This time we visit Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture. The site of Japan's capital 800 years ago, this historic city is filled with shrines and temples. Surrounded by mountains and the sea, its typically Japanese landscapes have also made it a popular tourist destination. From an artist who uses flowers to create landscapes with a Japanese aesthetic, to a local firm that runs a shared corporate cafeteria, plus a renovated traditional home that reveals the beauty and values of Kamakura. Our presenters hunt down the best Kamakura designs.
Today, I'm in Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture.
It's a very green setting, on the coast, with a ring of mountains behind it.
Just 90 minutes from Tokyo, this is a historic location with many temples and shrines and a lot of nature.
It's no surprise that this is a major tourist destination!
So, what kind of designs are we going to track down today?
Join me on my design hunt!
We're on a design hunt, to track down unique, regional designs around Japan.
Today, we're in Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture.
This was the seat of Japan's shogunate around 800 years ago,
and is still home to countless temples, shrines, and religious sites.
Long popular as a tourist destination, many people are now choosing to settle down here.
Today, Shaula and I are on a hunt for Kamakura designs.
Kamakura sits in a hilly region, and is said to have some 66 valleys of various sizes.
That means high humidity, and a historic culture around flowers and gardening,
leading to some stunning landscapes.
Many temples here are known for their seasonal blossoms.
I'm going to meet a creator who's designed some new floral products.
- Hi, Kamei-san!
- Hello, welcome.
What a lovely atmosphere!
This is your work?
Yes, 'marumado.' Inspired by the view from a window.
It's gorgeous! The black background is a perfect setting.
Thank you.
Please come in.
Thank you.
What an amazing space!
Thank you!
- I feel I've been transported!
- Really? That's great.
It's quite dim in here.
Yes, I want the work to float, hence the gray and black walls.
This is extraordinary.
An ideal landscape, through a window.
Water flows below, with purple hydrangeas in the background.
A few pink blossoms further back. There's a lot of depth to this one.
May I go closer?
Of course! It looks different when you view it close-up.
It really does!
This uses artificial flowers. Manmade, you know?
Really?
But you can't tell from a distance.
Not at all.
The individual pieces stand out when you get closer.
Making one is like painting.
I add a flower, move back 5 meters to look, then add another.
Why choose to use a circular window?
They're part of Japanese culture, specifically of Zen Buddhism.
Meigetsu-in in Kitakamakura has a famous round window.
I wanted to incorporate that atmosphere.
Round windows control the viewer's eyeline, and where they focus.
It's similar to Japanese gardens that 'borrow' landscapes.
A round window heightens the effect.
It stimulates the senses, and helps that idealized landscape feel denser.
Kamei is from Osaka.
He came to Tokyo to study painting at university.
His interest in Japanese culture led him to take up traditional flower-arranging,
and he's now qualified as a teacher.
In 2019, he moved to the leafy area of Kitakamakura, where he built his own gallery and studio.
Kamei has also designed palm-sized works meant as gifts.
He was inspired by the mossy landscapes he discovered in Kamakura's temples.
He dries out the moss before adding oil and color to create preserved flowers.
He says that adding small flowers creates a unique personal landscape.
They all have their charms.
But I'm really drawn to the stone. I love this one.
Maybe because it's unreal?
Not a natural phenomenon.
It's palm-sized, with a rough, natural stone as a setting.
It feels like heaven to me.
Stone together with delicate blooms. You can drip oil onto the flowers.
A perfumer created a flower-meadow blend for me.
The stone is pumice so it absorbs the scent.
That's incredible! And the oil makes the stone seem wet.
Like it's been raining.
Exactly!
Oh, I really love this.
Time to try making my own piece.
We put a sponge inside some hollowed-out pumice.
I'll add preserved flowers to create my own miniature landscape.
I choose the colors?
Yes, whatever you like.
Do you have an image in mind?
I'm thinking of the sunsets back in Hawaii.
Lovely! Focus on that.
The sunsets there are quite vivid.
I do love this pink.
From a Hawaiian sunset?
They have very rich colors.
These tiny round ones are cute!
The flower buds.
They add a lot.
So pretty.
A dab of white.
They're natural flowers, so each one has a different hue and shape.
So, what do you think?
I was inspired by the unique pink sunsets of Hawaii.
I found myself totally absorbed in making this.
It was such a relaxing experience.
This feels very Japanese to me.
A huge impact for a small piece. What do you think?
It's like bonsai, or miniature gardens. Perhaps traditional "wagashi sweets."
Very true.
Whole seasons, landscapes, and stories crammed into a tiny space.
