The sights
Great Buddha (Kotoku-in)
A seated bronze Amida Buddha cast in 1252, about 11.3 metres tall and weighing some 120 tonnes. The temple halls that once sheltered it were destroyed by storms and a tsunami, and it has sat under the sky since the late 15th century. You can step inside the hollow statue.
ℹ️ Usually open 8:00–17:00 (to 17:30 in summer). Admission around ¥300, plus a few coins to go inside. Seven to ten minutes’ walk from Hase Station on the Enoden. Allow 30–45 minutes.
Hasedera
A hillside temple with a 9-metre gilded wooden statue of the eleven-headed Kannon, a cave of carved deities, hundreds of small Jizo statues and a terrace overlooking the town and bay. In June its slope is covered with hydrangeas.
ℹ️ Usually open 8:00–16:30 or 17:00. Admission around ¥400. In hydrangea season timed tickets are issued for the flower path and waits can be long. Five minutes from Hase Station. Allow 1 hour.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu & Komachi-dori
Kamakura’s most important shrine, founded by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo and reached by a raised, cherry-lined approach running straight from the sea. Parallel to it, Komachi-dori is the town’s snack and souvenir street.
ℹ️ Shrine free and open from early morning to evening; small fee for the treasure house. Ten minutes’ walk from Kamakura Station’s east exit. Allow 1–1.5 hours with the street.
Hokokuji bamboo grove
A small Zen temple known as the “Bamboo Temple” for the grove of some 2,000 moso bamboo behind its main hall. A tea house inside the grove serves a bowl of matcha with a view of the stems.
ℹ️ Usually open 9:00–16:00. Admission around ¥400, matcha extra. About 10 minutes by bus from Kamakura Station, or a 30-minute walk. Allow 45 minutes.
Enoden railway
A much-loved electric line of 1902 linking Kamakura with Fujisawa in 34 minutes: it squeezes between houses, runs down the middle of a street and then follows the beach. The level crossing by Kamakura-kokomae Station, facing the sea, is famous from anime.
ℹ️ Trains every 12–14 minutes; a one-day pass is sold. Very crowded on weekends and holidays. At the crossing, stay on the pavement and do not block the road or residents’ gates.
Enoshima
An island four kilometres round, reached by a 600-metre bridge. A lane of food stalls climbs to the three shrines of Enoshima Jinja, a garden with the Sea Candle lighthouse tower and, on the far side, sea caves and rock shelves facing Mount Fuji. Whitebait (shirasu) is the local speciality.
ℹ️ Island and shrines free; paid outdoor escalators, the Sea Candle and the caves cost a few hundred yen each. 15–20 minutes’ walk from Enoshima Station (Enoden) or Katase-Enoshima (Odakyu). Allow 2–3 hours.
