Kamakura 3-Day Itinerary

The main shrine of Kamakura, founded in 1063. Walk up the broad approach lined with cherry trees and see the main hall, museum, and peony garden (small fee for garden). The shrine grounds are free.

🕐 Grounds open 24 hours; museum 9am-4pm, closed Mondays.

💡 Go early, around 7am, to see the morning rituals and have the place almost to yourself before crowds arrive.

A covered pedestrian street leading from the station to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Packed with small shops selling kamakura vegetables, fresh fish crackers, and matcha desserts. Entry-free, but bring cash

🕐 Shops generally 10:00–18:00 (some close Wednesdays)

💡 Skip the chain stores near the station; head halfway down where you’ll find Kamakura-bori lacquerware workshop (free to watch) and a tiny soba shop. The kamakura-imo (sweet potato) ice cream is a must-try, 350 yen.

mimiLotus tea shop · ££

ZaiAN · ££

A Nichiren temple with a large, serene Japanese garden featuring a pond and carefully raked gravel. The main hall is closed to public, but the garden is free and usually very quiet.

🕐 Garden open 24 hours; temple office 9am-4pm.

💡 Sit on the wooden veranda of the rear building for a long, quiet view of the garden — no one will rush you.

A unique shrine where you wash coins in a sacred spring, believed to multiply your money. It's set in a small cave behind a tunnel — atmospheric and not too touristy.

🕐 9am-4pm (shrine office); cave always accessible.

💡 Bring a handful of small coins to wash; it's considered bad luck to wash large bills. Go mid-afternoon for the best light in the cave.

A long sandy beach on Sagami Bay, popular for swimming in summer and surf in autumn. Lifeguards in July-August; the rest of the year it's a quiet walking stretch with views of Enoshima island.

🕐 Open 24 hours (swimming season June-September, 9am-5pm)

💡 Walk east from the main beach to the quieter stretch near Inamuragasaki Park. Bring a towel—deckchair rentals are overpriced. Best for sunset around 5pm in winter.

The oldest Zen training monastery in Japan, built in 1253, with a massive main gate, a serene dry garden, and a dragon mural on the ceiling of the lecture hall.

🕐 8:30am-4:30pm

💡 The attached Zen garden has a karesansui (rock garden) that's often empty by 4pm. Walk up the hill behind the temple for a wooded trail linking to other temples.

風の杜

食事甘味山里

The oldest Zen training monastery in Japan, founded in 1253. Its great gate, dragon ceiling, and Zen garden are open to the public for 300 yen. The main hall ha

💡 Sit on the wooden veranda of the Butsuden hall—the stillness is remarkable. The temple is quieter than Tsurugaoka and you can often watch monks doing zazen (free, 6am).

The iconic bronze Amida Buddha, over 13 metres tall and cast in 1252. It sits outdoors in the temple grounds, a short walk from Hase Station. Entry fee is 300 y

💡 You can go inside the statue for an extra 20 yen — it's cramped but interesting to see the interior casting marks.

The iconic 13-metre bronze statue of Amida Buddha, cast in 1252 and sitting outdoors in the temple grounds. Pay to enter, but the statue is visible from outside

💡 Go at 7am when the gate opens—fewer people, and the morning light hits the Buddha's face perfectly. Skip the interior; it's cramped and dark.

A hillside temple known for its thousands of stone Jizo statues, a terrace with ocean views, and a large wooden Kannon statue. Entry fee is 400 yen.

💡 The 100-yen 'porcelain blessing' circuit on the lower slope is a quiet, meditative alternative to the main path.

焼肉韓国館

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