Kamakura Japan: Buddha, beaches, and badasses

I had my first meditation experience in Kyoto during college. I was sitting still in total silence, possibly for the first time in my life, mesmerized by snowflakes falling in the zen rock garden Ryonanji. Our intrepid Professor Braulick of St. Olaf took the initiative to offer the first study abroad to Japan from a Minnesota college. Had it not been for those miraculous moments on a freezing January day when 24 college kids managed to simultaneously shut up and appreciate the rare treat of having a World Heritage Site to ourselves, I wouldn’t be writing this.

I managed to return to Kyoto some years later during peak season when I was working in Japan, back in the 1990’s. It was disappointing and about as “mystical” as Epcot Center. Throngs of tourists elbowing to the front for photos–and that was before the selfie.

On my last trip to Japan, I passed on Kyoto for reasons of crowds, cost, and time. Moreover, my teen traveling companion was more interested in pop-culture than high culture. That said, we did visit another ancient capital, this one much closer to Tokyo. Often heralded as “The Kyoto of the East,” is Kamakura a smaller, laid-back Kyoto?

Either way, Kamakura makes for a great stop on your itinerary:

1. It’s where zazen, seated Zen meditation first took hold in Japan.  During the Warring States period, a monk named Eisai was troubled by Japanese Buddhism’s taking a violent extremeist turn. . He traveled to China in 1199 to study a more practical, less religious style of Buddhism known as Chan or Zen in Japanese. He brought the practice back to Kyoto initially, but faced  pushback from other sects.  Along with his Buddhist scrolls, a pivotal souvenir Eisai brought was tea seeds. His opportunity came whle visiting Kamakura (the Capital of Japan at the time), and Shogun Hojo fell ill with what sounds like a wicked hangover. Eisai gained an audience with the Shogun to present a curing cuppa and the rest, they say, is history. After the Shogun passed away, Eisai was sponsored to build Jufukuji with the full support of the warrior class who appreciated the mind-sharpening meditation of Zen Buddhism. In fact, the words Chan / Zen are derived from dhyana, which is a Sanskrit word for meditation. Why so many parallels between Yoga and Buddhism? Because before the Buddha was a Buddha, he was a Yogi. While Jufukuji isn’t really open to the public, there are 4 other Zen temples in town and most offer Zen meditation. So why not trade in a little looky-lou time for some actually-do time?

2. Kamakura is a samurai town. When the Mongols were set to invade in the late 1200’s, the court of high-maintenance aristocrats in Kyoto would have caved and Japan would be part of China! The tough guy Samurai of Kamakura were the ones who rallied resistance with their southern flank in Kyushu to defend the country. They sent a strong message by beheading the Mongol navy seal team. Then, the “divine wind,” or kamikaze turned up in the nick of time to wipe out the other 150,000 invaders.

3. Kamakura has the same layout as Kyoto since the Daimyo (lord) who designed it was born in Kyoto. It follows all the principles of Chinese geo-design. Watch out: evil enters from the NorthEast and must be balanced in the SouthWest. 

4. Kamakura has a smaller version of Araishiyama, the “Bamboo Forest” area of Kyoto. It’s at Hokokuji temple where you can enjoy a lovely matcha overlooking not only the bamboo grove, but the ocean as well—with far fewer crowds.

5. You can stay on THE BEACH!! Besides being the epicenter of Zen, Kamakura is minutes away from Shonan Coast, ground zero for surfing in Japan. Stay in Fujisawa and get a taste of Japanese Beach Life and take the cute Enoden train to Kamakura. Surfing started on the Shonan in the 60’s, introduced by the US military stationed in nearby Atsugi. I enjoyed eavesdropping on a teenager in McDontalds arguing on the phone with his Dad about why the day was better for surfing than chores. BTW, don’t write off McDonalds, it’s where the local cool kids hang, especially on a Saturday morning before hitting the beach. Bonus: You can also visit the island shrine of Enoshima. You’re not trying to see all the temples/shrines, just the best examples of each type. You can also enjoy the view of Enoshima and Mt. Fuji (on a clear day) made famous by the woodblock artist Hokusai.

    

   

   

6. The Great Buddha at Kamakura is amongst the best big bronze Buddhas (more beautiful than Nara’s, which may be more famous). It was cast in the 1300’s and has survived all sorts of calamities, including earthquakes, floods, and fires. What didn’t survive: the hall that encased it. Finally, it was left out in the open, so you can get a good look at it. Rudyard Kipling even wrote a poem about it, with stanzas appearing in one of my favorite books, Kim

   

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Indeed, we “feel the soul of all the East” in Kamakura and in Japan. So much of Asia has washed up on its shores, like sea glass. The origins are distant yet familiar, cloudy yet with some discernable details. The edges have been refined by a people who believe in perfecting everything from serving tea to handing out business cards. My proudest homeschooling moment was reading this longtime favorite poem of mine on the train with my daughter enroute to see the statue. No trip to Japan is complete without a visit to Kamakura and the Shonan coast–both are part of the YogaHotDish Japanic! Retreat: Finding Peace in Chaos.

And whoso will, from Pride released,
Contemning neither creed nor priest,
May feel the Soul of all the East
About him at Kamakura.

A tourist-show, a legend told,
A rusting bulk of bronze and gold,
So much, and scarce so much, ye hold
The meaning of Kamakura

~ Rudyard Kipling