T h e 1s t Practi cal T ou ri s m S tud y T ou r Rep ort
Vi s i t to K am ak u ra
In conjunction with the “Tourism Strategy Project”, which learns the big view andexpertise in tourism from prominent lecturers, the Tokyo Metropolitan Public
University Corporation occasionally conducts "Practical Tourism Study Tours" aimed atvisiting and touring actual sightseeing spots.
This year, which is the final year of the project, the influence of COVID-19
unprecedentedly blows the tourism industry which has been still in a tough situation.
Under these circumstances, we will conduct three tours to explore the possibility ofutilizing micro-tourism and technology, which are attracting attention as a newopportunity in the tourism industry.
Micro-tourism was proposed early by Mr. Yoshiharu Hoshino, CEO of Hoshino
Resorts, who will be invited as a lecturer at the 3rd Tourism Strategy Project and is
attracting attention as a way of tourism that strike a balance between the prevention ofinfection and the local economy. The ideal way of tourism in COVID-19 period is that“tourism should not be the cause of pandemic””, and there has been a movement invarious places to make local residents and neighbors enjoy areas where the risk ofinfection is low.
On Thursday, October 29, 2020, we visited Houkokuji Temple, Ichijo Ekan Sanso,Kenchoji Temple, and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine to learn the history and cultureof Kamakura. Kamakura is accessible from Tokyo in one hour, and it is a treasure troveof Japanese historical heritage and a model of micro-tourism.
Houkokuji Temple
Houkokuji Temple is one of the temples which belong to Kenchoji Temple of Rinzai
Sect, established by Tengan Eko (Butsujo Zenji) in 1334. It is said that Butsujo Zenjibuilt "Kyukoan" there and spent a quiet life such as practiced and absorbed in poetry in
his spare time.
The founder of this temple is the Ashikaga Ietoki (grandfather of Ashikaga Takauji),
but Uesugi Shigekane, the ancestor of the Takuma Uesugi family who had power in theMuromachi period, is also said to be involved in the founding of the temple. And it isalso the place of Ashikaga Kubou’ demise in the Kanto region. It is famous for moso
bamboo forest, which is said there are 1,000 bamboos since ancient times, and so it isalso called "Bamboo Temple".
After passing through the Yakuimon Gate, there is a gentle trail approach to the shrine.
To the right of the trail is a thatched-roof bell tower with a main temple its behind. In
the bamboo garden, there are exuberant thick and tall moso bamboos introduced from
China, and behind bamboos there are towers, tomb of Ashikaga Ietoki and Ashikaga
Yoshihisa. There is a "Kyukoan" in the bamboo forest, and you can enjoy matcha tea,
have a view of the bamboo garden, where the sun light passes through the trees.

Yakuimon Gate

Moso bamboo forest with 1,000 bamboos

Ichijo Ekan Sanso
It was run by Ichijo Ekan (Kaneto, Akiyoshi), the ninth son of Emperor Go-Yozei andcarried out as a Sessho (regent) and Kanpaku (chief adviser to the Emperor) twice.
There is a record that a tea ceremony was held in this mountain villa in 1646 about 370
years ago (early Edo period). Originally it was a guest house of the Ichijo family villabuilt in leafy mountain village located in Nishigamo area in Kyoto, and was dismantled
and reconstructed in Kamakura in 1959. Garden stones and dry garden style have also
been moved with the building at the same time . In 1964, it was designated as an
Important Cultural Property of Japan, and in 2017, the garden was opened to the public.

Garden of Ichijo Ekan Sanso

Kenchoji Temple
Kenchoji Temple, the sango (literally “mountain name”) is Kofukusan, and the official
temple name is Kencho Kokoku Zenji. The temple is the top of Kamakura’s Five GreatZen Temples (so called the Kamakura Gozan), and the head temple of Rinzai sectKenchoji. It was built in 1253 by Hojo Tokiyori, the fifth regent of the Kamakura
shogunate, and is the first Zen temple in Japan.
It is said that Rankei Doryu, who opened Kenchoji, introduced pure and strict Zen
form of Song Dynasty in China. The Kenchoji gathered many monks as a national Zen
sect, and once there were more than 1,000 monks as a place for learning Chinese
culture.
When you pass through the entrance, the Somon gate, a number of important culturalproperties such as Sanmon gate, Butsuden (Buddhist sanctum), Hatto (Sermon hall),
Karamon gate, and Temple bell, which are national treasures, are enshrined. And thegarden is designated as a historical place of scenery.
Kenchoji Temple - Sanmon gate

A garden designated as a historical place of scenery.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
The origin of Tsuruogaka Hachimangu Shrine began when Minamoto Yoriyoshi, theancestor of Minamoto Yoritomo who was the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, reenshrined the Kami from Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine in Kyoto. Yoriyoshi was a
devoted follower of Iwashizu Hachimangu, and enshrined Hachiman kami as the clan
deity of the Minamoto clan at Yuigahama in Kamakura.
In 1180, when Minamoto Yoritomo established the base of the shogunate inKamakura, the first samurai government, he moved the shrine associated with hisancestors to the present location and enshrined it. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu was reveredas the guardian deity of the shogunate, Kamakura and the eastern Japan.
The shogunate held important festivals such as Hojoe(horseback archery), Sumo andBugaku (traditional Japanese music and dance), which have been carried on to this day,in the grounds of the shrine. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu used to be the spiritual and social
center of the eastern Japan.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu has Main Shrine (Jogu) located on the middle of the Mount
Daijinyama and a Wakamiya (Gegu) located under the Great Stone Steps, and it has theform of upper and lower shrines. In 1191, the shrine was burned down in the fire, andafter that , it was reconstructed as it is today. The precincts are designated as national
historic sites, and many important cultural properties and national treasures areenshrined.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine - Main Shrine Roumon (Great Gate)

although that was a half-day tour and short time, we were able to rediscover the charmof Kamakura with a local guide. Micro-tourism is expected to develop new customers
and repeat customers by having local residents and neighbors discover the local charmand characteristic and being attached to it.
In the Tourism Strategy Project, we plan to conduct research on case examples of
micro-tourism activities in various regions, and to share them with you, so please lookforward to it.