Kamakura Highlights with Local Expert - from Tokyo
Joined 2018
One day fun excursion to Kamakura, a small, coastal city just one hour south of Tokyo. Sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan, Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines and other historical monuments as well as beautiful beach and forestry hills. Refer to this model plan, and I will customize your tour based on your tastes and requests. Count on me, Kamakura specialist!
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel or at any convenient spot for you in central Tokyo area
Your hotel or any place of your convenience in metropolitan Tokyo area
- meet and start the excursion
Kamakura station
- take enoden street car or taxi
Great Buddha of Kamakura
- a large bronze statue of Amida Buddha in Kotokuin temple
Hasedera temple
- a lovely Buddhist temple called as Kamakura's Western Pure Land full of seasonal flowers, famous for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy
Enoden ride
- fun street car ride along the seashore * we could walk to Gokurakuji temple before that
local restaurant for lunch
- based on your request
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine
Kamakura's most important Shinto shrine originally found in the late 11th century walking along Dankazura path, the street I used to walk to my junior high school in teens
Engakuji or Kenchoji temple
- the site Zen Buddhism started in Japan in the 14th century and where thousands of monks have trained
- the precincts are large and beautiful in every season perfectly maintained by the monks
Kitakamakura station
- You will find some other lovely ancient Zen temples when you walk to the station.
* We could extend the tour for Yokohama (China town and Minato Mirai area) for a couple of hours based on your request and our discussion
Tokyo station or any place of your convenience
- the end of the tour
Ending Point
At Tokyo station or any place of your convenience
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
■ guide fee
■ hotel pick-up (in Tokyo metropolitan area)
■ transportation fee (you and guide): about 3000 yen/each in total, e.g. ① JR round trip between Tokyo and Kamakura(about 2,000 yen/adult) ②Enoden and local bus, etc.
■ lunch
■ admission fee: e.g. Great Buddha (300 yen/adult), Kenchoji temple (500 yen/adult), Hasedera temple (400 yen/adult), etc.
Tour Important Information
■ Please wear comfortable shoes and outfits for walking.
■ It takes about one hour from Tokyo area to Kamakura, so it is recommended to start the tour at 8:00 am (or even earlier.)
■ I'm usually flexible to put 1 or 2 extra hours and make the tour longer or to add Yokohama visit on the way back. Please consult me if you want even on the tour date.
It's my personal story, but I moved from a large city Nagoya to Kamakura with my family when I was 10 years old. Despite a little girl, I instantly noticed how historically interesting the town was and loved the milder climate there. It also surprised me there were so many atmospheric narrow winding streets and slopes. It was the best site for kids to have a little adventure! Since then, I have been walking around the city of Kamakura with friends, family, or even by myself. I know every corner of the city and its seasonal beauties. So, let me know your interests and tastes, and I will make the best itinerary for you.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2018
About Tour Guide Tomoko H.
Hi everyone! Hearty welcome to Japan.
I’m Tomoko.
I am an English-speaking licensed tour guide, and a registered nurse as well.
“Fun Discovering Experience Walking like a Local!” – F-D-E-W-L!
That’s what I suggest.
【Experiences】
My work history is as follows.
1) high school teacher ---12 years
2) nurse--8 years + 2 years as operational manager for Kamakura city vaccination team (during COVID period)
3) tourism related jobs such as tour conducting, guiding, and backyard supporting---10 years
As a tour conductor, I’ve visited about 20 foreign countries (possibly yours?) as well as countless number of towns and villages in Japan.
I’ve enjoyed these jobs while being a mother.
Through these experiences with lots of people from different backgrounds, I've found it a great pleasure to share the joy of learning and experiencing something new!
【Guiding Areas】
<Basic> Tokyo, Kamakura, Hakone, Fuji, Yokohama, Nikko, and other neighboring areas from Tokyo
I’m a specialist in Tokyo and Kamakura as I have lived and enjoyed walking a lot in those cities for decades. To be honest, even after all my years here, I still enjoy exploring like a tourist as Tokyo is such an enormous city with great diversity and is constantly changing.
Kamakura is a historical small city with nice beaches and hills and lots of hidden spots of beauty. Almost every time I go out, I feel I’m still making new discoveries. That’s why I cannot stop exploring.
I would take you to some neighboring areas like Hakone, Yokohama, Nikko, and Mt. Fuji area (Lake Kawaguchiko), etc.
