Kamakura, Kanagawa

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Kamakura's location in Japan

Crowds of visitors in Kamakura
(Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine)

Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in

Kamakura (Japanese: 鎌倉市; -shi) is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan, about 50 km south-south-west of Tokyo (to which it is linked by the railway line to Yokosuka).

It is sometimes considered a former de facto capital of Japan, as the seat of the Regent and Shogunate during the Kamakura Period. According to The Institute for Research on World-Systems Kamakura was the 4th largest city in the world in 1250 A.D., with 200,000 people, and Japan's largest, eclipsing Kyoto by 1200 A.D.

As of December 1, 2005, the city has an estimated population of 171,241 and the density of 4,324.27 persons per km². The total area is 39.60 km².

Kamakura was designated as a city on November 3, 1939.

35°19′N, 139°33′E.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides and the open water of Sagami Bay on the fourth, Kamakura is a natural fortress. During the Heian period it was the chief city of the Kantō region, and from the 12th through 14th centuries the Minamoto shoguns ruled Japan from here under what is known as the Kamakura Shogunate.

Kamakura is now mainly known for its temples and shrines. Kōtoku-in, with the monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha, the most famous of these. A 15th Century tsunami destroyed the temple that once housed the Great Buddha, but the statue survived and has remained outdoors ever since. Magnificent Zen temples like Kencho-ji and Engaku-ji; the Tokei-ji (a nunnery that was a refuge for women who wanted to divorce their husbands); the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine; the Hase-dera, an ancient Kannon temple; the graves of Minamoto no Yoritomo and Hōjō Masako; and the Kamakura-gu where Prince Morinaga was executed, top the list of Kamakura's most famous historical and religious sites.

Kamakura has a beach which, in combination with the temples and the proximity to Tokyo, makes it a popular tourist destination. The city is well-provided with restaurants and other tourist-oriented amenities.

Kamakura is home to a microbrewery, the beer is available locally, bottled, and the range includes a pale ale, a pilsner style lager, and a stout. Information on these beers (in Japanese) can be found here http://www.kamakura-beer.co.jp/ Kamakura is also noted for its "senbei", which are crisp rice cakes, grilled and sold fresh along the main shopping street. These are very popular with tourists, especially Japanese tourists.

Kamakura is also the terminal for the Enoshima Electric Railway, locally known as "Eno-den". This traditional narrow gauge railway runs to Fujisawa, to the west, part of the route takes it parallel to the seashore.