This page covers what to know so you can plan a visit to Kamakura as part of your Tokyo Japan itinerary!
Kamakura is an ancient samurai capital, which means it’s a city of lots of Japanese history. The most famous Kamakura landmark is the Great Buddha, and it’s also a place you can go to explore many temples and shrines. Along with Kotoku-in Temple where the Great Buddha is located, the other popular temple is Hasedera Temple. The most famous shrine is Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Kamakura is a popular day trip from Tokyo, and there are direct trains to Kamakura Station from both Tokyo Station and Shinjuku Station to Kamakura. It takes about an hour to get from Tokyo to Kamakura.
Now here’s more of what to know to plan your visit to Kamakura!
📌 Save this post for later! Save on Pinterest! 👈📌
There are partner websites included in this post.
Things to do in Kamakura on your own
If there are 3 things you must know about for Kamakura, it’s the Great Buddha at Kotoku-in Temple, the Hase-dera Temple, and the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. These are all easy to get to since they are located within walking distance of a train station.
The 2 train stations in Kamakura you need to know about are Hase Station and Kamakura Station.
From Hase Station, you can walk 5 to 10 minutes to the Great Buddha and Hase-dera Temple.
From Kamakura Station, you can walk 15 minutes or so to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. You’ll want to walk by way of both Komachi-dori Street (food spots and shopping street) and Danzakura Avenue (pedestrian street that will allow you to walk straight to a big torii shrine gate that will be right in front of you).
The other thing you’ll want to consider is having matcha in Kamakura! One of the best places for your matcha experience in Kamakura is at the Hokokuji Temple bamboo forest tea house. You can drink traditional Japanese tea with views of bamboo trees right in front of you! You can walk from Kamakura Station or take the bus.
Going to the Great Buddha, Hasedera Temple, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, and Hokokuji Temple can make for a perfect day trip to Kamakura!
Kamakura walking tour
You can easily do Kamakura on your own. But as a former samurai capital, Kamakura is full of history. This means that having a guide can help you get a deeper appreciation for Japanese history in Kamakura. Here’s a tour to consider!
Kamakura half day walking tour with Japanese sweets: Visit the top Kamakura attractions of the Great Buddha, Hasedera Temple, and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Then get to know the food and shopping street of Komachi-dori Street! You’ll meet near Kamakura Station to start the tour.
Read the reviews.
Kamakura day trip tour from Tokyo
Leave the transportation to someone else and take a bus tour to Kamakura and Enoshima. You’ll be able to see the Kamakura highlights of Great Buddha, Hasedera Temple, and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine, and then you’ll also have 2 hours in Enoshima on your own. You’ll meet in Shinjuku to start the tour.
Read the reviews on getyourguide or viator.
Kamakura map
Take a look at the Kamakura map for a visual of the important things to know about when planning a trip to Kamakura. See the Tokyo map for more day trip ideas.
One day in Kamakura and… Enoshima or Yokohama
Give yourself plenty of time in Kamakura, and you will be able to take things slowly!
But if you will be happy just seeing the top 3 things in Kamakura (Great Buddha, Hase-dera Temple, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine), it can be reasonable to make it a half day in Kamakura, which then leaves time to visit another city!
Coming from Tokyo, Enoshima is located past Kamakura.
The most commonly combined city for a day trip to Kamakura is Enoshima. Enoshima is an island where you need to be prepared for a lot of walking! If you’re ready for that, then it can be reasonable to do Kamakura and Enoshima in one day. Enoshima is a place of little shrines and dragon statues. The highlight of my time in Enoshima was the cave.
Yokohama is located between Tokyo and Kamakura.
Another common city to add on to a day trip to Kamakura is Yokohama. Yokohama is a big city, so it really entirely depends on what you want to do in Yokohama if just a few hours is enough for you there. But if you are happy to spend an hour or 2 at Yokohama Chinatown and/or the Noge food alley in the evening, you can find it to be worth it to do Kamakura and Yokohama in one day.
You might also stop by one of the ramen museums in Yokohama in the morning on your way to Kamakura. Yokohama is also one of the cities you can watch a baseball game in the Tokyo area, so you can end your day having fun cheering with the locals if the schedule lines up! Read the reviews of what a Japanese baseball game is like.
Where to stay in Kamakura
While it’s most common to do Kamakura as a day trip, you can also plan it to be a part of an overnight stopover between Tokyo and Kyoto.
The Kamakura Hotel (that’s the name of it) is located a few minutes walking from Kamakura Station. They have simple rooms, and it includes a light Japanese-style breakfast.
Read the hotel reviews on booking.com and expedia.
Here’s what an overnight stop in Kamakura can look like… aka basically what I did!
You can do one last morning activity in Tokyo, and then head to Kamakura by train. Do things walking from Hase Station on the afternoon of your arrival (Great Buddha and Hase-dera Temple). Then the next morning, go for a sunrise walk on the beach, and then return back to the hotel for breakfast. Then do things near Kamakura Station (Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and possibly Hokokuji Temple bamboo forest, back by bus). Upon return to Kamakura Station, you can make a stop in Enoshima! After Enoshima, you can go to the city of Odawara (where there’s a castle) to get on a shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto! And so, Kamakura can be a detour between Tokyo and Kyoto. There are coin lockers for self-service luggage storage at Kamakura Station, Enoshima Station, and Odawara Station.
Kamakura on the blog
JAPAN TRAVEL > KAMAKURA MAP | TOKYO MAP