Things to do in Kamakura
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kamakura
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Cherry blossom on the Dankazura avenue, with the Kamakura Matsuri and spring yabusame in mid April.
The easiest month: warm, mostly dry, best hiking weather and fresh green maples.
Hydrangea season at Meigetsu-in and Hase-dera during tsuyu rain; slippery paths and no Fuji.
Beach season with lifeguards and beach houses; July fireworks, August heat, jellyfish and typhoon risk.
Reitaisai Grand Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu around 14 to 16 September, with yabusame on the final day.
The connoisseur's month: heat gone, hiking and cycling at their best, Fuji reappearing on clear mornings.
Late autumn foliage from mid November into early December, later than Kyoto, with evening illuminations.
Winter clarity and the best Fuji odds, quiet temples and plum from February, except huge Hatsumode crowds on 1 to 3 January.
What's on
- Hatsumode at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu 1-3 January
First shrine visit of the year draws enormous crowds to Kamakura's main shrine.
- Kamakura Matsuri Mid-April, around the second/third Sunday
Shizuka no Mai dance and yabusame horseback archery at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
- Kusajishi archery at Kamakura-gu 5 May
Archery ritual's May season coverage.
- Kamakura Fireworks Festival Mid/late July
Fireworks over the water off Yuigahama and Zaimokuza; date moves yearly and can cancel for weather.
- Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Reitaisai Grand Festival 14-16 September
Kamakura's biggest festival, ending with yabusame archers firing at full gallop in period costume.
Best things to do in Kamakura
Hase-dera
Hillside Kannon temple with terraced gardens, a cave shrine and sea views, ranked first by many local guides.
Kotoku-in
The Great Buddha sits outdoors among pines and rewards a short visit paired with nearby Hase-dera.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
Kamakura's main shrine at the head of the Dankazura cherry avenue, with the classic view down to the sea.
Kencho-ji
Japan's oldest Zen training monastery, still working, unfolding uphill to a quiet rear garden and shrine.
Engaku-ji
Second of the Five Great Zen Temples by Kita-Kamakura Station, best for sitting in cedar shade.
Hokoku-ji
Small bamboo grove temple where matcha in the teahouse looks straight into about 2,000 bamboo stems.
Meigetsu-in
Hydrangea Temple famous for blue June flowers and a round window framing the rear garden like a moon.
Zeniarai Benzaiten
Cave shrine reached through a rock tunnel where visitors wash coins in spring water for luck.
Where to stay in Kamakura
Central Kamakura - Kamakura Station / Yukinoshita / Komachi
first trip, all-round base
Shrine avenue, both rail lines and the deepest dinner choice, staying one street back from Komachi-dori.
Hase
temple-first trips and repeat visitors
Hase-dera and the Great Buddha are the neighbourhood, Yuigahama is a short walk and evenings are quiet.
Yuigahama / Zaimokuza
summer, families and surfers
Along the sand south of centre, livelier at Yuigahama and calmer and more local toward Zaimokuza.
Shichirigahama / Inamuragasaki
couples and view seekers
Hillside coast along the scenic Enoden stretch where every commute starts with the sea.
Kita-Kamakura
hikers and Zen-focused trips
Leafy valley around Engaku-ji and Kencho-ji, the quietest base with both hiking courses minutes away.
Think twice about
- Ofuna
A charmless JR interchange district that costs you Kamakura itself for a nightly commute. Fine only for a transit night.
- On Komachi-dori itself / directly on Route 134
Not dangerous, just noisy and crowd squeezed by day on Komachi or traffic heavy with no pavement joy on Route 134.
- Fujisawa sold as Kamakura
A fine hub city but 25 minutes by Enoden from Kamakura Station. If the trip is Kamakura, stay in Kamakura.
- Deep-hills rentals without a car
Pretty and cheap per square metre but marooned, with no walkable dinner and steep lanes after dark.
Best restaurants in Kamakura
Kamakura Matsubara-an
Consensus best soba in Kamakura, hand made noodles and tempura in a converted house by Yuigahama.
Akimoto
Benchmark shirasu bowl on Komachi-dori, raw whitebait when the morning catch allows, plus vegetable tempura.
Yoridokoro
Old house by the Enoden tracks at Inamuragasaki serving grilled dried fish set meals from 7am.
Sasho
Special occasion wagyu sukiyaki and shabu shabu in a traditional house and garden near the shrine.
Garden House Kamakura
Garden terrace restaurant near the station serving Western cafe cooking in improbably calm green space.
