LOCAL FOCUS Vol. 1: Kamakura & Enoshima: A Japan Guide to Nature, Culture, and Community

by Mariko Miki, Sae Yamane, Norie Lynn Fukuda-Matsushima (Translator)

Overview

Local Focus is a series of guidebooks featuring the charming towns of Japan and highlights their unique natural environments and one-of-a-kind cultures and communities. It is a convenient and handy all-in-one English guidebook to make non-Japanese possible to explore Japan more efficiently and meaningfully as if they had a local guide with them.

Vol.1 features the historic town "Kamakura" and "Enoshima Island" which is connected to Kamakura by a bridge.

They both

・are located only an hour train-ride from Tokyo

・are the venues for the sailing competitions at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

・have beaches and hike trails.

・have history rich with Samurai and Zen

・have a unique culture of old and new

Local Focus is for those who

•enjoy exploring small towns

•avoid crowded, touristy spots

• step off the beaten path

•value well-crafted arts and time-tested traditions

•prefer smoke-free dining

•prefer organic, all natural food

•prefer vegetarian or vegan food

Local Focus features;

•205 pages in full color

•over 100 places to visit selected by the production team

•easy to read maps

•at a glance icons for "English menu available" "Vegetarian or vegan menu available" "Take credit cards" "Barrier free" etc.

•history, culture, food, local communities and more

How did the production team select the places?

Our production team strongly places value on the nature, culture, and community of the area, and Local Focus is a careful compilation that presents Kamakura and Enoshima as the backdrop for daily living, featuring shops that are part of the everyday life of the production team, or introducing the must-sees, -dos, and –eats, where they take their guests from overseas, or recommend to traveling friends.

Production Team (arigatoubooks)

Local Focus is created by a team of local freelance editors, writers, photographers and designers who love nature, culture, and community of the area we live, and made up of both local Japanese and non-Japanese members; to create this guidebook, our non-Japanese speaking members identified what was necessary to assist foreign travelers who can’t speak the language, while our Japanese members compiled their insider information. This was then compiled into a graphically pleasing and user-friendly practical guidebook that will enable any visitor to have an authentically rich travel experience without the need to learn Japanese or have any local contacts.

We avoided any kind of sponsorship from the featured sites so that we could introduce them with a fully unbiased approach and perspective.

website: www.localfocus.info

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9784991060519
Publisher:	Blue Co., Ltd
Publication date:	11/23/2019
Series:	LOCAL FOCUS , #1
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.45(d)

About the Author

Over a span of twenty years, while working in public relations, Mariko hosted a nature program for swimming with wild dolphins in the ocean. She established The Blue Co., Ltd. to help spread awareness of lifestyles that are harmonic with nature, and is organizing cultural events and workshops, producing environmentally-friendly products, publishing books.

Brought up in Tokyo, Sae is an editor and writer on the topics of travel, food, and personalities, and is also a Bach Flower Essence practitioner. She runs a small cafe located close to a beautiful beach in Hayama.

Norie Fukuda holds a Master's degree in architecture and is also a writer and translator who works on a wide range of publications including such diverse topics as Japanese cuisine, art, design, and health. For this guidebook, LOCAL FOCUS, Norie both translated and copy edited all of the material from Japanese text. She is also the translator of a book on Eastern medicine by Dr. Katsumi Ishihara called The Mechanism of Life-Illness as a Part of Life's Journey (2019), Honeycomb Tube Architecture Technology, Shinkenchiku (2009), Honeycomb Dynamics Architecture - Steel Honeycomb Tube Architecture Designs Inspired by Fractal Geometry (2008), and a 2-part series bilingual guidebook on architecture in America authored by Masayuki Fuchigami, A Guide to Contemporary Architecture in America, Vol. 1 Western U.S.A. (2005) and A Guide to Contemporary Architecture in America, Vol. 2 Eastern U.S.A. (2006) and is also the translator of subtitles for NHK on-demand programs and several independent documentary film artists.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Standards for Our Selections

PLANNING A TRIP

Getting to Kamakura, Getiing to Enoshima, Getting Around Kamakura, Weather & When to Go

THE HISTORY

Introduction, Launcher of a New Regme, Building the City, The Dawning of a Modern Era

CULTURE - Deepening the Experience

Manners & Customs, Food, Cha-no-Yu (Japanese Tea Ceremony), Shrines, Temples, Zen, D. T. Suzuki

KAMAKURA GOODIES

Fresh Products & Sweets

Drinks

Shopping

PEOPLE

COMMUNITY

THE HAPPY VISITOR - Recommended Routes

First-time visitors, History lovers, Zen seekers, Overnight stayers

WHERE TO GO?

Map of Kamakura and Enoshima

Icons & Symbols

Kamakura Station East Exit Area

Kamakura Station West Exit Area

Kanazawa-Kaido Area

Zaimoku-za Area

Hase & Yuigahama Area

Inamuragasaki & Shichirigahama Area

Kamakura-yama Area

Kita-Kamakura Area

Enoshima Area

ANTIQUE FAIRS & FLEA MARKETS

FOUR-SEASONS CALENDAR

NATURE - Trails & Beaches

MIURA PENINSULA - Brief Guide

EXTRA INFO - Helpful Tidbits

INDEX CHART

Restaurants, Cafes, Take-outs & Groceries, Shopping, Museums & Other Cultural Facilities, Places to Stay, Shrines & Temples, Information on "Sha-kyo" (Sutra copying) & Zazen

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

STAFF

Editorial Reviews

Exciting guide to help uncover even more to love in this wonderful city

"Now that I've had a few months with this guide, I have to say that the restaurants I've had the chance to visit so far have all been phenomenal. From traditional Japanese breakfast to high quality tempura, the content here has definitely been carefully selected, and are almost all spots I wouldn't have likely discovered on my own."

The only Kakakura guide you will ever need

"This book presents a lot of great information in a concise, easy to read format. I started reading it a few hours ago and could not put it down. I already have so many pages bookmarked; map routes to follow, restaurants to visit, and places to shop. This book really has it all! "

A labor of love produces a great guidebook

"There are very helpful maps and descriptions that could only come from people who are intimately familiar with their surroundings. If you plan on traveling to Kamakura, and I have a number of times, this guidebook will be a great companion to take along on your journey."

The perfect guide to Kamakura

"It is not your ordinary guide. The writers provide a lot of interesting history of Kamakura and the surrounding area and some really cool places to visit as well. Many of these places are off the beaten path and only known by locals. The restaurants in these book are owned by some wonderful people who care about their craft, their city, the environment, the food they make, and the people who they serve such great food to. Come visit Kamakura and let this book be your guide. Be careful because it may make you want to move here. :)"

Great guidebook of Kamakura

"I was looking for a good guide book for my friend coming to Japan and came across with this great book. I'd recommend it to all the travellers visiting Japan as it contains very useful pieces of information including history, restaurants, and places you should visit."

From the Publisher