Zazen Map Japan

Zazen Map Japan · Kamakura

Zazen in Kamakura

Kamakura is where Zen took root in Japan. Kenchō-ji, founded in 1253, was the country’s first temple built specifically for Zen training, and Engaku-ji followed in 1282. Both still hold sittings that members of the public may join, for a donation.

There are only 7 temples on this page — Kamakura is a small town and this is all of it. But 5 of them ask nothing more than a donation, and the list includes four of the five great Zen temples of Kamakura. An hour from Tokyo by train.

  • 7temples listed
  • 0take you without booking
  • 5free or by donation
Open the map on Kamakura

Kamakura is the one place where turning up as a tourist is sometimes the wrong move. These are working training halls, and two of the temples here say plainly that they expect either continuing attendance or a working knowledge of Japanese. Those conditions are written on each entry below, in English. Please read them before you go.

Things that are specific to Kamakura

  • Engaku-ji’s 6:00 am sitting is the easiest way in. It runs every morning, asks only for a donation and needs no booking. The temple is directly outside Kita-Kamakura station — you walk up the steps from the platform.
  • Kenchō-ji sits on Friday and Saturday evenings. Five to six in the afternoon, for a donation. That is a much easier thing to add to a day in Kamakura than a dawn start, and it is the temple where Zen training in Japan began.
  • Kita-Kamakura, not Kamakura. Engaku-ji, Kenchō-ji, Tōkei-ji and Shōrei-in are all clustered around Kita-Kamakura station, one stop before Kamakura on the Yokosuka line. Get off early.
  • Hōkoku-ji is the bamboo one. It is on most Kamakura itineraries for its bamboo grove, and it also holds zazen on Sunday mornings at 7:30, before the visitors arrive. Going for the sitting and staying for the garden works well.
  • Coming from Tokyo for a morning sitting means the first train. Kita-Kamakura is about an hour from Tokyo station on the Yokosuka line. For a 6:00 or 7:30 start, check the first departure the night before, or stay locally.

Sittings to book or check first

These ask for contact in advance, or do not say either way. A short email in Japanese works better than a phone call — there is a template you can copy on the main English page.

Engaku-ji

DonationBeginners welcome

When
Every day, from 6:00 am
2nd Wednesday of the month, 7:00–8:30 pm
Cost
Donation — give what you think is right
Booking
Required for some sessions only
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Hōkoku-ji

Donation

When
Every Sunday, from 7:30 am
Cost
Donation — give what you think is right
Booking
Not stated — best to ask
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Kenchō-ji

Donation

When
Every Friday and Saturday, 5:00–6:00 pm
Cost
Donation — give what you think is right
Booking
Not stated — best to ask
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Tōkei-ji

DonationChair seating

Not for a one-off visit — the temple expects people who will keep coming back.

When
Every Sunday, from 8:30 am
Cost
Donation — give what you think is right
Booking
Required for some sessions only
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Zenkyo-in

Donation

When
Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 6:00 am
Every Saturday, from 7:00 am
Every Sunday, from 2:00 pm
Cost
Donation — give what you think is right
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

The temple asks that participants can speak Japanese.

When
4th Saturday of the month, 2:00–4:00 pm (not in January, March, May, July, August, October and December)
4th Sunday of the month, 10:00 am–12:00 pm (not in January, March, May, July, August, October and December)
Cost
¥1,000
Booking
Not stated — best to ask
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

Not running at the moment

These temples have suspended their public sitting. We keep them listed because they may start again, but do not plan around them.

Ōfuna Kannon-ji

Currently suspendedChair seating

When
Not running at the moment. The temple has suspended this sitting.
Cost
¥300
Booking
Not stated — best to ask
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Before you go

  • Wear something you can fold your legs in. Loose trousers. You will be in socks or bare feet.
  • Bring cash. Temples rarely take cards, and a donation box takes nothing else.
  • Say it is your first time. (hajimete desu) is the single most useful thing you can say on arrival.
  • You may sit on a chair. Accepted at most temples and still zazen. (isu de sanka dekimasu ka).

The main English page has the rest — what happens during a sitting, what the keisaku stick is, the Japanese words you will see on the map, and an email template for booking when you have no Japanese.

Questions people ask

Can I do zazen at Kenchō-ji or Engaku-ji?

Yes. Engaku-ji holds a dawn sitting every morning at 6:00 for a donation, with no booking needed, and also runs weekend sittings and an evening session for beginners. Kenchō-ji sits on Friday and Saturday evenings, 5:00 to 6:00, also for a donation. Both are listed in full above with their conditions.

Is zazen in Kamakura free?

5 of the temples here ask only shinō (志納) — a donation of whatever you think is right, typically ¥500 to ¥1,000, placed in a box. Engaku-ji's booked sessions and Shōrei-in charge a set ¥1,000. Bring cash.

Do the Kamakura temples take casual visitors?

Most do, but not all, and this is worth taking seriously. Tōkei-ji states that it expects people who will attend regularly and that joining as part of a sightseeing trip is not acceptable. Shōrei-in states that foreign visitors need to be able to speak Japanese. Those conditions appear on their entries above. The other temples here do not set them.

How far is Kamakura from Tokyo?

About an hour to Kita-Kamakura on the JR Yokosuka line from Tokyo station, and the Zen temples are clustered within a few minutes' walk of that station. It is a realistic day trip, though a 6:00 am sitting means an early departure.

Is any zazen in Kamakura held in English?

Not on a regular basis, as far as our records go. The sittings are in Japanese. Kamakura's temples are used to foreign visitors in the grounds, but the zazen halls operate in Japanese, and one temple asks specifically that participants can speak it.

Kamakura's temples suspend sittings for retreats and memorial services, and some of these schedules are seasonal. Check before you make the trip — the main English page has a Japanese message you can copy for an email.

Listings on this page were generated from our database on 23 September 2026. They are compiled from public sources and from corrections sent in by temples and visitors. The temple always has the last word.