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.
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Your hotel
Your Hotel
Pick up at your hotel. Go to Kamakura Station by train.
Kamakura Station
Go to Hokokuji Temple by bus.
Hokokuji Temple
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.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
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 and Shopping
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.
Kamakura Station
Go to Hase Station by Enoden local line.
Great Buddha
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.
Hasedera Temple
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.
Kamakura Station
Go back to your hotel by train.
Your Hotel
End of the tour.
Ending Point
Kamakura Station or Your hotel
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
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.)
By JR Train, it takes about an hour from Tokyo to Kamakura.
*** FAQ ***
(Q) Can I add or delete the places to visit?
(A) 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.
You can also see the beautiful moss-covered stone steps at the entrance of this temple.
Nothing speceial.
Hello, I'm Hiroshi.
I am a National Government Licensed Tour Guide Interpreter in English. I have got a master's degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the U.S.
I have been living in a city of Fujisawa, which is the city next to Kamakura, for more than 20 years, and also lived in Kamakura for more than 10 years. So far, I have visited almost all the temples and shrines in Kamakura. So I am sure I can offer you a pleasant trip to the historical city, Kamakura.
In addition to Kamakura, I can also guide Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Nikko, etc. because I have visited many places in Kanto area. For example, in Tokyo I can show you around the sightseeing spots such as Asakusa, Tsukiji, Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, Tokyo Skytree, etc.
I like baseball and used to play baseball, but now enjoy watching professional baseball games. And I like watching Rakugo, Japanese traditional story-telling performance.
Of course, I also like travelling very much, and am interested in Japanese culture and history. So I would like to show you Japanese tradition and culture.
Let’s enjoy a trip in Japan together.
I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
Fynn C.
Kamakura Half Day Customized Tour (Nov. 17)
Customized
“Kamakura half day tour”
Our tour to Kamakura was a fantastic experience from start to finish. It began with a convenient meet-up at our hotel in Shinjuku, where Hiroshi, our guide, greeted us warmly. The journey was incredibly smooth, as navigating the public transport was easy and well-organized. I especially enjoyed taking the local buses, which added a nice, authentic touch to the experience. The pace of the tour was perfect, making it a relaxing day despite all there was to see. As a small group, we had plenty of time to enjoy each stop without feeling rushed. One highlight was definitely the Hokokuji Bamboo Forest—such a serene and beautiful place that left a lasting impression on all of us. Hiroshi was an excellent guide, always attentive and full of interesting tidbits, especially for my kids, who were engaged and excited throughout the tour. It was clear that he genuinely cared about making the experience enjoyable for everyone. Overall, this was a memorable, stress-free day trip, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Kamakura.
Hiroshi S.
Thank you for writing the review. I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed the Kamakura tour. I also had a great time with all of your family. We visited the Great Buddha, Hokokuji Temple, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, and finally Komachi-dori Street. At Hokokuji Temple, we enjoyed matcha green tea while looking at the bamboo grove. It is a very quiet and calm place and one of my favorite places in Kamakura. Since it was a holiday, there were many people at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. Especially since it was the season of Shichi-Go-San, which celebrates the growth of children, we could see many children dressed in kimono. There were also many stores and restaurants on Komachi-dori Street, and I am sure you enjoyed shopping and other activities. If you have a chance to come to Japan again, please contact me. There is still much to see and do in Kamakura and Tokyo, and let’s enjoy Japanese culture and customs together.
Cathleen N.
Nikko Full Day Customized Tour (Updated)
Customized
“Tokyo to Nikko Full Day Personalized Tour”
Hiroshi goes above and beyond to exceed your expectations. If you are looking for a guide that will respond timely to your inquiries, make suggestions on how to efficiently use your time, and consider your interests to build a personalized itinerary, then Hiroshi-san is for you. Through GWG, I corresponded with Hiroshi to build out an itinerary that included a pick up at our hotel in Tokyo, round trip train(s) to Nikko, and full day tour. Hiroshi promptly answered all my questions and made suggestions for which public transportation (bus/metro/train) to use including detailed timelines of the most time efficient routes. On top of all that, he provided a day's worth of education on Japanese history, religions, and culture. During the train ride he gave us a quick Japanese lesson on the most useful words/phrases and had a pictorial explaining Japanese characters. He answered our questions all day long, regardless of how obscure. We learned and laughed together. Aside from being knowledgeable, Hiroshi-san is kind and caring. He made sure that we understood how to use the public transportation system's automatic ticketing kiosks and even helped us purchase a physical SUICA card for one of our group members who could not get the electronic version. The following day we were traveling on our own to Kyoto via bullet train. He explained that process for us and even sent texts the next day making sure that we arrived safely at the correct outbound Shinkasen train station and found the correct train. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Hiroshi-san. If you choose him as your guide, you will too.
Hiroshi S.
I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed the Nikko tour. The day of the tour was very crowded because there was a yabusame (horseback archery) event at Toshogu Shrine. But we could see people dressed in samurai clothes riding horses. We studied Japanese on the train. It was just simple greetings in Japanese, but I hope it was of some use to you during your stay in Japan after the Nikko tour. Tokyo Station is a very large central station in Japan and is always crowded with people. It might be a little complicated to go through the ticket gates when boarding the Shinkansen, but I am relieved to hear that you were able to board the Shinkansen to Kyoto smoothly at Tokyo Station. Please contact me if you have a chance to come back to Japan. I can show you around Tokyo, Hakone, Kamakura, Yokohama, etc. Let's experience Japanese culture and customs, and enjoy delicious Japanese food and beautiful scenery! Hope to see you again! Hiroshi
Norma V.
Hakone Full Day Customized Tour (Oct. 25)
Customized
“Excellent tour guide Hiroshi Suzuki”
Hiroshi met us at our hotel exactly on time and shepherded us through four sites in Hakone by bus train cable car gondola and back home He explained everything, gave us a map and we first saw the amazing Hakone Open air museum with its sculptures by Moore, Rodin and many other famous artists as well as the Picasso Pavilion. We ate black eggs with him at Owakudanu,cruised on Lake Ashi, surveyed the Hakone Checkpoint ruins and ended the tour at the Hakone Shrine.A really satisfying day made better by Hiroshi’s expert and friendly guidance . Five stars from us !! Norma and Ron from Sydney- Australia
Hiroshi S.
Thank you for your review. I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed our tour in Hakone. I also enjoyed the tour with you. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't that great, so we couldn't see Mt. Fuji and Owakudani was covered in mist. However, we were able to enjoy many artworks at the Hakone Open-Air Museum and we were able to extend our lifespan by eating black eggs at Owakudani! If you have a chance to come to Japan again, please contact me. I can show you around Nikko, Kamakura, etc. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan! Hiroshi
$234/ per group