A crystallization of a very Japanese aesthetic.
You began with living flowers.
How did that evolve into this?
I had the chance to exhibit my work abroad. I couldn't take fresh flowers.
Also, fresh flowers wilt in about a week.
Did you struggle with that change?
Oh, very much so!
But the heart of my work is tiny landscapes, the Japanese aesthetic.
And for me, that mattered more than the materials I use.
I use dried and preserved flowers.
But I hope to evoke the healing beauty of fresh flowers.
I'm delighted when people feel that from my work.
Floral scenes from a historic city.
Each is the starting point of countless new stories.
"Local railways are a famous part of Kamakura's landscape."
"The Enoden line opened around 120 years ago and is just 10km long."
"Land along the coast is scarce, so the train runs through residential areas."
"It has become a beloved part of the local landscape."
Hello everyone!
Now, I'm at one of the most famous shopping streets in front of Kamakura station.
Now, this neighborhood is pretty crowded during the weekend with tourists.
Now, today we'll be visiting a unique firm contributing to the local community with interesting projects.
Now, let's find out more! It's down here!
Based in the shopping arcade, the firm mainly handles marketing and games, and calls itself a 'company for fun.'
It's been active in Kamakura for about 20 years, and is now a key part of the neighborhood.
- Hello!
- Great to meet you!
- I'm Sato Junichi.
- I'm Andy, a pleasure.
- Welcome to Kamakura.
- It's been a while!
You're 'a company for fun?'
Some people think it means we have fun staff, or we make fun things.
But it's really about having a fun perspective.
I see.
Sato's "fun-focused" firm primarily makes games.
They also run children's classes to promote e-sports.
Those "fun-driven" skills, honed by making games, are put to use in a variety of business genres.
About 90% of the 300 or so staff are creators, who work unbound by any particular domain.
- After you.
- Your office?
Our work space.
Oh wow, so lovely and open.
It's pretty playful.
Yes, the pictures. We use manga business cards. Please, take one.
Manga cards! And mine.
May I?
Mine's much duller.
Thank you.
So this is you?
That's right, we have drawings of ourselves on our cards.
Amazing, they're all great!
We have a small budget to get your favorite artist.
You can do that?
So the firm began here in Kamakura?
Our three founders went to university nearby. There was a local connection.
They all chose to come here.
Many employees prioritize lifestyle.
That leads to better creativity. Inspiration flows more easily.
We're by the sea and mountains.
Nature and the city on your doorstep in Kamakura.
We encourage living and working here. It's a long commute from Tokyo.
True.
But if our employees live here, we need to improve the town as well.
As part of our approach, we position Kamakura itself as our office.
Interesting!
Positioning "all" of Kamakura as a shared office became a way to make the town more fun.
The team works all around the shopping street.
Old, empty homes were renovated and turned into meeting spaces.
An old, crumbling house was torn down and cleared away, and the space repurposed for use as an outdoor office.
Kamakura is a bustling tourist spot.
This can have negative effects on locals' day-to-day lives.
So Sato and his team came up with another idea.
Please.
A staff cafeteria?
But for locals?
That's it.
Instead of an exclusive space for us we wanted to welcome local workers.
Meal tickets?
Yes, but there's only one dish. So no menu choice.
Instead it's a list of companies and organizations.
Oh yes!
Kamakura City Hall is on it. The staff often eat here.
So you press your office name?
Yes, these are all corporate members in Kamakura.
I see.
They get a discount.
It's a bit cheaper.
There are a few startups here now.
But when the staff want lunch they end up paying tourist prices.
So lunch costs 8 to 10 USD.
Of course, yes.
But we provide food for under $6.
- That's it?
- 850 yen.
The food is provided by local restaurants.
Popular places are offered contracts to take turns making daily meals.
Here you go, Andy.
Looks amazing!
- Great curry today.
- Excellent!
It's good!
The spices?
Yes, a truly local flavor.
It's a popular restaurant.
Is your store closed today?
I don't work in the store.
Our spice store provides food on Mondays.
Because lots of people use our spices to make curry.
Your spices?
That's right, yes.
The companies and restaurants providing food see it as a way to promote themselves to locals.
The design benefits both customers and providers.
I come two or three times a week.
I had trouble finding places to eat, so I'm grateful.
I come in without checking the menu.
It's always good.
Not crowded with tourists!
It's important to have a quiet place to eat.
The firm is also committed to helping with other issues Kamakura faces.
The city needs more childcare centers, so it worked with other local companies to build one.
It even provides funeral plans tailored to locals' wishes.
These actions have forged a deeper trust with residents.
This is our capsule toy store.
