Our Essential Kamakura begins in a secluded bamboo forest in eastern Kamakura and walks you through a trail of peace and historical dramas.
Essential Kamakura
Tour Creator
Juliana is a longtime Sao Paolo tour guide and former Tokyo tour guide, who has a deep knowledge of design, architecture, and Portuguese language literature. She has a Master of…Read More Bio »
Kamakura
GPS-directed
Remote Tour Included
2+hrs
2.5km
Avoid the Crowds
Allows you to explore without having to be shoulder-to-shoulder in a large tour group
Created by an exceptional tour guide
Written by a former Tokyo guide, who has a Master of Architecture
GPS Directions
Easy-to-follow GPS directions to get you from one point to the next on your tour
Highlights include:
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, Hakkodo and the Great Buddha
Remote Tour Included
As with all our tours, a remote tour is included that can be enjoyed from home
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Itinerary
Essential Kamakura – Extended
- Hokokuji - Enjoy this hidden treasure of Kamakura while you chill with your matcha, listening to the sounds of wind!
- Sugimoto-dera - This temple will let you wondering about gods, legends, time and the meaning of sacrality. This is the oldest temple of Kamakura, with more than a thousand years, standing here even before the city was ever considered to be a capital.
- Tsurugaoka Hachimangu - The most important Shinto site of Kamakura, being the symbol and headquarters of the theological and military power of the beginning of the Japanese Middle Ages. Nothing here screams more plan and purpose than Tsurugaoka!
- Haatage Benzaiten Shrine - On the base of Tsurugaoka, surrounded by a pond, there is a curious shrine. This is Haatage Benzaiten, placed here with the mission to harness the power of the sea and welcome prosperity to the new capital that was being built.
- Hakkodo - Tradition, dedication and perfection find their utmost intersection in Hakkodo, the oldest atelier of Kamakurabori in the world. Kamkurabori is the traditional fine lacquerware craft, recognized and protected by the government, invented and polished here.
- Remains from Kamakura Period - In a country plagued by major natural disasters, not only is it rare to find preserved archeological sites, let alone one so important and easy to access! Welcome to the site of the residence of the last clan who ruled Kamakura.
- Kaburaki Kiyokata Memorial Art Museum - You are walking in a quiet residential street, you see a narrow, yet beautiful and inviting path between two houses. You give into curiosity and end up in the center of the block, a secluded paradise, the former house of the modern Nihonga painter Kaburaki Kiyokata. Welcome to his life and his art!
- Komachi Street - Are you looking for the best street food you ever had in Japan? Look no further, Komachi Street is here you entice you with unique snacks. As a bonus, you will also find superb traditional cuisine and trendy establishments. Quite a catch, right?
- Toshimaya Hato Sabure Honten - Every region of Japan has a special product that translates the best of their identity. Toshimaya Hato Sabure Honten is the best place for you to be introduced the most famous cookie of entire Kanagawa Prefecture.
- Main Avenue - Running from North to South, connecting the mountain to the sea, the political and spiritual center that was Tsurugaoka to the ancient Tokaido Road. The main avenue of Kamakura, called Wakamiya Oji, is one of the most symbolic avenues of the country
- Kamakura Museum of Literature - Ready to have a close look into the life and work of your favorite Japanese writers? Famous for being an artistic city, Kamakura was depicted many times in all types of works, important authors walked, lived and flourished here. This museum is the best place for you to understand that!
- Hasedera - Hasedera by itself could be your entire afternoon, given the richness of history, spaces, views, and activities inside of it. Enjoy the cave of Benten, the rock garden, the observation deck, the most beautiful hydrangea garden of Kanto Area, and much more.
- Kotokuin Daibutsu - The Buddha sits on open-air, framed by greenery and mountains, bringing a higher sense of connection with nature - and with us, despite the clear difference of scales. The Buddha witness the changing of the seasons, the rainy and the sunny days, the rain falling and the water rolling over him. Just like you.
- Daibutsu Hiking Trail - Kamakura's temples and parks are connected by its pleasant streets, but also, by its even more pleasant system of hiking trails. Have a taste of the most famous of them: the Daibutsu Hiking Trail. It is time to enter the wilderness that has been looking over you during the whole tour.
Check out a free sample of this tour!
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