{"id":10915,"date":"2016-03-29T13:30:54","date_gmt":"2016-03-29T12:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.insidejapantours.com\/?p=10915"},"modified":"2020-01-29T14:36:24","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T14:36:24","slug":"my-top-5-places-in-kamakura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/29\/my-top-5-places-in-kamakura\/","title":{"rendered":"My top 5 places in Kamakura"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>InsideJapan tour leader Brian is based in Tokyo, but finds time as often as possible to visit one of his favourite places in Japan &#8211; the coastal town of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-destinations\/kamakura\/\">Kamakura<\/a>. Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo and offers a winning combination of historical sites, pretty hiking trails and a very pleasant beach &#8211; which is why it&#8217;s often included in our best-selling itineraries! Here, Brian gives his top five tips on what to do in the city.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>1. Meigetsuin<\/h2>\n<p>Meigetsuin is about a 15-minute walk from Kita-Kamakura Station. There are beautiful gardens, a cute little teahouse, and sculptures carved out of the side of the mountain.<\/p>\n<p>Spring and autumn are the most beautiful seasons to visit of course &#8211; but if you want to beat the crowds, come in winter, when you\u2019ll have the place all to yourself.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Daibutsu (Great Buddha) hiking course<\/h2>\n<p>This trail starts right next to Jochi-ji Temple and finishes up at the Great Buddha. Depending on your pace it can take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. But, to be honest, you could easily spend the whole day up here, especially if you really love the outdoors like I do. On a clear day you can even see Mount Fuji. This is without a doubt my favourite place in Kamakura.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11016\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11016\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11016\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2-1.jpg\" alt=\"On the Daibutsu hiking course\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2-1-564x376.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2-1-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2-1-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2-1-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2-1-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11016\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">On the Daibutsu hiking course<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>3. The Great Buddha at Kotokuin<\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019d heard stories and seen pictures but nothing is like seeing this thing in person. Kamakura&#8217;s famous Buddha is definitely a must-see!<\/p>\n<p>You can walk to the Great Buddha from Kamakura Station, which takes about 30 minutes, or you can take a bus, which takes about 10 minutes depending on traffic. Of course, I recommend doing the hiking course and then stopping off here afterwards!<\/p>\n<p>There are also some great little places to get a bite to eat for lunch, and a nice little souvenir shop in front of the temple.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11018\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11018\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11018\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Great Buddha\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4-1-564x376.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4-1-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4-1-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4-1-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/4-1-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11018\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Great Buddha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>4. Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine<\/h2>\n<p>This shrine is about a 10- to 15-minute walk from Kamakura Station. I highly recommend taking Wakamiya-oji (\u82e5\u5bae\u5927\u8def) Street to get there &#8211; walk on the island in the middle of the road. It leads all the way to the shrine and it\u2019s beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re there be sure to explore the area, as there are a lot of cool little places up and around the shrine.<\/p>\n<p>At the top of the stairs and to the left of the main praying area they have a little exhibition of Japanese artifacts. It\u2019s worth looking at for the small fee. Then, when you come back down the stairs go to the left, you will be able to see some beautiful ponds.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11019\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11019\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11019\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-1.jpg\" alt=\"Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-1-564x376.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-1-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-1-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-1-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/5-1-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11019\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>5. Komachi-dori Street<\/h2>\n<p>This road is right in front of Kamakura Station, just outside the east exit. It\u2019s a great place for shopping and eating a variety of food. If you don\u2019t mind waiting in line for a while then lunchtime is fine, otherwise I would recommend coming here in the afternoon on the way back from Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine. It\u2019s just a really nice relaxing way to end the day.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11020\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11020\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11020\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6-1-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Komachi-dori\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6-1-423x564.jpg 423w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6-1-720x960.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6-1-390x520.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6-1-780x1040.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6-1-510x680.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/6-1.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11020\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Komachi-dori<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Kamakura is an easy day trip option from Tokyo, but if you&#8217;d like to stay longer, our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japan-small-group-tours\/i-tt\/tokaido-trail\/\">Tokaido Trail Small Group Tour<\/a> includes a night in the town. We highly recommend it! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/about-us\/contact-us\/\">Get in touch<\/a> with one of our Japan experts to find out more.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F10915\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! InsideJapan tour leader Brian is based in Tokyo, but finds time as often as possible to visit one of his favourite places in Japan &#8211; the coastal town of Kamakura. Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo and offers a winning combination of historical sites, pretty [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2362],"tags":[1768,2216,2687,2688,2689],"class_list":["post-10915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-places-and-where-to-stay-in-japan","tag-kamakura","tag-top-5","tag-brian-beatty","tag-tokyo-day-trips","tag-great-buddha"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10915"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25449,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10915\/revisions\/25449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}