
Kamakura Private Tours
Book a Private Kamakura Tour with a Local Tour Guide
Kamakura Art, Culture, & Historical Tours
Explore the connection between the Samurai Government and Buddhism!
The Kamakura Shogunate, established by Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1192, marked the beginning of feudal military government. This period was characterized by the rise of the samurai class and the establishment of a feudal system. It was also marked by both the patronage of Buddhism by the ruling class and the rise of new Buddhist movements that catered to the spiritual needs of the samurai and common people alike. We will explore these facts by visiting some temples and shrines.
Explore the connection between the Samurai Government and Buddhism!
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Deep dive private half day tour of Enoshima
Experience the coastal magic and ancient legends of Enoshima Island on this immersive half-day walking tour. As your private guide, I will lead you through a personal journey to the island's historic shrines, sharing the fascinating stories and traditions of Enoshima. Beyond the history, we will check out the local food scene; whether you are craving street snacks or prefer a leisurely sit-down meal with panoramic ocean views, I’ll ensure you find the perfect flavors to match your palate.
Deep dive private half day tour of Enoshima
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Kamakura Photo Walk Full-Day Tour: Temples, Coast & Enoden Ride
Explore the best of Kamakura on a relaxed full-day tour, combining history, culture, and coastal views. Starting at Kamakura Station, we visit Tsurugaoka Hachimangu via Dankazura and explore Enno-ji Temple, then return through Komachi Street. We take the Enoden to Hase and enjoy lunch. After lunch, we visit Hasedera Temple and the Great Buddha. Then, we visit Kamakura kokomae Station and enjoy a short time by the sea. I will also take photos during the tour so you can keep great memories.
Kamakura Photo Walk Full-Day Tour: Temples, Coast & Enoden Ride
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Kamakura Legends: Temples, Shrines & Samurai
Step back in time to the birthplace of Japan’s samurai legacy. This historical walking tour explores the rise of the first shogun, the emergence of the samurai class, and the powerful forces that shaped medieval Japan—from the arrival of Buddhism and Shintoism to encounters with Christianity and foreign invasions. Along the way, immerse yourself in timeless temples, sacred shrines, and the natural beauty that inspired warriors and monks alike.
Kamakura Legends: Temples, Shrines & Samurai
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Kamakura Day Trip Tours
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Private Day Tour to Kamakura – Great Buddha & Hasedera Temple
Kamakura used to the capital of Japan during 12th to 14th century. It was the first period governed by the samurai warriors; Shoguns.Since samurai practiced Zen Buddhism, there are many Zen Temples which were built before those in Kyoto.
Private Day Tour to Kamakura – Great Buddha & Hasedera Temple
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Exciting Kamakura - One Day Tour from Tokyo
Kamakura is called "Kyoto of Eastern Japan", because it used to be the capital of Japan from 12th to 14th century, and the first government by the Shogun, a top of samurai warriors, was located here. Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines and other historical monuments. In this tour, we will visit three famous temples and one shrine. Personally, I love Kamakura so much and strongly recommend this tour to you, because there are so many beautiful places here.
Exciting Kamakura - One Day Tour from Tokyo
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A Day Excursion to Kamakura
This is a day tour to enjoy the best of Kamakura, a medieval city of samurai warriors, surrounded by hills facing the ocean. During the late 12th to early 14th centuries zen and other popular schools of buddhism flourished there, and therefore, Kamakura has many beautiful temples in a lush green setting. It is possible to arrange your tour to suit your needs and interests, such as zen vegetarian meals or a short hiking.
A Day Excursion to Kamakura
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Discover Ofuna, Kamakura & Enoshima: Temples, Shrines & Scenic Coastal Views with a Licensed Guide
Discover the highlights of the Kamakura area, once the center of Japan’s samurai rule from the late 12th century to 1333. While relatively stable, this period also faced two Mongol invasions as well as earthquakes, epidemics, and famines, which shaped society. During this time, Kamakura Buddhism spread among both samurai and common people. Today, its legacy lives on in Zen temples, historic shrines, and spiritual traditions. Enjoy peaceful gardens, vibrant streets, and coastal views.
Discover Ofuna, Kamakura & Enoshima: Temples, Shrines & Scenic Coastal Views with a Licensed Guide
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Kamakura Highlights Tours
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A Day in My Favorite Kamakura! Zen Temples, Matcha, Flowers & the Sea Breeze
Explore Kamakura with a guide who loves this compact ancient town, rich in history, culture, nature, and Zen spirit. Just an hour from Tokyo, we will visit highlights such as Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the Great Buddha standing for 770 years, and the bamboo temple. You can savor authentic matcha with Japanese sweets in a serene Zen garden, admire seasonal flowers, and stroll hidden paths to the seaside, where the ocean breeze offers a peaceful close to your journey.
