Top Kamakura Art Classes

Would you like to know how to write your name in Japanese? We can show you several ways to write your name in Japanese and make an original seal as a unique souvenir of your trip. 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. After you design your hanko seal, we will engrave your name. Your original seal will be ready anytime in the afternoon of the experience!

In this course, you can experience Zen at an ancient Zen temple. You will be able to see Zen art, learn about Zen story paintings, and experience Zen meditation. This three-hour course is a beginner-friendly course that will teach you the Zen way of thinking in an accessible manner. Kamakura is the birthplace of Zen in Japan and is a popular tourist destination for foreigners. The venue is the Zen temple "Kigen-in," which usually prohibits tourists from entering. Before and after the zazen experience, we will draw the circular Zen symbol "Enso," which is a kind of Zen art. After this, we will perform Zen meditation (3 times) and listen to a commentary on the paintings of Zen and learn the philosophy of Zen by combining what you have learned and your Zen experience. When you draw an Enso for the second time, you will draw on our handmade paper, certified by UNESCO. You can experience the transformative power of Zen by comparing the two Enso.