Oh, I loved these toys!
- We run it.
- Oh, really?
A glasses store left, and the building owner got in touch.
They asked if we could use the space. We came up with capsule toys.
As you can see, some of these have original Kamakura toys.
'Kamakura Air?'
Air, that's right.
What's this one about?
We filled the capsules with Kamakura air in six places.
It makes people laugh, so they buy one.
They're almost gone!
They sold better than we expected.
They're popular.
Sato's team focuses on "fun" in this historic setting.
Our final stop is the roof of the head office, with a view over Kamakura.
I've enjoyed talking to you and seeing what you do.
I feel this is a great case study for other firms today.
It's a very simple, human approach.
'Let's just make everyone happy.'
A lot of us focus on lifestyle I think it's a natural connection.
Perhaps so.
It's about being open to lives around us becoming richer and happier.
We're building a better community through ideas like the communal café.
We're taking simple, small steps.
My last stop is the Nikaido neighborhood, some distance from the busy area near the station.
Zuisen-ji Temple was built around 700 years ago.
I'm here to meet an architect who lives in Kamakura.
How lovely. Beautiful....
- There she is, hello! How are you?
- Great to see you again!
- How long has it been?
- Around four years?
Yoshida is known for cutting edge projects, such as her unique 'bookcase hotel.'
She now lives in both Kamakura and Tokyo.
It's my first time here.
My local temple.
It's beautiful. And quiet!
It's the perfect time of day. I often come for a morning stroll.
Here? It's very soothing.
Yes.
A stunning gate.
It's beautiful. Perfectly frames the view.
So you often visit here for walks?
- It's so close to home.
- I see.
Isn't this stunning?
Oh, what a surprise!
The pond was built to collect water from the mountains.
The pond was built to collect water from the mountains.
- It left traces.
- Exactly.
There's a tiny bridge!
Oh wow.
Like a miniature landscape.
And a cave too.
There are a few in Kamakura's mountains.
Almost livable, don't you think?
Yeah!
Kamakura is such a historic place.
There's such beauty in these old places and landscapes. Even the stones.
It's so inspiring. Wherever I walk, I'm never bored.
This is Yoshida's Kamakura home.
An arch of greenery!
Yes, a little arch.
- Through here?
- The gate, yes.
There's a huge plum tree. I make syrup from it every year.
Excuse me. Oh, how amazing!
Your use of lighting is so distinctive. You've kept it dim.
That's right.
Yoshida renovated a 50-year-old traditional home.
She removed walls to showcase the old framework, and gave it a gray finish.
The initial plan was to provide accommodation,
but the pandemic sparked a change of direction.
Yoshida is from Hiroshima, and had never been to Kamakura before.
She fell in love with the city and decided to live here herself.
It was dark when we came in.
But that felt very natural. It's a bit of a surprise.
Yes, many Japanese temples are quite dark, with deep eaves.
It makes the horizontal views of scenery incredibly vivid.
I was drawing on that idea.
I see!
It's simple. The best way to showcase light is to ensure there's dark.
It's about contrast.
My design really maximizes the view outside.
The key is the boundary between outside and inside.
Changing that has a massive effect.
It has to be drawn inside, not just observed.
Choosing how to make it an experience is a vital part of the design.
A kitchen this size is my dream!
Lots of space to work. But it's still quite dim?
Yes, I maintained the same tone. It's consistent.
That's true.
Down to the dishes. They set off the green of Kamakura produce.
Oh, great point!
Black really showcases the food.
- You designed the kitchen with that in mind.
- Yes.
The kitchen also has Yoshida's homemade plum syrup.
She's made it every year since moving to Kamakura.
It was the first thing she made from her plums,
and the syrup is ready to enjoy in July, just as the weather gets hot.
She says it's a reminder of the seasonal joys of a Japanese garden.
Do you have a favorite spot?
Yes, that sofa. Gazing at the scenery.
Oh, this is great. What a view!
I often read here, or just relax.
Have you felt a major change in yourself?
Since you moved here?
I sense that you have.
I began this job 23 years ago, and I went at it flat out.
I thought that was natural, to keep running at new challenges.
I see.
After coming to Kamakura, I began to feel I want to connect work and life.
I want to use my time for myself.
Instead of letting it pass by, I want to create new designs here.
Even tasks like weeding and gardening. It's hard work, but it's happy work.
And it provides a space for all kinds of ideas about design.
I see, that makes sense.
The many beauties of Kamakura, and the quiet peace its residents create.
It's a chance to stop and enjoy the breeze and the rich scenery.
I'm already looking forward to my next visit.