Modern Ryokan kishi-ke
One samurai house, four guests, and a matcha whisk at dawn
Guests take over the whole house here: kishi-ke books one group at a time, up to four people, with no other visitors on site. The property was assembled from the timber of a samurai residence over a century old, reworked with the architect Ryohei Tanaka, formerly of Kengo Kuma & Associates, and landscape designer Akihiko Ono. It sits in Sakanoshita, a five-minute walk from Hase station, close enough to the water that surf and salt air reach the windows.
The washitsu is the anchor room, floored in tatami and open on two sides: an ocean and pine-tree view on one, a rock-and-gravel garden on the other, linked by a covered engawa veranda. Up to three people can sleep there on futon. The bathroom holds a deep tub carved from Aomori hinoki cypress, chosen for its scent and reputed calming effect. Breakfast is shojin ryori, the plant-based cooking of Buddhist temples, made from local vegetables; a private chef can be booked for lunch or dinner at extra cost.
Activities run through the day: tea ceremony with a certified master, zazen meditation led by a monk from a nearby temple, katana practice with a real blade. A bicycle, kitchen, and laundry are on hand, and the garden is tended each morning in the old rock-garden style. Kamakura's temples and coastline lie within walking distance.
The washitsu is the anchor room, floored in tatami and open on two sides: an ocean and pine-tree view on one, a rock-and-gravel garden on the other, linked by a covered engawa veranda. Up to three people can sleep there on futon. The bathroom holds a deep tub carved from Aomori hinoki cypress, chosen for its scent and reputed calming effect. Breakfast is shojin ryori, the plant-based cooking of Buddhist temples, made from local vegetables; a private chef can be booked for lunch or dinner at extra cost.
Activities run through the day: tea ceremony with a certified master, zazen meditation led by a monk from a nearby temple, katana practice with a real blade. A bicycle, kitchen, and laundry are on hand, and the garden is tended each morning in the old rock-garden style. Kamakura's temples and coastline lie within walking distance.