A Day in My Favorite Kamakura! Zen Temples, Matcha, Flowers & the Sea Breeze
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Ganz private Führung nach Ihren Wünschen durch Kamakura
Das ist eine ganz persönliche Führung! Geben Sie mir Bescheid über Ihre Wünsche, was Sie machen/ ausprobieren/ essen möchten z. B. Wissen Sie nicht, was Sie tun möchten? Keine Sorge! Ich kann Ihnen auch was vorschlagen, je nach Ihren Wünschen! Fragen Sie mich bitte einfach! Unten gibt’s einige Ideen für Sie!
Ganz private Führung nach Ihren Wünschen durch Kamakura
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One-Day Ancient Wonders in Kamakura(Bamboo Temple, Hachimangu Shrine, Great Buddha, Hasedera Temple)
Enjoy the historical city Kamakura and feel the old Japanese atmosphere of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrine! At Hokokuji Temple you can enjoy matcha tea while viewing a beautiful bamboo forest. Then we will visit Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu Shrine which was a shrine for samurai warriors and enjoy shopping at Komachi-dori shopping street near this shrine. After lunch we will visit Great Buddha and Hasedera Temple using Enoden local train.
One-Day Ancient Wonders in Kamakura(Bamboo Temple, Hachimangu Shrine, Great Buddha, Hasedera Temple)
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Sacred Kamakura: Zen, Samurai Heritage & Retreat Culture
This highlight tour of Kamakura lets you experience its Zen temples, samurai heritage, and retreat culture in a single journey. We’ll visit the city’s most famous landmarks while also exploring quiet backstreets filled with everyday life, offering a well-rounded view of Kamakura’s history, Buddhist culture, scenery, and local lifestyle — all in a compact and memorable experience.
Sacred Kamakura: Zen, Samurai Heritage & Retreat Culture
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Kamakura Nature & Outdoor Tours
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Kamakura by the sea
A famous old town of Kamakura is also known for its beautiful beach. This area is called "Shonan ", which is one of the most popular tour spots in Japan, especially for the young people enjoying marine sports. By using Eno-den Line, which is so cute a train and runs mainly by the beach, you can enjoy both old beautiful Kamakra and beautiful modern beach spots.
Kamakura by the sea
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Kamakura Flower Tour
Let us enjoy viewing seasonal flowers in an ancient capital of Japan. You can enjoy magnificent sceneries combined with beautiful flowers and temples.
Kamakura Flower Tour
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Perfect Sankei-en Garden
Sankeien is a traditional and typical Japanese-style garden constructed by Sankei Hara. He made big success in the silk trade. He transferred historical buildings from Kyoto and Kamakura to this garden. This garden was opend to the public as ”Sankei-en”in 1906. There are 10 important cultural assets designated by Japanese government and 3 tangible cultural assets designated by Yokohama city. You can enjoy great combination of historical structures with Japanese garden.
Perfect Sankei-en Garden
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Kamakura Hanami Tour
One hour train-ride from Tokyo, Kamakura is a historical place where the first samurai government was established in 12 century. There are tens of beautiful temples and shrines in Kamakura. All of them have beautiful Japanese gardens, some of which are famous for its "Hanami", cherry blossoms viewing. I will show you some of the best "Hanami" spots in Kamakura. The date of full blooming differs every year. They usually start blooming late March and end at the beginning of April.
Kamakura Hanami Tour
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Kamakura Unique Experience Tours
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Soul-Exploring Trip of Kamakura and Sutra Copying
Through copying sutra in Hasedera Temple, you get the serenity of mind and feel ready to explore the secret world of Buddhism: Benzaiten in the cave and Hase Kannon on the hill. After watching the imposing Great Buddha, take train to Kamakura, where you can relax and have lunch at various kinds of restaurants to choose from. Then, visit Hachimangu Shrine. and enjoy shopping at Komachidori Street.
Soul-Exploring Trip of Kamakura and Sutra Copying
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Soul-Exploring Trip of Hase Temple, the Great Buddha in Kamakura
Through copying sutra in Hasedera Temple, you get the serenity of mind and feel ready to explore the secret world of Buddhism. In the adjacent cave stand the statues of gods, each with the mission of having human desires achieved. At the top of a hill, Hase Kannon looks down mercifully upon you. Then, seven minutes' walk takes you to the imposing Great Buddha of Kamakura.
