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Slow Daytrip to the Old Samurai Capital Kamakura from Tokyo
This tour includes the must-see sightseeing spots for your first visit to Kamakura. The itinerary is designed to give you plenty of time to visit selected places instead of being busy. Enjoy the atmosphere of the ancient city and the casual conversation with your guide. Of course, you can also enjoy delicious Japanese cuisine for lunch like sushi, tempura, ramen etc., strolling along cozy local alleys.
Let’s spend a relaxing day in Kamakura together!
Meeting Point
At your hotel lobby in the Tokyo 23 wards
At your hotel lobby
The meet-up time may change a little depending on the location of your hotel in the Tokyo 23 wards. Please ask me thru the message. I will escort you to Kamakura by train.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
From JR Kamakura Station we will take a slow walk on the beautiful, raised approach to one of Japan's most gorgeous Shinto shrines. At the shrine founded by the first Shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, you will see the magnificent architecture of the shrine and, if lucky, you can see traditional ritual such as Japanese style wedding ceremony. (Admission Free)
Lunch
There is a wide variety of choices for lunch in Kamakura, casual to authentic. Please let me know your preference and budget thru the message. Noodles, tempura, sashimi row fish, yakitori, vegetarian and Halal foods, I can recommend you a restaurant according to your request.
Komachi Dori Alley
After lunch, you can stroll through the alley crowded with souvenir shops and sweet stands.
Enoden, a small community train
We will take a small community train from Kamakura station to Hase station for about 10 mins. You can see local houses, shrine, restaurants etc. from the train window. (One-way toll: 200yen)
Hase-dera Temple
Founded in the 8th century (4 century earlier than the foundation of the Kamakura Shogunate), this temple boasts of its large wooden gilt statue of Eleven-faced Goddess of Mercy, a beautiful Japanese-style garden, a hidden cave and the nice view of the ocean from an open-air terrace. It is also called a flower temple with flowers year-round, including the famous 2000 Hydrangeas in June. (Admission fee: 400yen)
The Great Buddha Statue in Kotokuin Temple
About 5 mins on foot from the Hese-dera, this world-famous National Tresure sitting in the open-air welcomes you. It was cast in bronze in the middle of the 13th century. You can go inside of the statue. (Admission fee: 300yen)
After observing the Great Buddha Statue, we will take the small train back to Kamakura Station.
JR Kamakura Station
We will take a JR Train back to Tokyo.
Your hotel
Arrival time depends on the location of your hotel in the Tokyo 23 wards.
Ending Point
At the hotel in the Tokyo 23 wards
Want to personalize this tour?
- Our tours can be customized according to your needs and preferences
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Inclusions & Exclusions
Guide fee, hotel pick-up, guide's transportation fees
The customer's transportation fees from Tokyo to Kamakura (about 2,000yen for round trip), Lunch and any meal for the customer and the guide (about 2,500yen per person), Admission fees for the customer and the guide (about 1,000yen per person)
Tour Important Information
• Times in the itinerary are guideline and it may change according to traffic condition, crowdedness of the places, weather, etc.
• Several places we will visit do not accept credit cards, so please bring cash in Japanese Yen.
Important message from the guide
See my calendar for availability
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
Tokyo Tour Reviews
Norman H.
Customized Tour in Yokohama for Mr. Norman H. - 9 Hours
Customized
“This man does his homework”
My wife and I booked with Ken at Yokohama pre-cruise and he came prepared with notebook in hand. Despite our impulsive changes on the fly he knew how to compensate venues and was very patient every step of the way. His English was totally understandable as well.
Ken T.
(3 reviews)Thank you very much for your wonderful remarks. I hope you found Yokohama is an attractive city where tells you the history of Japan's modernization from the Edo period to the current, and toward the future. Because the city was one of the ports that started trading with other countries from the end of the Edo period, it retains multi-cultural features, Japanese, Western and Chinese as you eye witnessed. Although it was a full-day tour, it was not enough for me to introduce the charms of the city. I am looking forward to having you here again!
Janelle J.
Customized Tour in Yokohama for Janelle J. on March 17th, 2024
Customized
“Our guided tour of Yokohama with Ken T.”
An enjoyable day was had with Ken. We experienced local bus and train and did a lot of walking. He was very knowledgeable about local history. We visited a Shrine, went to the 69th floor of Landmark Tower and looked out onto the city of Yokohama, enjoyed a local coffee and lunched at a Japanese restaurant and Chinatown . Lastly, the highlight of the day was Sankeien garden. We would highly recommend Ken to anyone wanting to sightsee in Yokohama.
