Kamakura Mind
Partners
Kamakura Mind works with a number of partners and experienced bilingual guides who can provide authentic Japanese experiences.
Our partners are available to create new, unique experiences tailored to your needs.
Let us know if you have any requests or ideas here.
A prominent figure in Kamakura both within the Buddhist community and beyond. Priest at Jochi-ji Temple, one of the five major zen temples of Kamakura. Member of the Kamakura Education Committee. Secretary General of the “Pray Kamakura” Kamakura Religious Council, responsible for bringing Shinto, Buddhist, and Christian adherents in Kamakura together to pray for recovery and mourn following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Creator of “Eon Curry,” a slow-cooked curry that’s been featured in magazines.
Zazen
Eon Asahina
Small Title
Myooin
Director of the Onjakukai kaiseki group. Teaches seasonal Kaiseki cuisine, regional Japanese cuisine, Shojin Ryori Buddhist cuisine, and Sekku festival cuisine in addition to promoting Cha-kaiseki cuisine and developing regional produce and menus. She is responsible for many sake and cuisine pairings and teaching sake workshops at culture schools and other venues. <Certifications> Sake sommelier, shochu sommelier, sake instructor, sake distiller, SSI taster, cheese coordinator, ceremonial coordinator, Kinsa school Edo Kaiseki accredited instructor.
Cha-kaiseki,
Shojin Ryori Buddhist Cuisine
Ryoko Irie
Japanese wagashi sweets production and sales, wagashi classes, events, restaurant planning. Teaches courses from seasonal wagashi and simple introductions to making wagashi, to full-fledged master classes. Dedicated to passing on the tradition of making wagashi without the need for special tools or techniques.
Yuko Misonoi, CEO.
Original Wagashi
Temari
Professor of the Omotesenke school of tea ceremony. She began her practice inspired by her parents. A pupil of tea master, Sogo Yoshimizu, she owns her own tea house, Ryoushouken in Setagaya, Tokyo and teaches tea ceremony across the Kanto region. Vice president of Japanese Traditions Preservation Association. Organizes Omotesenke tea ceremony club at the Houan in Kita-Kamakura. She strives not only to preserve the traditional tea ceremony but also to spread the enjoyment of tea by offering classes allowing casual clothing and settings with tables and chairs.
Tea Ceremony
Southi Yokoyama
Kamakurabori Instructor Kyukei Goto is the third of his name, and the 29th generation of a family that traces its origins back to the Kamakura Buddhist sculptor Unkei. Kyukei Goto assumed his name in 1998 to carry on the family tradition, while also continuing creative work outside of the boundaries of Kamakurabori under his birthname of Keidai Goto. He currently teaches Kamakurabori workshops, collaborates with modern artists, and holds special lectures at schools. Director of craftwork artisan unit "Yukinofuku" and art unit "eventum."
Kamakurabori Lacqureware
Kyukei Goto
Director of Hase Base rental space in Kamakura where he organizes Kintsugi workshops. Mr. Kamata was trained in Kintsugi in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture which is well-known for lacquerware production.
Golden Joinery
Munehiro Kamata
Certified Omotesenke tea ceremony instructor. Teaches an introduction to the tea ceremony class at Houan in Kita-Kamakura and is known for her clear and easy-to-follow instructions for beginners. Associated with the Omotesenke Association of Kanagawa and the Kanagawa Suigetsukai. Studied under Sogo Yoshimizu and Soko Nagamine. Directs the Sazankai tea ceremony group at the Kamakurayama Community Center.
Tea Ceremony
Souka Shimada
Omote Senke
Operator with her husband of atelier Kitamura Plants & Pottery Inc. After living 15 years in the U.S., Naomi has run English-language pottery class using the kiln at Takara-no-niwa in Kita-Kamakura. Develops art programs drawing on her experience understanding different cultures through the arts, and is currently involved at an atelier in Hadano, Japan helping foreign children. Writer for U.S. magazine Ceramics Monthly.
Pottey, Flower Arrangement
Naomi Kitamura
Etiquette・Kimono Dressing
Chie Washida
Director of the Tokiwa Kobo in Kamakura. Designs and runs popular experiences making curry rice plates (and then eating serious curry), making matcha tea cups (and then holding a tea ceremony), and other creative pottery endeavors. Graduate of the ceramics course at the Aichi Prefecture Ceramics Institute and the Spanish department of Kanagawa University.
Leads tours of Kamakura’s places of historical interest. Guides groups not just to the most popular spots, but also to the temples, shrines and places of deep significance unknown even to most Japanese visitors. Also available to assist with fieldwork, drawing personal experience at locations all over Japan with a connection to Kamakura. Full pilgrimage costumes available for rent.
