If you’re looking for a quick, fun day trip outside of Tokyo, I know the perfect place. Kamakura has it all—historical temples, seasonal flowers, beachside sunsets, trendy cafes, and quaint old-town shopping streets. Best of all, it’s easy to access—the seaside town is only about an hour’s train ride from greater Tokyo.
Kamakura is also a great place for a date, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gone, either with a date or with friends. Below, I’ll introduce you to some must-visit shrines and temples, a café with great sunset views, and more!
Sightseeing in Kamakura
As the old capital of Japan in the Kamakura Period, Kamakura has numerous temples and shrines and is absolutely worth a visit.
If you collect temple stamps, or goshuuin, Kamakura is a great place to visit—or start your collection. You must bring your stamp booklet (goshuuincho), or you can purchase one at any major temple or shrine. Each temple or shrine has their own unique design for both the stamp and stamp booklet based on the temple’s specialty.
Read on for my top 3 recommendations of temples and shrines to visit.
Big 3 Temples/Shrines in Kamakura
Kōtoku-in Temple
Kamakura is most famous for the giant statue of Buddha, known as the Great Buddha of Kamakura, at Kōtoku-in temple.
Most large Buddhist statues in Japan are indoors, making this outdoor statue special. You can even climb inside the enormous copper statue for a small fee.
More information in English can be found on the Kotoku-in Temple website.
Though Kōtoku-in may be the most famous, it’s not actually my favorite temple in the area. That would be Hasedera, introduced in detail below.
Access:
Entrance fee: 300 yen for general admission.
Fee to enter the Buddha statue: 50 yen.
Location/train station: 7-minute walk from Hase station on the Enoden line.
Hase-dera
Hase-dera is another Buddhist temple in the area, accessible by train and on foot. In addition to the temple itself, Hase-dera is famous for the seasonal hydrangea flowers in June, the smiling Jizo statues, and an observatory deck overlooking the ocean.
The temple is spread out, and there’s plenty of nature and greens to make the walk worth it. There’s even a small pond with koi fish and lilies (seasonal) by the entrance. To get to the main temple, you must climb many stairs, so it is not accessible for wheelchairs and baby carriages.
Once you climb up the stairs, there is an observatory deck past the temple from which you can see the ocean in the distance, and the coastal town of Kamakura laid out below. It’s a great photo spot, and there are benches where you can sit and enjoy a hot or cold drink from the vending machines nearby.
The temple also features smaller Jizo statues (stone guardian deities of children and travelers) famous for their smiles and gentle demeanor. This is a popular photo spot for tourists.
My favorite attraction at Hase-dera is the observatory deck, but the seasonal flowers are a close second.
These seasonal flowers include plum blossoms in February, cherry blossoms in late March to early April, Hydrangeas in June after the rainy season, and much more. I recommend the hydrangeas; they paint the mountain in pale watercolor blues, pinks, and purples and are truly a sight to behold.
For a comprehensive list of seasonal flowers, check their website under the garden section.
Access:
Entrance fee: 400 yen for adults
Location/train station: 5 minutes on foot from Hase station on the Enoden line.
From Tokyo, you must transfer at Kamakura station to the Enoden line and ride it for 5 minutes to get to Hase St.
Parking fees can also be found on the Hasa-dera website.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
Next up is Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a majestic shrine steeped in history. The deity residing here is the guardian of samurai.
Unlike the other two temples, which are Buddhist, this is a Shinto shrine. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is extremely busy around New Year’s, for Hatsumode, or praying to ring in the new year. Many important festivals and ceremonies are also held here, at the cultural center of Kamakura city.
The grounds are much more spacious and usually less crowded than the other two temples I’ve introduced. In spring, cherry blossoms line the pathway in all their pale pink glory.
In addition to the main shrine, there are a series of smaller shrines where you can pray. There’s also a museum and a large, peaceful pond with koi fish and turtles on the grounds.
This shrine has a lot of history, which you can learn more about from their Hachimangu website.
Access:
Entrance fee: free. 200 yen for the museum.
Location/train station: 10 minute walk from JR Kamakura station or Enoden Kamakura station. The main street leading to the shrine is lined with food stalls and chic cafes.
Parking information can be found on the Hachimangu website.
Other Temples:
There are many other temples and shrines in the Kamakura area, each with its specialty. For example, Hokoku-ji is famous for the bamboo grove, and Engaku-ji has a spot for you to enjoy matcha tea. The ones I’ve introduced in this article are merely the most famous three, so I would advise you research on your own to make an itinerary that fits what you want.
Other things to do in Kamakura
With the modern era overflowing from the cracks and crevices of Kamakura’s streets, there’s much more to this coastal town than history and temples.
Here are 3 leisure activities you can’t miss when you go to Kamakura.
