Kamakura, A Historical Guide

After living in Tokyo for 25 years, I decided ten years ago to make Kamakura my home. There, very slowly, full immersion into Japanese history did what all those years in Tokyo hadn’t. The doors of perception opened, I finally understood something about this country, and what you see is the result. None of the many guides I had read described the Kamakura and the Japan I saw in a way that made sense to me. So I wrote this, my first and maybe my last book. I wrote it because I thought it was needed, and it is the guidebook I wish I had when I arrived here. It consists of 258 pages and almost as many photos taken over the past decade.


Kamakura, A Historical Guide is actually two books in one. 


The first is indeed a step-by-step guide to Kamakura, one of the many former capitals of Japan. It will take you on a visit to 28 of my favorite temples, places I know very well. At least one of the guided tours—the second—is, as far as I know, original to me. About 180 pages long, the guide is interspersed with hundreds of links to different parts of the second book, which occupies the remaining 80 pages. I included several live maps from Google so that you always know where you are, and to help you find restaurants, toilets, cafes, and more.


The second book is an introduction to the part of Japan that is immortal. Japan's history, spirituality, art and architecture as I understand them. You may enjoy this part, even if you have no intention to visit Kamakura.


In the appendix, assorted info about trains, buses, cafés, museums, restaurants, convenience stores, wifi hotspots, and even public toilets.


Beneath both books lies the idea that you can understand neither Japan, nor Kamakura if you do not know about a great catastrophe, the wave of brutal anti-Buddhist violence that hit full-force the whole country from 1868 to 1871, destroying forever much of the country’s cultural heritage and countless lives, only to be almost completely forgotten in its aftermath.