During my first week of studying abroad in Japan, I joined a walking tour of Kamakura
led by Professor Alexander Vesey, an expert in Japanese Buddhist Cultural and Social History.
Kamakura is approximately an hour south of Tokyo and is home to many Zen Buddhist temples
and Shinto shrines. The beautiful city was a short, ten-minute train ride from my home
university, Meiji Gakuin University. In Kamakura, we visited Kenchoji, the first fully Zen
monastery in Japan, Ennoji, a temple dedicated to Emma, the main judge of the dead, and the
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.
Kenchoji was a large and striking monastery, influenced by Japanese and Chinese
culture. Professor Vesey explained that many of the trees and plants originated from China and
were brought by the temple’s first head priest, who was from China. He emphasized that many
Japanese temples were heavily influenced by Chinese priests.
Ennoji was a much smaller temple, mainly consisting of a single hall for prayer. The walls
were lined with statues of the Ten Kings, demon attendants, and guardian deities, while Emma,
the King of Hell, sat prominently at the front. Professor Vesey explained that the statues
represented figures who judge deceased souls and determine their rebirth. His explanation
reminded me of a paper I wrote in Professor Wosick’s Sociology of Death & Dying course at
UCI. For the paper, I researched the death system in Japan and read about Japanese beliefs in
the afterlife and reincarnation. Connecting my coursework from UCI to my experiences in Japan
made the tour especially meaningful.
Our final stop on the tour was Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, a popular and significant
Shinto Shrine in the region. At the shrine, we gave offerings and prayed at the main hall. The
shrine was busy with tourists and locals alike, highlighting the importance of the shrine for
Japanese people and those interested in their culture.
Professor Vesey’s tour of Kamakura was an incredibly insightful experience and
highlighted the importance of the region both in the past and present. I highly recommend it to
any student studying abroad at Meiji Gakuin University. He hosts a version of this walking tour
each semester for international students