Latteria BeBè Kamakura
Wood fired Neapolitan pizza and house made cheeses in a renovated old house down a back alley.
bills Shichirigahama
Australian cafe above the Enoden at Shichirigahama, famous for ricotta hotcakes and a full beach terrace.
Amalfi Della Sera
Terrace Italian above Shichirigahama for Shonan seafood pasta and sunset over Enoshima.
Outdoor things to do in Kamakura
Daibutsu Hiking Course
Forest trail linking Kita-Kamakura temples past Zeniarai Benten and a historic pass to the Great Buddha.
Tenen Hiking Course
Quieter northern ridge walk from Kencho-ji to Zuisen-ji, with cave tombs and late autumn colour in Shishimai.
Gionyama Hiking Course
Short 30 minute ridge walk over Mt Gion with city views, good for a spare hour.
Surfing at Shichirigahama, Inamuragasaki and Yuigahama
Historic Shonan surf coast, with reef breaks for experienced surfers and learner schools at Yuigahama.
SUP and windsurfing at Zaimokuza
Calm shallow water at Zaimokuza makes an easy SUP or windsurf introduction with hills and Enoshima views.
Enoshima Island
Offshore island of Benzaiten shrines, a sea candle tower, candlelit caves and rocky sunset coast.
Cycling the coast to Enoshima or Hayama
Flat sea view cycling west to Enoshima or east through Zushi to calmer Hayama beaches.
Zazen and sutra-copying
Formal zazen led by a priest or quiet sutra copying, Kamakura's most inward bookable experience.
Best hotels in Kamakura
Hotel Metropolitan Kamakura
Modern hotel two minutes from Kamakura Station on the shrine avenue, with a MUJI cafe in the building.
Tosei Hotel Cocone Kamakura
Smaller smart hotel by the station praised for cleanliness, staff and value against the Metropolitan.
Hotel New Kamakura
Long standing simple hotel near the station where location per yen is the whole appeal.
LACER SUITES KAMAKURA
Small garden set suites property in Yukinoshita, the centre's quiet luxury option near the shrine.
Gen Hotel Kamakura
Small contemporary hotel toward Hase and Yuigahama, walkable to Hase-dera and the beach.
Kaihinso Kamakura
Historic ryokan in a former Meiji era villa near Yuigahama, with tatami rooms, garden and kaiseki.
Hoshino Resorts KAI Kamakura
Hoshino luxury ryokan near Yuigahama, with contemporary Japanese design, soaking and seasonal kaiseki.
KKR Kamakura Wakamiya
Full service hotel between centre and beach, spacious and well suited to families and groups.
Is Kamakura expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ¥12,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ¥28,000 a person |
| Splurge | ¥55,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Surfing at Shichirigahama, Inamuragasaki and Yuigahama: a few days ahead
- SUP and windsurfing at Zaimokuza: a few days ahead
- Zazen and sutra-copying: weeks ahead
- Golf in and around Kamakura: weeks ahead
- Hotel Metropolitan Kamakura: weeks ahead
- Tosei Hotel Cocone Kamakura: weeks ahead
- Hotel New Kamakura: weeks ahead
- LACER SUITES KAMAKURA: weeks ahead
- Hotels 6 to 10 weeks ahead for hydrangea, foliage, Golden Week, Obon and beach weekends.
- Dinner reservations are essential at Sasho, BeBe, Cocomo and the Amalfi Della Sera sunset terrace.
- Private zazen, guided cycling and summer surf and SUP schools need days to a week ahead.
Is Kamakura safe?
- One of the safest small cities in Japan; the real risks are sea currents, jellyfish, heat and slippery trails after rain.
- Swim only in lifeguarded zones from 1 July to 31 August and obey flags absolutely.
- The coast is a signed tsunami evacuation zone; after a strong quake at the beach move uphill immediately.
Kamakura travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Komachi-dori between 11:00 and 15:00 on weekends is a slow shuffle; walk it before 10:00 or after 16:00.
- Do not join the Kamakurakoko-mae crossing scrum in the road; use the coast path minutes away for the same shot.
- Do not try Kamakura, Enoshima and Yokohama in one day, and do not make the Great Buddha a standalone trip.
Getting around Kamakura: public transport and more
- Walk plus Enoden plus occasional bus is the whole system, with an Enoden day pass for Hase and Enoshima days.
- Start at Kita-Kamakura and walk south through Engaku-ji, Meigetsu-in and Kencho-ji toward lunch and the station.
- From Tokyo take the JR Yokosuka Line from Tokyo or Shinagawa, or the Shonan-Shinjuku Line from Shinjuku and Shibuya.
Who Kamakura suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Kamakura your trip
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