Kamakura

Kamakura was the site of the first shōgunate – the Kamakura shōgunate, a military dictatorship – which effectively governed Japan for nearly a century and a half, from the end of the twelfth century to the beginning of the fourteenth.

Today it’s a tourist spot, beach destination, and attractive Tokyo suburb just an hour by train from Shinjuku station.

Many buildings are still used for ceremonies today. The most significant buildings are not “preserved” – left untouched – in the sense they might be in the west. Preserved buildings exposed to the elements for generations eventually deteriorate. Instead, the buildings are actively maintained using the same techniques with which they were originally built. Building materials crumble, but building practices can be indefinitely maintained. One way out of the problem framed by the Ship of Theseus.

It had been overcast all day, but the first rain hit while we were inside one of the temples. We waited it out while admiring the grounds through windows that looked as if they had been placed there simply to offer the most pleasing views of the surroundings.

The rain let up and we continued our tour.

Our plan was to hike through a little mountain pass between two temple areas, one near Kamakura station and the other near Kita-Kamakura station.

By the time we made it to the pass, the rain had come back as a steady drizzle.

As we were making it to the other side, the rain picked up and I put away my camera. We had rain jackets, but we picked up umbrellas at a Seven Eleven upon reentering civilization.