Odawara Castle

Odawara Castle (Odawara-jo) was transformed into a large-scale structure in 1495 by the daimyo Hojo Soun, who carried out a major refurbishment of a comparatively simple structure surrounded by a mound. After that, it became the castle of generations of the Hojo family, but after it was surrendered to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who ruled Japan in the latter half of the 16th century, it changed hands time and time again because of war. It was demolished in the latter half of the 19th century when political power changed from the Edo shogunate to the Meiji government and it was condemned as the symbol of samurai. It was reconstructed in 1960. It is a fine three-tiered, five-storied donjon, the top floor of which is an observatory. The moat and stone wall remain as they were in olden times.

Sankei-en Garden

Opened by businessman Sankei Hara in 1906 in Yokohama, the Sankei-en Garden is known as one of the most outstanding examples of Japanese gardens from the area, offering beautiful sceneries throughout the four seasons. With a size covering a massive 175,000 square meters, the garden is also home to an amazing 10 important cultural property buildings. The buildings were moved from locations such as Kyoto and Kamakura, and each one has an important historical and cultural heritage. Each season brings with it entirely new colors to the park, including Ume (plum) tree blossoms, lit-up evening Sakura (cherry) tree blossom displays, moon watching parties, chrysanthemum competitions, and autumn leaves, creating breathtaking atmospheres with the view of the historical buildings.

Japanese House Museum

The Kawasaki-City Japanese House Museum opened in 1967 as an outdoor museum with the purpose of preserving old Japanese houses in danger of rapidly disappearing. 25 structures from the 17th to 19th centuries were relocated here from around Japan, including typical historic houses in eastern Japan, a water mill, a boatman's cottage, an elevated grain storehouse (known as a Takakura) and a Kabuki stage. 18 of these structures have been designated as national or prefectural Important Cultural Properties. The main building exhibits folklore materials, which provides basic knowledge and information on the above houses.

Kanagawa Kenritsu Rekishi Hakubutsukan (Kanagawa Prefectural Historical Museum)

Kanagawa Kenritsu Rekishi Hakubutsukan (The Kanagawa Prefectural Historical Museum) is located on Basha-michi Dori in the city of Yokohama, and is an imposing building with an eye-catching dome roof. The Museum was built as the headquarters of the Yokohama Specie Bank from 1899-1904, in the German neo-baroque style. As a valuable example of early 20th century architecture, it was designated an Important Cultural Property by the national government in 1969. The history of Kanagawa Prefecture including Yokohama, ranging from ancient to modern times, is presented in five sections inside the building, which is so quiet and restful that the visitors feel as if they have traveled through time into the past. Exhibitions of ukiyo-e woodblock prints are also held here several times a year.

Kanagawa Kenritsu Kanazawa Bunko

Kanazawa-Bunko (Kanazawa Library) was built in the 13th century by Hojo Sanetoki, and is the oldest library in Japan built by a member of the samurai class. Sanetoki is said to have been a learned man and enthusiastic collector of books. His son, Akitoki, followed in the footsteps of his father and continued collecting books, and from there the Library developed over four generations. Kanagawa Prefecture restored the Library in 1930, but the present building dates only from 1990. The Library has a collection of more than 13,000 old books including several works, mostly Buddhist classics, which are designated National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, along with over 4,000 copies of ancient documents and more than 3,000 art and craft works, all of which are available for viewing by the public. The library houses portraits of four generations of the Hojo family, including Hojo Sanetoki and others who contributed to Kanazawa Bunko. The portraits are designated National Treasures.

Kanagawa Kenritsu Kindai Bijutsukan (Museum of Modern Art)

The first Japanese modern and contemporary art museum, Kanagawa Kenritsu Kindai Bijutsukan opened in November 1951 in the grounds of Tsurugaoka-Hachiman-gu, a shrine in the city of Kamakura. The museum collection includes: oil paintings, including many excellent works by artists such as Shunsuke Matsumoto and Seiji Chokai; Japanese paintings, which include more than twenty masterpieces by Tamako Kataoka; and around 300 watercolor paintings and sketches by Hoshun Yamaguchi, a Japanese painter. The museum's collection of woodblock prints includes works by artists ranging from Brueghel, Callot, Blake and Goya to Redon and Chagall, as well as a series of works by Matisse. Over 500 valuable Chinese prints of the post-1930s period are also housed at the museum.

