Zuisen-ji

photo by Urashimataro · PD-self

Musō Soseki's garden is the only one from the Kamakura period still in existence, and it is carved rock.

It is not a garden of plants: it is a cut rock face, with a cave, a pond and an arched bridge carved out of the rock itself. It was designed by Musō Soseki, the monk who would later create the gardens of Kyoto. It is the place where the maples come last in the whole of the Kantō, peaking in December, and where the plum trees flower from late January to mid-March.

Founded in 1327. Its garden is designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty (名勝) and is the only Kamakura-period garden to have survived: the city's others are reconstructions or recreations. It lies at the far end of the Nikaidō valley, away from the centre.

ℹ️ Open 9:00–16:30, last entry at 16:00, every day of the year. Tickets 200 yen for adults, 100 for elementary and junior high school students, free for people with disabilities. The car park has ten spaces. ⚠️ From Kamakura Station it is about fifty minutes on foot: it is better to take the bus.

🚉 Kamakura · 35 min walk

Sources: kamakura-zuisenji.or.jp · kamakuraguide.com · 4travel.jp

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