On November 19, the Hitotsubashi ICS Japanese Culture Class took a trip to Kamakura to understand the roots and spirituality of the Japanese people. In the morning, we went to Engakuji colored in autumn shades for a zen meditation session, and in the afternoon we went to the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine. In class prior to the trip, we learned about the world view of the Japanese people from ancient times, animism which transformed into Shinto and the history of syncretization of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan. Through the lecture we aimed to understand key aspects of “Emptiness” and “Purification.” It was a very meaningful opportunity to learn with students of various nationalities and religions, and this Kamakura trip seemed to be a great escape from their very busy MBA studies and Tokyo. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Priest Ichido Uchida for his guidance and explanation on the zen meditation.