Yokohama Bijutsukan

Yokohama Bijutsukan (The Yokohama Art Museum) is located in the newly developed Minato Mirai 21 district in the seaside area of central Yokohama. The museum houses both modern and contemporary artworks and, because of Yokohama's role as the birthplace of photography in Japan, is also engaged in the systematic collection and display of photographic works.

Engaku-ji Temple

Hojo Tokimune built Engaku-ji late in the 13th century when he was the most powerful man in Japan. The temple was built on a spacious 60,000 sq m site for the purpose of memorial services for those killed in the battle against the Mongol Invasions of 1274 and 1281. (The Mongols, having conquered China, established the Yuan Dynasty, and tried twice to conquer Japan). A noticeable feature of the temple is the positioning of its buildings, which stand almost in a straight line within the temple grounds. This is a style specific to temples of Zen Buddhism, and Engaku-ji has historically played a central role in Zen. Within the temple compound are various buildings including a two-storied gate of sturdy wooden construction and a Buddhist sanctum enshrining sacred images. Most prominently, the Shozoku-in is a building that has existed since the founding of Engaku-ji, and is still used today as a setting for ascetic training for monks who travel here from all over the country. The Shari-den (a hall in which some ashes of the Buddha are enshrined) is designated a National Treasure and is open to the public for three days a year from 1 January, when it is thronged with visitors. The temple is also valued for its status as the oldest example of Tang Chinese-style architecture left in Japan.A huge temple bell suspended at the mound to the right of the temple gate was cast early in the 14th century. It is around 2.5 m high and 1.4 m in diameter. The bell has been designated a National Treasure.

Hase-dera Temple, Hase Kannon

Hase-dera is one of the oldest and most prominent temples in Kamakura, and is said to have been built in 736 by Fujiwara-no-Fusasaki, a son of Fujiwara-no-Fuhito, who had the great priest Tokudo Shonin found the temple. The eleven-faced Kannon, housed in the main hall where the principal images of Buddha and Bosatsu and the mandala are enshrined, is 9.18 m in height and known as the largest wooden statue in Japan. Because the principal image is made of wood in the same way as that of the Hase-dera in Nara, this temple is also known as the New ("Shin") Hase-dera. The temple bell has been designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government. From the observation platform constructed on the flat part of the grounds where the Kannon-do Hall is located, visitors can enjoy views of the sea, the city of Kamakura, and the Miura-hanto peninsula stretching into the distance. In the temple grounds are a monument to the poet Chogyu Takayama and a haiku monument to Kyoshi Takahama.

Heiken-ji Temple Kawasaki Daishi

The temple of Heiken-ji, in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, was built in 1128. Hirama Kanenori, a one-time samurai born in the province of Owari (present-day Aichi Prefecture) who roved from place to place, pulled up a wooden Buddhist statue he happened to catch in a casting net at sea. In collaboration with the high priest Sonken Shonin of Koya-san, which was on the route of his journey, he built this temple to enshrine the statue . Famed for preventing misfortunes, the temple still has many devotees in its capacity as Kawasaki Daishi.

Kencho-ji Temple

Kencho-ji is a typical temple in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, and has a bell designated a National Treasure. The garden of the temple is designated a National Scenic Beauty spot. Hojo Tokiyori, supreme commander of the shogunate in Kamakura in the 13th century, invited the Chinese high priest Rankei Doryu to the region to establish the temple in 1253. Kencho-ji was Japan's first seminary exclusively for Buddhist priests of the Zen sect. Buildings here are arranged in the Chinese fashion, confirming the influence of Chinese culture. The ancient juniper tree planted in front of the sanctum is said to be 730 years old, and is a reminder to visitors of the long history of the temple.

