KAMAKURA! What a perfect place to escape from daily bustlness. The town famous for zen-buddhism and as the first de-facto capital ever established by samurais gives us splendid time to enjoy the rustic but solemn atmosphere.
At your hotel in the central Tokyo area,.
At your hotel in the central Tokyo area, or at JR Kamakura station.
THIS IS PRIVATE TOUR.
It is said there are about 150 of temples and shrines in Kamakura.
Some are big and well known, some are not...
Even though, all of them emit their own distinctive aroma, evenly attract us.
I'd like you to feel them.
If you have any particular place(s) you would like to go, please name it out.
If you have no specific idea, please follow the list I recommend to go .
AA: Temples and Shrine
(1) KOTOKUIN temple : Famous for the great Buddha statue.
(2) HASEDERA-temple : The most beautiful temple in Kamakura.
(3) KENCHOJI-temple : The number one zen-temple among Kamakura's Five Mountains. (Great architecture)
(4) TSURUGAOKA-HACHIMANGU : The most important shrine.
(5) HOKOKUJI-temple. : A zen-temple famous for its bamboo garden .
(6) ENKAKUJI-temple : Great Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan .
(7) MEIGETSUIN-temple, : Known as the Hydrangea Temple and its Circular window in the main hall.
BB: Shopping and snacks
KOMACHI DORI.
This is the exciting thoroughfare remind you the festival street. Here you can find a various foods and unique souvenirs.
This street will take you to TSURUGAOKA-HACHIMANGU.
CC: Popular routes
Plan A: for persons would like to see various kind.
: KOTOKUIN temple - HASEDERA-temple- TSURUGAOKA-HACHIMANGU - KENCHOJI temple and/or HOKOKUJI-temple
Plan B : for persons would like to see mainly zen temples.
:ENKAKUJI-temple - MEIGETSUIN-temple -KENCHOJI-temple - TSURUGAOKA-HACHIMANGU + (HOKOKUJI temple for sub.)
Guide fee.
(1) Transportation fee (train) for you and the guide.
For your guidance transportation fee from Tokyo to Kamakura would be roughly 1,000 yen per person for one way.
Transportation fee (train) in Kamakura area would be roughly between 400 yen and 1000 yen per person (depend on where we go)
(2) Taxi charge would be at your account.
(3) Entrance fee for you and the guide. It would be roughly from 200 yen to 400 yen for each. Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu would be fee.
(4) Lunch for you and the guide.
(4) Meeting you at and escorting you to your hotel in central Tokyo is no charge. However in rare case extra charge can be applied depend on the accessibility. .
We may walk a lot so wear flat shoes .
Please note there are few area even in Tokyo where I have difficulty to get to your place.
Shoes : Please bring your best shoes suitable for walking.
We had first booked tours with Mark for 2020...which of course, were cancelled. When we were able to again plan our trip to Japan in 2023, we booked two tours with Mark, again, the first being "My Favorite Tokyo". (The second was to Kamakura, the next day.) We agreed that Mark would meet us at our hotel, and he was there early (we learned later that "on time" was "late" in Japan!). Mark had requested from us our "must see" list, and what our interests were. On our meeting, he explained that we only had eight hours...so we may not be able to get to all our must sees...this was expected...and taken in stride. We set off for the SkyTree...which was on the list...unfortunately a long queue had formed...but Mark knew a way to a circumvent a large portion of the wait...and we were soon in the sky looking down at the large metropolis that is Tokyo. Mark's English was very good and there were just a few times we had difficulty understanding...but he was very patient with us, taking his time to get across what he was saying. His knowledge of the historical significance of the sights was impressive...as was his knowledge of the train and subway system in Tokyo which we had found most daunting on our arrival. Our extensive itinerary included the major Temples and Shrines as well as parks and other public spaces. Since sushi was one of our requests, he took us to a neighborhood sushi restaurant where we were the only patrons (it was after the normal lunch rush) and instructed the Sushi Master to prepare a sampling of his best sushi. We raved about this meal all through our trip...it was amazing! Mission accomplished! One must remember that Tokyo is a large city...You cannot see it all in a day...but at the end of our day with Mark, we felt like we had experienced a good sampling of the city's ancient sights as well as the modern and exciting new sights. We highly recommend Mark to anyone looking to experience Tokyo in a day.
Thank you so much for the kind words. Yes it was almost 4 years ago when we start talking about the tour. We really talked a lot about where to go and what to do but unfortunately came to nothing due to Covid-19. I thought there will be no chance to see you. But you still remembered me and this year you gave me a wonderful offer. I was so delighted. It’s like a receiving a heartwarming letter from my old pal. Please take care of yourselves. Thank you again.
We met Mark at our prearranged place at the station...and proceeded to board the train to Kamakura. We had learned the day before that Mark had an excellent knowledge of the trains and subways and were very glad that we did not have to figure all that out. On the way down, Mark talked to us about the historical significance of the sights we were going to see that day. When we got to Kamakura, we set off walking on a obviously carefully planned itinerary. We rarely had difficulty understanding Mark's English...and he was very patient when that occurred. He arranged a very pleasant lunch stop for us...and by the end of our tour, we felt like we had seen the sights in Kamakura...and came away with a good understanding of the area we had visited. Very enjoyable day...with a very pleasant, experienced and knowledgeable guide.
Thank you so much for the kind words. Yes it was almost 4 years ago when we start talking about the tour. We really talked a lot about where to go and what to do but unfortunately came to nothing due to Covid-19. I thought there will be no chance to see you. But you still remembered me and this year you gave me a wonderful offer. I was so delighted. It’s like a receiving a heartwarming letter from my old pal. Please take care of yourselves. Thank you again.
Fantastic! We were able to customize our trip beforehand (and adjust it the day of when our feet couldn't keep up with our goals). Mark is fluent in English and incredibly knowledgeable of both best travel routes and of local sites. We only wish we had more time to spend with him!
Thank you so much for such a wonderful review. Pleasure makes time fly, and these two days were exactly what it was. I really hope you have a safe trip and enjoy the rest. Your friend Mark.
At the last minute a different tour we had booked fell through and by pure luck I found Mark-san on GoWithGuide. From his intro video to the description of a sample tour, we knew he was the perfect guide for us as first-timers in Japan, and we are very happy the other tour didn't work out! Mark was very helpful and thoughtful throughout the course of our day, sharing a lot of history as we went to each destination around Tokyo. Since we didn't have a specific plan in mind, we were content to let Mark show us around Asakusa (Tokyo Skytree, Sensoji temple), a delicious sushi lunch at a local place that was a favorite of his, Tokyo Metropolitan Garden, Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko Square, Meiji Temple and ending the tour with a walk down one of Mark's favorite streets with lots of interesting architecture and high-end boutiques. Mark also shared with us places he thought would be good for us to try, such as a shabu-shabu restaurant in Ginza and ideas for how to better get acquainted with the transportation system in Tokyo. He helped us acquire Suica cards and we used the subway a lot on our tour, with a couple rides on the JR line since we had JR passes. He took plenty of pictures for us and was an absolute delight to talk to thanks to his humor, intelligence and sharing of history. We couldn't be happier to have had Mark as our tour guide for our very first full day in Tokyo!
Thank you so much for such a warm review. I wasn’t sure till I received your words whether did I really please you. Your words encouraged me and gave me a power to continue to be a tour guide. It was a great fortune to know you. Please enjoy the rest of your trip and take care.