<Based on Requests > *if my transportation & accommodation are covered
Nagoya, Kyoto, Nagano(Nagano city, Snow Monkey park, Kisoji trail, etc.), Hida (Takayama, Shirakawa-go), Kanazawa, Oita, Yamagata, Akita, etc.
My original family is from Nagoya, so I know their culture and even their language(dialect) well. Later in my life, I have lived in Oita, Kyushu(far south west of Tokyo) for nearly 10 years and traveled a lot in Kyushu. I love traveling Tohoku, the northern Japan area, too. I’ve planned and enjoyed visiting many of those local areas in the north, too. So, I could share those experiences with you even while having tours in Tokyo or online.
【Personality and others】
- I love meeting people, listening and talking to them.
- I'm friendly and caring, I hope:)
- I love nature and enjoy hiking and skiing.
- I love seasonal flowers and good local food.
- You will see a lot about Japanese culture, nature, and lifestyle with me.
What has made you decide to come to Japan, by the way? Is it its scenic beauties, exotic culture, history, food, anime, or what else? Is it your business that has brought (or will bring) you here? Let me have a clue and customize your tour. I will make the best tour suggestion for you.
Why don’t you contact me now? I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!
Thank you! Arigato-gozaimas!
Reviews
“Japan 2024”
We just got back from our holiday in Japan and quite honestly, we couldn’t have had a lovelier time if it weren’t for our guide Tomoko. She made our first two days in Tokyo so enjoyable. Her kind disposition, her excellent communication skills in English and her ability to get us from place to place understanding our itinerary and our interests (2 adult parents and 2 university age daughters) at our pace was invaluable. Don’t hesitate to book Tomoko as your guide! She took time to explain local traditions and customs, took excellent photos of the family and managed to keep us on schedule so we could see and do everything we wanted including eating and shopping along the way.
Tomoko H.
I'm so glad to hear you had a wonderful holiday, Andrea. Thank you for writing this excellent review just after returning from the trip. I love the photos of us enjoying the market and of me leaving the misfortune I took:) Your husband, Doug, knew very well that you had spent a lot of time researching and preparing very hard for your family, and his first wish was for you to spend some special time yourselves. It was a real pleasure and a privilege for me as a guide to be with you all considerate each other and to spend two very enjoyable days. Thanks to Sydney and Emma, I enjoyed going to shops I wouldn't have gone to on my own. Thanks for broadening my horizons. I wish you and your family once again a happy and healthy 2025. Thank you.
Sharon L.
Dec 24_Fuji/Hakone Highlights - Day Excursion from Tokyo_Sharon &Family
Customized
“Highlight of Our Trip!”
Our family had the absolute pleasure of having Tomoko as our guide to see amazing views of Mt. Fuji and the Hakone area. Tomoko is super friendly, wonderfully personable, professional and incredibly knowledgeable. Her English is superb and she was the perfect addition to our family day trip from Tokyo. She made sure to keep us on schedule so that we could see as much as possible and yet was accommodating and flexible when we requested last minute changes to our day. She also took us to a fantastic local place for lunch where we were able to adhere to our dietary restrictions. Our driver, Miasan was also punctual and friendly. Thank you Tomoko!!
Tomoko H.
Thank you Sharon for your excellent review, and most of all, thank you for sharing so much fun and great views with you and your family yesterday. We walked, laughed and ate a lot, did we? From the time you contacted me, during our planning process together, you clarified your wishes and questions, which made it easy for me to make suggestions. I wish I were better with numbers and could answer Uji's questions about real estate, but as I was talking, I lost track of how many zeros there were. I’m grateful that Miasan helped me a lot about that and others besides driving:) I wish you all continue your pleasant trip and have more memories to share, and I look forward to seeing you again in the future when you come back to Japan. Thank you dear Levy Family!
“Highly recommended!”
Our guide, Tomoko, was hands down the best guide we’ve ever had. She is knowledgeable, flexible, warm annd fun. Tomoko worked with me well in advance to plan the tour and we ended our time together as friends. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.
Tomoko H.
Debbie, thank you for your warm review. Needless to say, I too enjoyed working with you from pre-planning to the day of the tour. I am also honored that you invited me for dinner on the special day:) Best wishes to Tony, Michelle and Mark. I look forward to seeing you again. - Tomoko
$426/ per group
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