By rail
Kamakura station, ~1 h from Tokyo
East Asia · Japan
Kamakura, Japan
The Great Buddha by the sea
Getting there
By air
Haneda (HND), ~1 h by train
Best time to visit
June for hydrangeas, November for autumn leaves
Don't miss
Kotoku-in's Great Buddha
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
Hase-dera
Enoshima
Things to do
The Great Buddha
Hiking trails between temples
Enoshima island
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Walking shoes
A quieter corner
Hokoku-ji's bamboo grove and its teahouse
Questions travellers ask
When is the prettiest time to visit Kamakura?
June for the hydrangeas, or November for the autumn leaves.
Is Kamakura an easy trip from Tokyo?
Yes — Kamakura station is about 1 hour from Tokyo, and Haneda (HND) is around 1 hour away by train.
What should I do in Kamakura besides the Great Buddha?
Visit Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and Hase-dera, hike the trails between temples in walking shoes, and head out to Enoshima island.
Where can I stop for tea in Kamakura?
At Hokoku-ji, whose bamboo grove has its own teahouse.
About Kamakura
- Coastal
- Hills
Where it is
Kamakura lies on Sagami Bay in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, south-west of Tokyo, enclosed by wooded hills on three sides and open to the sea on the fourth.
History
In the late 12th century Minamoto no Yoritomo made Kamakura the seat of Japan's first shogunate, and for more than a century it was the country's political centre, filled with Zen temples built by its warrior rulers. The Kamakura shogunate fell in 1333, and the town later became a quiet place of temples and a seaside retreat within reach of Tokyo.
People
Kamakura's people speak Japanese, and many commute to Tokyo and Yokohama. Local traditions include Kamakura-bori, a carved lacquerware first made for the Zen temples, and shirasu, the tiny whitebait fished in Sagami Bay and eaten raw or boiled over rice.
Known for
- The bronze Great Buddha of Kotoku-in
- Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine
- Hydrangeas at Hase-dera and Meigetsu-in
- The Zen temples of Kita-Kamakura
- Surfing at Yuigahama and Shichirigahama
Did you know?
The Great Buddha of Kamakura once sat inside a wooden hall, but since the hall was washed away, reportedly by the tsunami of 1498, the statue has stood in the open air.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.