With Kamakura: Traditional Snow-Country Architecture in a Sunny Seaside Neighborhood
The café With Kamakura is located in a unique building reconstructed from three traditional farmhouses transported across the country, and combines architectural heritage with local, seasonal dining.
Hase Station on the Enoden line is where Kamakura’s storied past merges with the bright sunlight of the nearby seaside. At this junction, a café called With Kamakura stands in a uniquely crafted building, created by dismantling three 220-year-old homes from the snowy Shirakawa-gō World Heritage site and reassembling them in Kamakura under the sun of Shōnan.
I visited the café for a meal with a view of its lush garden, followed by a trip to Goryō Shrine, a historic site that has protected the neighborhood for nearly a millennium.
Upon exiting Hase Station, a five-minute walk along a quiet lane leads to the café. Its peaked, pale green roof resembles the gasshō-zukuri roofs of Shirakawa-gō, but is made of copper rather than thatch and features a southern-facing window. This is where With Kamakura resides, a structure crafted by transporting and reassembling parts of three traditional houses from the Edo period (1603–1868).
Thatched roofs are no longer suitable for urban use, and the expertise required to thatch roofs has dwindled. To compensate, the café boasts a wooden deck extending into its well-maintained garden. The interior, bathed in natural light from the verdant garden outside, showcases sturdy beams that hint at the building’s history.
The café’s menu features seasonal set meals using local ingredients. The With Special Set Meal, with options like hamburger steak or salmon, comes with stews, salad, rice, and miso soup. The salmon version was particularly satisfying, with crispy skin and a rich sauce of scorched black garlic and mushrooms. The café aims to serve simple yet flavorful dishes that highlight the natural taste of the ingredients.
With Kamakura’s building was constructed by reassembling parts of three traditional houses dating back to the Edo period. This was achieved through traditional Japanese carpentry, where pieces fit together like a giant 3D puzzle rather than being nailed. The café operated as a restaurant for about 40 years before being renovated and repurposed.
The staff emphasized preserving the authentic charm of the original architecture while adapting it for contemporary use, carefully selecting elements like the powerful beams of a gasshō-zukuri house and ensuring comfort for modern guests.
A distinctive feature inside is the hidana, a traditional wooden frame suspended above the hearth. Hidana were used to catch sparks and hang pots over the fire, and this one also serves to dry tools and smoke fish. Its presence, alongside the ancient beams, is a poignant reminder of life in Shirakawa-gō centuries ago. The third floor, accessed via a steep staircase, serves as an event space and was historically used for raising silkworms, a practice that evokes memories of life in gasshō-zukuri houses.
After enjoying my lunch, I crossed the train tracks and visited Goryō Shrine, said to have been established over 900 years ago. Dedicated to Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa, the shrine is affectionately known as “Gongorō-sama” by locals. The Enoden passes directly by the shrine, a rare sight of a place of worship seamlessly integrated into daily life. The path to the shrine’s entrance is a unique experience, offering a serene glimpse into the historic neighborhood.
Written by urgent.news from Nippon.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
