A convenient and handy all-in-one English guidebook to offer non-Japanese access to the local community’s experience of Japan as if they had a local guide alongside them.
Available in E-book and Paperback
Vol. I features the historic town of Kamakura along with Enoshima, the island connected to the town by a bridge. Enoshima Island will serve as the venue for the sailing competitions in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
They are conveniently located one hour from Tokyo, so why don't you hop on a train and head to those charming towns to explore the history of samurai, zen culture, and the places and people we, the local creators picked?
Kindle e-book: 212 pages, 74973 KB
Paperback: 212 pages, A5 size
12.7 x 1.14 x 20.32 cm
5 x 0.45 x 8 inches
Kindle e-book: ¥1,200 USD 12.00 EUR 12.00
Paperback: ¥2,000 USD 19.95 EUR 19.95
*e-book and paperback are both available on Amazon and many other online stores worldwide in each domestic currency. →Please scroll down to see the list of online stores.
*We can't control the selling price on Amazon book stores so sometimes the price is cheaper or sometimes higher than our cover price.
If it's higher on Amazon, please check other domestic online book stores in your country or you might be able to order a paperback copy at a local brick-and-mortal book store by providing ISBN#: 978-4991060519.
To support your local bookstore, especially small independent ones, please try to order a copy through them first.
News & Information
Jan.3 2025
One of our production staff members, photographer Taisuke Yokoyama, has published a new book titled Saiko Jan!(meaning "Amazing!").
This book features portraits of renowned surfers from Japan and around the world, captured over the years, along with their thoughts on nature and surfing. The foreword is written by Gerry Lopez.
制作スタッフの一人、写真家の横山泰介の新刊『さいこじゃん！ （「すごい！」という意味）が出版されました。
これまでに撮影した著名な国内外のサーファーのポートレイトを、自然とサーフィンへの想いとともにまとめられ、序文はジェリー・ロペスです。
Apr.20 2023
Sae Yamane, editor and writer of LOCAL FOCUS will hold bilingual tea ceremony workshops at Shiosai Park in Hayama Town (15 minutes from Kamakura and one hour from Tokyo).
These will be casual, fun, and kids friendly workshops that one can experience Japanese tea ceremony at a traditional tea house located in the beautiful Japanese garden that used to be part of Emperor's villa by Isshiki Beach.
Dec.14 2022
The publisher of LOCAL FOCUS has released "Kamakura-bori (Kamakura-style wooden hand-carved lacquerware) Cutlery Set", portable reusable utensil set with the design of "ya-bane", or "feathered arrow," carved into the cutlery is a symbol of the courage to face new challenges, protection against evil, and the samurai spirit of Kamakura.
LOCAL FOCUS
-A Japan Guide to Nature, Culture, and Community,Vol. I: Kamakura and Enoshima is the first in a series of guidebooks
featuring the charming towns of Japan,highlighting their unique natural environments and one-of-a-kind cultures and communities.
It’s a convenient and handy all-in-one English guidebook to offer non-Japanese access to the local community’s experience of Japan and more
efficiently and meaningfully.
Kamakura and Enoshima Island:
・have a history made rich from samurai warriors and Zen culture
・have beaches and hiking trails.
・have a unique hybrid culture of old and new
LOCAL FOCUS features:
・210 pages in full color
・over 100 places to visit hand-picked by the production team
・at-a-glance icons indicating places with "English menus available," "Credit cards accepted," and "Barrier-free accessibility," etc.
*Sample pages and more details are available in our videos and amazon sales site.
ヘッディング 3
Exciting guide to help uncover even more to love in this wonderful city
"Now that I've had a few months with this guide, I have to say that the restaurants I've had the chance to visit so far have all been phenomenal. From traditional Japanese breakfast to high quality tempura, the content here has definitely been carefully selected, and are almost all spots I wouldn't have likely discovered on my own."
A labor of love produces a great guidebook
"There are very helpful maps and descriptions that could only come from people who are intimately familiar with their surroundings.
If you plan on traveling to Kamakura, and I have a number of times, this guidebook will be a great companion to take along on your journey."
The only Kakakura guide you will ever need
"This book presents a lot of great information in a concise, easy to read format. I started reading it a few hours ago and could not put it down. I already have so many pages bookmarked; map routes to follow, restaurants to visit, and places to shop. This book really has it all! "
The perfect guide to Kamakura
"It is not your ordinary guide. The writers provide a lot of interesting history of Kamakura and the surrounding area and some really cool places to visit as well. Many of these places are off the beaten path and only known by locals. The restaurants in these book are owned by some wonderful people who care about their craft, their city, the environment, the food they make, and the people who they serve such great food to.
Great guidebook of Kamakura
"I was looking for a good guide book for my friend coming to Japan and came across with this great book. I'd recommend it to all the travellers visiting Japan as it contains very useful pieces of information including history, restaurants, and places you should visit."
・
LOCAL FOCUS Vol.1 Kamakurra & Enoshima 1st edition reveiwes on Amazon.com
Meet The Team
Sae Yamane
Editor/Writer
Brought up in Tokyo, Sae is an editor and writer on the topics
of travel, food, and personalities, and is also a Bach Flower
Essence practitioner. She runs a small cafe located close to a beautiful beach in Hayama.
Sousuke Hirai
Graphic Designer
For most of his career, Sosuke was primarily involved in the production side of corporate advertising.
As a Kamakura resident of ten years, he immersed himself in advertising work and personal fine art works. Since moving to Hayama, he has been involved in many local events and productions.
Sarah Goff
Photographer
Sarah enjoyed living in nearby Zushi and traveling the world while experiencing different cultures. Since her studies of photography at college in San Diego, CA, she has pursued her passion in photography for over 15 years.
Taisuke Yokoyama
Photographer
Ever since the 1960s, the life of this Kamakuraite has revolved around surfing. As a photographer, he is known for his book, surfers,a collection of photographs of world famous wave riders.
In spring 2017, Taisuke established Surf Magazine, a Japanese surfer's magazine.
THE
TEAM
