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.
Your hotel
Pick up at your hotel. Go to Kamakura Station by train.
Go to Hokokuji Temple by bus.
Known as a bamboo temple, Hokokuji Temple was founded in 1334, and is a Zen temple which has beautiful and relaxing bamboo forest. Staying inside the bamboo forest you will make your heart very peaceful. You can also enjoy Japanese matcha tea while watching the bamboo forest.
Go to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine by bus.
This shrine was established in the 11th century as a shrine for samurai warriors and is one of the most famous Shinto shrines in Japan. You can pick a written oracle "Omikuji" and beautiful good luck charm for your souvenir. At the beginning of January, it is very crowded with people for the first shrine visit of the New Year.
Lunch at a restaurant near Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and enjoy shopping at Komachi-dori Shopping Street.
Komachi-dori shopping street is located between Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and Kamakura Station. Over 250 shops are located along Komachi-dori, and you can find some quaint shops and traditional treats.
Go to Hase Station by Enoden local line.
Great Buddha is a national treasure and located in Kotokuin Temple. It is unknown when this temple was established, but it is said Great Buddha was made in the 13th century.
It sits in the open air. Its height is about 11meters and weight is about 121 tons. You can get into the body of Buddha if you like.
It is said that Hasedera Temple was established in 736. Its principal image of Buddha is Kannon Bodhisattva which has eleven faces. It is about 9 meters tall and one of the biggest wooden statues in Japan.
This temple is also known as “flower temple”. You can enjoy beautiful flower viewing in every season, and also beautiful ocean view from the lookout.
Go back to your hotel by train.
End of the tour.
Kamakura Station or Your hotel
1. Guide fee
2. Hotel pick-up
* Hotel pick-up is included if your hotel is located near a station on JR Yamanote Line or inside the circle of JR Yamanote Line. If extra transportation fees are necessary for hotel pick-up, I will let you know.
1. Transportation fee (you and your guide) : About 3,000 yen/adult
2. Admission fee (you and your guide) : About 2,000 yen/adult including matcha tasting
3. Lunch (you and your guide)
4. Beverages (beer, juice, etc.)
Nothing speceial.
By JR Train, it takes about an hour from Tokyo to Kamakura.
Yes, you can add or delete the places to visit. Please let me know the places you want to visit. I will make a customized tour for you.
My recommendation is the following shrine and temple.
(1) Zeniarai-benzaiten Shrine (Coin Washing Shrine)
Zeniarai-banzaiten Shrine is one of the most famous shrines in Kamakura. People visit this shrine to wash their money (zeniarai means "coin washing"). It is said that money washed in the shrine's spring doubles.
(2) Sugimoto-dera Temple
Sugimoto-dera Temple is the oldest temple in Kamakura. It was established in the 8th century, about 450 years before the Kamakura Shogunate was opened. The main hall has a thatched roof. The three main principal images of Buddha are all eleven-faced Kannon statues, and two of them are important national cultural properties. You are allowed to enter the main hall and can see them very close.
Augnel B.
Heroshi-San planned a most wonderful day for my wife and I in Kamakura where we visited many temples and Shrines: Hokokuji Temple, Sugimoto-Kannon Temple, Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu Shrine, Daibutsu (Great Buddha) and finally Hase-Dera Temple. Hiroshi-San gave us time to sit and say prayers for loved ones and close friends. We enjoyed the time sipping Japanese tea and went to a local restaurant to eat lunch. We would never had maneuvered this on our own with all of the different trains and buses to take. Our hats off to Hiroshi-San for taking time to answer all of our questions about all of the different sites. The view overlooking Kamakura was awesome.
Thank you very much for your review. I had a great time with you and your wife, and am happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour to Kamakura. We were lucky to see a Japanese traditional wedding at Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu Shrine. At Kotokuin Temple we went inside the Great Buddha and enjoyed the national treasure. As the weather was not so good, the view from Hase-Dera Temple was hazy in the rain. But I am glad to hear you enjoyed it. Let’s enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan! Hiroshi
Lorraine B.
We had a fantastic day with Hiroshi at the shrines and temples of Nikko. He explained many features that we could never have understood or appreciated on our own. And we had some good laughs. I would definitely recommend Hiroshi for your travels in Japan.
Thank you very much for your review. I had a great time with you and am happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour to Nikko. The leaves on the trees near Kegon Falls were starting to change color and it was very beautiful. I also believe that you were able to experience Japanese religion and culture in the Toshogu area. I hope that some Japanese phrases I gave you can help you during your stay in Japan. Please try to use them during your trip. I look forward to seeing you again in the near future! Hiroshi
Leslie L.
We were a group of 9 adults ranging from college aged to senior citizen. From the beginning, communication with Hiroshi was great. Meeting him in person was even more pleasant. He was patient with our group and so very accommodating. At our every request, he was so kind and polite. The epitome of Japanese hospitality. What really makes Hiroshi a 5 star guide is his willingness to take the initiative and go the extra mile. Not only did he help us get the Hakone pass, Hiroshi took it upon himself to provide us with the bus schedule & point out the correct bus stop for us to take the next day to Odawara Station to catch our train to Kyoto. We greatly appreciated this help as it helped us save 900 yen per person by using the Hakone pass on the correct transportation. We highly recommend Hiroshi and would not hesitate to recommend him to others.
Thank you very much for your review. I am now very glad and relieved to know that you and your group enjoyed Hakone. To tell the truth, I was worried if I could manage a group of 9 only by myself. But that concern was completely unnecessary. All the members of your group were so polite and punctual. I also really enjoyed the Hakone tour with all of you. Thank you very much for your cooperation. One disappointment was that we did not make it to the Heiwa-no-Torii of Hakone Shrine because there was a long line to get there. But I believe you enjoyed the story of the dragon with nine heads passed down in the shrine and the shrine itself! I hope we can meet again in Japan in the near future! Hiroshi
Rhonda K.
Our day tour to Kamakura was awesome Hiroshi our guide was excellent he helped us with our rail passes His knowledge and experience is great We felt like he was not our tour guide but our friend I would highly recommend the tour but more recommend Horoshi he was AWESOME Rhonda & Kerrie from Australia
Thank you for your review. We enjoyed matcha tea with Japanese sweets, sake at lunch, the experience of the inside of Great Buddha, shopping at Komachi-dori Street, etc. Kamakura was full of students on school trips. If it had been a little less crowded, we might have been able to relax a little more. But I am happy to hear you enjoyed our tour to Kamakura. I am looking forward to the next tour with you! Hiroshi