Historical Tourism
Yasuhiro Kagawa
Historical Tourism
Yasuhiro Kagawa
Yakuzen Yoga TTC
Yakuzen Yoga Meister
Joe Barnett 30h Yin Yoga TTC
Yakuzen Sweets 3SPOOONS
Director of Yakuzen Yoga Sweets Division
Yoga / Yakuzen
Yakuzen Yoga
Researched the ecology of plants, including moss and their relationship to microorganisms. Went independent after working in R&D for a manufacturer. Started “Koke Musubi” (“Moss Weaving”) in 2016. Studied with Minoru Takeda, a noted researcher of applied science and industrial uses of moss, borrowing his goal of making “moss useful to human society, and thereby forming a closer connection with moss.” Designs gardens, creates interior decor using moss, and works to raise awareness of endangered sphagnum moss wetlands. M.S. in Agriculture from Hokkaido University
Moss Specialist,
M.S. in Agriculture
Sumihiro Sonoda
Suetei believes that using seasonal ingredients is the key to making her dishes magical. From her kitchen in Kita Kamakura, she brings out daily special bento lunchboxes, filled with locally acquired, fresh seasonal ingredients. Her bentos have captured the hearts (and stomachs) of many a Kamakuraian. By popular request, she started workshops teaching how to make the Japanese staples i.e. pickled plums and miso. Her knowledge of yakuzen cuisine adds a special flavor to her dishes.
【Experience】
Market Tour and Make Your Own Bento Box
Bento Box / Japanese Home Cooking
Suetei
Shakuhachi player. A graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts. Organizer of the “Breathing and Shakuhachi” project: Tanden breathing and mindfulness to the tones of shakuhachi, helping people achieve fulfilling lives in the modern world. He is striving forward to introduce the zen mind through the shakuhachi from his base in the ancient capital of Kamakura. His performances include both Classical Japanese music and contemporary music.
Shakuhachi
［ ZEN ］
●Tomoyuki Sasaki (Chairman)
Graduated Chiba University, Faculty of Horticulture. Mr. Sasaki leads nature tours all over Japan, introducing not only trees and flowers but also birds and insects. His many fans come time and time again to hear him share his enthusiasm for the natural world.
●Saori Imoto
A multi-award-winning garden designer in the UK, Ms. Imoto now lives in Kamakura where she introduces beautiful gardens, natural scenic spots, and other hidden gems only locals know. Drawing on her experience in both the UK and Japan, she talks about interesting topics such as the differences between Japanese and Western gardens.
Nature Walk
Outdoor Wanderers Club
A Graduate of the Tokyo University of Arts.
Former art director at a printing company. She currently holds unique workshops for making hand-made Goshuin seal books at the temples and cafes around Kamakura.
She also organizes and holds workshops for all ages to make accessories and other crafts.
Crafts, Goshuin Booklet
Miwa
【Experience】
Goshuincho Stamp Book Making & Tea Ceremony
Kamakura Hanko is a third-generation hanko seal shop. Seals are used in place of signatures on important documents. In Japan, the hanko seal is considered to be a part of one’s identity.
Kamakura Hanko keeps high-quality materials, and a wide assortment of hanko cases using traditional craftsmanship. We produce all of our hanko seals in our shop, taking great care to carve the most auspicious seals for our customers.
Japanese Seal
Kamakura Hanko
【Experience】
Design Your Own Hanko Name Seal
A Professor of the Nishikawa School of Classical Japanese Dance.
Performed and dedicated the dance piece, Shizuka no Mai, to Tsuguraoka Hachimangu Shrine in 2015. Ms. Nishikawa works to introduce Japanese traditional dance to younger generations around the Kamakura area.
Japanese Classical Dance
Suina Nishikawa
A resident of Kamakura. She worked as a web designer at Fujitsu Design Center and Web Art Director at SoftBank. After going freelance in 2006, she attended a design and craft school in Sweden to deepen her knowledge of dyeing an designing. She organizes workshops while continuing her artistic activities.
Graphic and Textile Designer
Sachiyo Nakamura
A certified cook and Edo "sobalier." Mr. Onda left Sony where he worked as an engineer for 25 years to pursue his dream of becoming a soba master. He worked with soba masters to acquire the necessary skills and in 2016, he opened his own soba shop, Kamakura Hase Shiori-an. Over the years, he has taught his own "twin dragon" method of soba making to more than 2500 visitors.
【Experience】
Soba Making by the Great Buddha
Japanese Soba Master
Tomohiro Onda
Our Guides
Born and raised in the U.S.. She has lived in Japan for over 25 years, in Nagoya, Fukuoka, Osaka and Fujisawa. She established MDK Translations, Inc. in 2008, a small company that provides business, technical and cultural translations. Marian likes to think of herself as a "Japan Concierge," resolving language and cultural issues, introducing her favorite aspects of the country, and generally helping people enjoy their stay. When not translating or guiding visitors, she often goes hiking in Kamakura, adding a new stamp in her goshuin-cho and searching for beautiful tenugui!
Marian Kinoshita
Danelle Sofuku. Born in Perth, Australia, studied Tourism Management at ECU and a masters in International Cooperation Studies at Kobe University. Interpreter and translator with experience at the Australian Embassy, local government and interpreting for international sports competitions and delegations. Danelle loves introducing Kamakura’s natural beauty and history and finding hidden back streets and areas to explore. Danelle is particularly interested in promoting and encouraging local artists and crafts people. She hopes to share their knowledge and passion for their crafts with residents and visitors to Japan.