Ken T.
(3 reviews)Thank you for contributing a wonderful review for today's tour. I am glad you liked my hometown, Yokohama, although it might be a bit long day for you. Please enjoy the rest of your trip and see you again in the future! Ken Takahashi
“Fantastic tour with Ken - Highly Recommend ”
It was my first trip to Japan and I was travelling with my son to go on a cruise. Since we had to arrive a few days before our cruise starts, I thought it would be ideal to have a private tour guide to get more personalized service. I did research some other websites but I wanted a customized tour that would pick us up at our hotel and that I would able to communicate directly with the guide from the start. Ken responded quickly. He was also on time picking us up at our hotel and provided us with information about the places we visited. He was enthusiastic, communicative and had a very good command of the English language. He had lived in the US before. His verbal and written skills was exceptional. Our goal was to explore, eat and experience culture in Tokyo. We met with Ken on October 22, 2023. Prior to the tour, he listened to what we wanted to visit and asked about our level of fitness. I sent him a list of places we wanted to see. He also asked what we wanted eat for lunch, what our price range was, and if we had any allergies. When we informed him that we wanted seafood and that we were foodies, he researched and found a charming traditional style sushi restaurant that was unique for its history and food. It was in the Tsukiji outer market and owned by same family for 50 years. Ken told us the place was famous for its home-made sushi rice which was mixed with a secret red vinegar receipe then fermented with sake slowly giving it a unique nutty flavour. On top of that, he also managed to secure reservations for the 3 of us which was almost impossible since the place was quite small. So, we got seated right away. The food was delicious, and service was unique. The Master sushi chef served each of us personally. We also discussed a back-up plan with a few other places to visit in case we had to change the itinerary. Besides planning the itinerary, he also tested out the route beforehand to see how the timing was (our tour was for 9 hours) We wanted to visit the Skytree so he made inquiries to find out the best way to get tickets (eg online or in person). It was cheaper to buy online. When he noticed the online tickets were almost sold out, he quickly informed me so I okayed him to go ahead and buy them online for us in advance. I would reimburse him when we met up. My son and I are very pleased to be able to visit the Skytree. He navigated us through the subway system with confidence and brought maps and diagrams to better explain each place. We also rode the bus. We love travelling that way locals do. My son eventually got a bit tired of walking. When his leg started to bother him, Ken switched to having us take the elevators in the subway stations instead of taking the stairs. I was in better shape so had no problems. We walked about 24,000 steps that day (equivalent to 11 miles) ! Towards the end of our tour, we were running a little short of time. Luckily, we had a back up plan. Based on our current location, Ken gave us a few choices. We decided to visit an upper-class heritage home built in the 1920s (Kyu Asakura house). I liked historical architecture so this was something I wanted to see instead of shopping. When we were close to our hotel (we had asked Ken to escort us back), he took us to a store so I could get some ointment for my son's leg. Ken is a true gentleman, thoughtful and considerate with a good sense of humour. He was also patient and kind. For example, while we were going down a subway station, he noticed an elderly woman struggling to carry her luggage down the subway steps, so he helped carry it for her. Bonus: He also had a Go-Pro camera and created a wonderful video (2 parts) of our tour. He did all the editing (very professional), added music, and posted it privately on Youtube. We also permitted the videos to be publicly viewable as we wanted everyone to see what fun we had and what a good job he did filming and editing it. The videos were complimentary. He sent us a link to the videos a few days later which was pretty fast. These videos will keep us smiling for years and we are very grateful to him for doing that. We will miss him. If we visit Japan again, we will have him be our guide again. If you are travelling to Japan, and want a tour guide for Tokyo, we highly recommend Ken. We are sure you will enjoy having him as your guide as much as we did. He also does tours outside of Tokyo, so please contact him. Faye L. (Vancouver, BC)
Ken T.
(3 reviews)Hi Faye, It was very nice to meet you and your son in person. Thank you for being my guest and write a very detailed review. I am more than happy to know that you enjoyed my tour despite the very long walk (Sorry about that!). Your review reminds me the tour clearly which I also enjoyed. I will search more and get prepared to take you other attractive places next time. I am also glad to know you liked my videos. Looking forward to meeting you again in the near future! Sincerely yours, Ken