Walk through the side Streets
Many of Kamakura’s side streets retain their traditional Japanese-style architecture, and the quaint old town shops right near Kamakura station sell a variety of trinkets and goods. When I went, the shops in the old town streets sold succulents, windchimes, and various other trinkets.
You can also participate in tabearuki, or “eating while walking.” In general, walking and eating at the same time is culturally frowned upon in Japan, but here it is expected. It’s one of my favorite things about visiting Kamakura. The streets near Kamakura station, especially the main street leading up to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, are lined with food stalls and cafes.
This main street is called Wakamiya Ooji and stretches 2 kilometers straight from Yuigahama beach right to the shrine’s torii gate. Though Wakamiya Ooji is historical, the shops lining it tend to be newer and come and go with the trends. There are many hip new cafes with artisan coffee, restaurants serving jiggly pancakes, and outdoor food stalls selling fried foods on a stick and tapioca tea drinks (or whatever the newest trend is).
If time allows, you could even spend a whole afternoon just wandering the side streets of Kamakura.
Ride the Enoden: Enoshima Electric Railway
Abbreviated from “Enoshima Dentetsu,” the Enoden train line itself can also be considered an attraction of the Kamakura/Enoshima area. Not only do most major tourist attractions in this area lie along the Enoden line, but it also sets the scene for many famous dramas, anime, and manga. (One such pop culture reference is a famous basketball manga/anime called Slam Dunk.)
In an era of ultra-fast bullet trains and train lines in every major Japanese city being taken over and uniformized by JR (Japan Railways), the rickety old Enoden is an endearing rarity. A well-loved relic from the Meiji era, the moment you break through the monotony of the city streets and see the glittering ocean is breathtaking. I absolutely recommend taking a good long ride on this train if you have the time to spare.
The train also stops at Enoshima, for which the train line is named. Enoshima is a popular local attraction that deserves an article of its own, but I recommend you do this on a different day since Kamakura has so much to see on its own.
The last stop of the Enoden is Fujisawa, which is quite far—I wouldn’t recommend taking the train all the way down to Fujisawa unless you plan on spending 2 or more days in the Kamakura area.
Take a stroll by Shichirigahama Beach and get some pancakes
You couldn’t possibly visit Kamakura without a trip to the beach. 七里ヶ浜 (Shichirigahama) is beautiful on a sunny day, and there are usually a few surfers catching waves on any given day. Taking the train along the beach to enjoy the ocean view is one of my favorite activities.
Once you feel peckish from all the walking, you can visit Bill’s pancake shop right by the beach. The terrace is a beautiful spot to watch the sunset, and the food is also delicious.
Bill’s is actually an Australian franchise that’s rather popular in Japan, and there are usually many students, so there might be a line if you go around sunset.
Alternatively, you could also visit Yuigahama, another beach closer to Kamakura station. I personally find Shichirigahama more beautiful and relaxing.
Access: Shichirigahama Station is about 16 minutes by Enoden from Kamakura station.
Cost: 260 yen.
Access to Kamakura
If you have a JR all-you-can-ride rail pass, you should be able to use it from within Tokyo to Kamakura station. Once you get to Kamakura, you’ll have to buy separate tickets, or a local train pass. There’s one Odakyu pass being sold for Kamakura-Enoshima, which you can ride from Shinjuku. It is a free pass for the Enoden line, which is worth looking into if you plan on riding it a lot. The cost is 1,640 yen (as of the time of writing).
In Summary
All of the recommendations in this article could be done in one day if you don’t mind a tight schedule. If you come in from Tokyo early in the morning, you could follow a schedule like this:
Early AM: Arrive at Kamakura station, take the Enoden to Hase St., and visit Kotoku-in Temple and Hase-dera. I would allow at least 3 or 4 hours for this.
Lunch time: Go back to Kamakura station and walk the Wakamiya Ooji to Tsurugaoka Hachiman Jingu. Then, walk around the grounds, pray at the temple, and grab lunch at one of the restaurants nearby. This could be done in 2 to 3 hours or so.
Afternoon: Take the Enoden down by the beach, walk around Shichirigahama, and stay for sunset at Bill’s café.
Evening: Have dinner around Kamakura station and return to Tokyo to rest up for the next day of your adventure.
Since there’s so much to do in the area, I highly recommend researching some of the other temples nearby—such as the bamboo temple, Hokokuji—and looking at restaurants you want to try in advance. This is especially true if you’re going on a weekend since foreign and local tourists alike make the lunch and dinner rush a pain in the neck.
Though Kamakura is glorious in all its seasons, my favorite season to visit is early summer; the lush green mountains and vivid hydrangeas blooming, the humidity, and the sea breeze—that’s my picture-perfect Japanese summer.
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