for its bamboo garden, it is also known as “Bamboo Temple”. A statue of Gautama Buddha, called Shaka Nyorai in Japanese, in a sacred hall is the temple’s principal image. Jochi-ji was a peaceful temple nestled in the Kita-Kamakura known as one of the five great Zen temples, and had a tranquil ambience and beautiful bamboo forest. Jufuku-ji had a quiet approach and beautiful, serene atmosphere, surprising given its location near the city center. It is considered the third of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples.

We spent the rest of the day wandering through the forest trails to discover more hidden temples and shrines. I loved being in Kamakura, and made a note to come back one day. Apparently there were cheap houses on the market all over Japan, and I fantasized about living here, at least part time. Even without knowing Japanese, it felt plausible.