Soul-Exploring Trip of Hase Temple, the Great Buddha in Kamakura
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Kamakura Off the Beaten Path Tours
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Walking tour along an old Kamakura samurai road
Kamakura was the seat of the Bakufu (feudal government) from the 12th century to the 14th century. Many samurai warriors as well as commoners came and went. Kamakura is surrounded by mountains and they would walk across them. Unfortunately, with urbanization, almost all roads are now paved and widened. But you still can walk on the hill side. You can walk an old road between Yokohama (Mutsura) and Kamakura. This road is actually the same as the one used in the 12th century.
Walking tour along an old Kamakura samurai road
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Small hiking in Kamakura to feel its ancient atomosphere
You can enjoy a small hiking in a north mountain area, where you will feel ancient atmosphere by visiting a mystic cave shrine called Zeniarai-Benten and Sasuke-Inari shrine. You can also enjoy other faomous spots, Tsurugaoka-Hachiman-gu shrine and Great Buddha.
Small hiking in Kamakura to feel its ancient atomosphere
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Kamakura Tour Reviews
Chester G.
“Amazing Kamakura Tour!”
Had a fun time in Kamakura with Masa-san! He carefully planned our itinerary before the tour and presented different options based on our liking. He was friendly, welcoming and passionate about sharing Kamakura’s history. He is also an amazing photographer and captured awesome, professional quality shots throughout the tour. Highly recommend booking his tour if you are visiting Kamakura for a seamless experience and beautiful memories to take home
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Masayoshi K.
Dear Chester-san, Thank you very much for this wonderful review. I was truly happy to read it. It always makes me glad when I can help travelers who are interested in Japan and are enjoying their trip, and spending the day with you was a real pleasure for me. I am very glad that the plan suited you. I always like to offer a few options beforehand and shape the day around what you would like to see. In early June, I was not sure whether the hydrangeas at Meigetsu-in would already be at their best. When I went to check the day before, I found them just beginning to bloom beautifully, and I knew I wanted to take you there. On the day, it made me very happy to see how much you enjoyed them. There were still few other visitors, so we could take our time, and I was able to take many nice photos for you. I was also glad that you liked the lunch at a small restaurant on a quiet back street. Talking about Kamakura's history is one of the things I love most, and I hope these photos bring back the memories of that day whenever you look at them. Thank you again for your kind recommendation, and for spending the day with me. If you ever come back to Japan, it would be my pleasure to guide you again. With warm regards, Masa
Steven S.
“Amazing tour with Yacco ”
We had the best time with Yacco in Kamakura. She is so thoughtful and caring and put together the best itinerary for our family and arranged all the reservations needed ahead of time. It is obvious she loves having visitors and tailoring a program for their needs and desires. She taught us so much about Kamakura, history in Japan, and also about Japanese culture, religion, and tea ceremonies. This was definitely a highlight of our time in Japan and we HIGHLY recommend Yacco to others wanting to get the most from a trip to Kamakura!
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Yacco M.
Thank you very much for your heartwarming review, Steven-san! Although our original tour had to be canceled because of the typhoon, I was truly delighted that you booked with me again. It was a great pleasure to show my beloved Kamakura to your wonderful family, including your impressive sons. Being able to share the beauty of Kamakura during the hydrangea season with you all made it a very special and memorable day for me as well. Thank you for your curiosity and kindness throughout the day. I enjoyed every moment we spent together. I wish you and your family all the best. Domo arigatou gozaimashita! Yacco
Josh K.
“Fun, full day tour with a true professional”
We spent a full day with Tomoko exploring Kamakura and Enoshima as a daytrip from Tokyo. Tomoko knows this area extremely well so she had everything planned out and adapted logistics as the day unfolded. She provided just the right amount and type of commentary on places visited and brought us to a very traditional soba&tempura restaurant for lunch. She is a natural conversationalist and will feel like a friend by end of the day. Her pre-tour communications are extensive as well. We had a great time with Tomoko and saw everything imagined and then some. We recommend Tomoko 100%, 10 out of 10, a top notch tour guide.
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Tomoko H.
Thank you for the wonderful review. The Kamakura tour with you and your family was so much fun. Even with jet lag, everyone walked so well! The beautiful bamboo temple, Hachimangu Shrine, lunch and shopping, the Great Buddha and Hase-dera Temple, and then the caves carved by the waves on the back side of Enoshima (where the dragon lives!)—I’d secretly worried we might not make it that far. Since you told me your family’s specific requests and preferences in advance, it made planning much easier. I appreciate your cooperation. Thank you, Joshi, Amy, Caroline, and Adelaide!
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