Kotoku-in Temple (Kamakura Daibutsu)

The great image of Buddha (Daibutsu) at Kotoku-in in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture ranks alongside the world-famous Daibutsu at Nara, and is designated a National Treasure. The Buddha is a bronze statue 11.3 m high, weighing 121 tons, and was built in the 13th century, soon after Kamakura became the center of rule by the samurai class. In those days many temples were constructed in Kamakura, and many Buddhist statues created in the Chinese Sung style. The Daibutsu is a typical example. Initially the statue was housed in a large building, but this was washed away by flood twice, in the 14th and 15th centuries, leaving only the bronze statue.

Meigetsu-in Ajisai Temple

Meigetsu-in is widely known as a beauty spot for hydrangeas and accordingly is known as the Hydrangea Temple (Ajisai-dera). In June when the hydrangeas are at their best, people queue from the JR Kita-Kamakura Station to Meigetsu-in, and the temple bustles with visitors. Originally Meigetsu-in was a small temple located within a larger temple, until it was restored in the 14th century by Uesugi Norikata, then a powerful warlord. Meigetsu-in is also known as the site of the tomb of Hojo Tokiyori, once the supreme ruler of Japan who was based in Kamakura.

Samukawa-jinja Shrine

Samukawa-jinja, in Samukawa-machi, Kanagawa Prefecture, has a long history dating back to the 8th century. The shrine has spacious grounds, and has been worshipped at by many people for centuries as one of the leading shrines in the province of Sagami (present-day Kanagawa Prefecture). Enshrined here are the prince and princess Samukawa-hiko-no-Mikoto and Samukawa-hime-no-Mikoto. The shrine once came under the powerful protection of the shogunate established in Kamakura-shi in the 13th century, and of the shogunate established in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in the 17th century. Even today, it bustles with visitors offering up prayers for protection from misfortune.

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine

Minamoto-no-Yoriyoshi, head of the Genji samurai family, founded Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu in 1063 upon receiving the divine spirit of Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu in Kyoto. The shrine was moved to its present site in 1180 by his descendant, Minamoto-no-Yoritomo, who established the Kamakura shogunate and ruled Japan toward the end of the 12th century. In the shrine grounds stands a monument inscribed with a poem by Minamoto-no-Sanetomo, third shogun of the Kamakura shogunate and also a renowned poet. The large ginkgo tree is said to have concealed Sanetomo's nephew right before he assassinated Sanetomo, and is a well-known symbol of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu.

Zuisen-ji Temple

Located at Momijigayatsu in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Zuisen-ji is a temple that was built in 1327 by the noted priest Muso Soseki. In its grounds, which are surrounded by hills, are a So-mon (a great gate on the outer perimeter of the grounds), San-mon (the temple gate), a Hon-do (main building enshrining the principal image of Buddha); a Jizo-do (a building enshrining the image of a deity protecting children), Kaizan-do (building enshrining the statue of the founder of the sect or other personage), a Shoro (bell tower); and a Kyaku-den (building for receiving guests). All of these are typical features of a Zen temple. It is famous for its plum blossoms in spring, narcissus in early summer, and maple in autumn, and as "the most beautiful temple in Kamakura," it enjoys a constant stream of visitors throughout the year.

Hakone Wood Mosaic Work

The Hakone mountain chain is one of the areas where people can see a huge variety of Japanese wood. The beginning of wood mosaic work goes back to the late 18th century. In Hatayado, rich wood was assembled into geometric patterns with its natural colors applied. The patterns are made by putting thin wood pieces on a surface, or assembling solid wood. There are various types of products from small to large, such as boxes, teacup holders and drawers. Odawara and Hakone are the only places producing these works, and their products were designated as traditional crafts in 1984.

Kamakura-bori carving

In the mid-13th century when the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture was the political center of Japan, many Zen Buddhist temples were built there. Kamakura-bori carving is said to have originated when a Buddhist monk skilled in carving worked on sculptures for these temples, and coated them with a lacquer finish. The first items carved are believed to have been those used for religious ceremonies, then when the tea ceremony became popular carvers began to make utensils such as lidded incense containers and trays for use in the tea ceremony. Kamakura carving was designated a traditional craft in 1979.