Things to Do in Kamakura, Japan
Kamakura was my first real escape from Tokyo, a one hour train ride that drops you into a town built around temples, hiking trails, and a bay that glows at sunset. I have wandered it dozens of times, in every season, and I never run out of reasons to go back. These are the things I keep returning to.
Meet the Great Buddha
The star of Kamakura is the Daibutsu, the bronze Great Buddha of Kotokuin Temple, a colossal seated figure cast in the thirteenth century that has survived storms, fires, and the 1923 earthquake. Standing before it, at nearly fourteen meters tall, I always feel small in the best way. It sits outdoors, open to the sky, surrounded by a simple garden, and for a small fee you can climb inside its hollow body, which is a quirky and memorable extra.
Walk Through Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
Kamakura’s most important shrine, and its spiritual heart, is Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, entered beneath a massive red torii and approached along a broad avenue lined with cherry trees. I love walking its wide gravel path, crossing the drum bridges over the lotus pond, and climbing to the main hall for a view back over the whole town toward the sea. In late November the ginkgo trees turn a brilliant gold that I have made several trips just to see, and in spring the avenue becomes a soft tunnel of pink blossom that almost stops me in my tracks each time.
Find the Bamboo Grove
Just the way you might think the bamboo belongs only in Kyoto, Kamakura hides its own grove at Hokoku Temple, set quietly on a hillside. A short uphill path opens onto a stand of tall green bamboo that sways and creaks in the breeze, casting striped light across the ground. It is smaller than Kyoto’s famous grove and, in my experience, far less crowded. I once sat there for an hour watching the light shift and felt the whole town disappear, the only sound being the soft knocking of the tall stalks against one another.
Hike the Surrounding Hills
Kamakura is ringed by hills laced with old shrine trails, and hiking between temples is one of my favorite ways to spend a morning. The Daibutsu Hiking Course links the Great Buddha to the wooded Kenchoji area, threading through forest, past tiny shrines, and along ridges with sudden views of the sea. I have done it in sandals by mistake and paid for it, so wear real shoes. Another lovely leg connects to Tsurugaoka through the Tenen Hiking Course, gentle under a canopy of green, and on a fine day both are among the best walks in the region.
Visit the Temple Gems
Beyond the headline acts, the town is studded with smaller temples worth your time. Kenchoji, the oldest Zen training temple in Japan, rewards you with grand gates and a calm, contemplative feel. Just up the road, Enkakuji sits against a tree covered hillside and is one of my favorite quiet corners in all of Kamakura. A little further on, the moss garden at Jochiji feels like a storybook. Group a few along a walking route and the town unfolds as naturally as a garden, with each gate opening onto yet another still, leafy courtyard.
Eat Your Way Through Komachi Road
The shopping street leading to the shrine is packed with food, and I treat it as a rolling lunch. Famous Kamakura specialities include shirasu, the tiny whitebait that seasonally tops rice bowls and is a local obsession, plus rich soft serve cones, sembei rice crackers grilled fresh on the spot, and salt based sweets. I always grab a fried sembei with shrimp and a custard cone before continuing, and I have never once regretted the stop.
Catch the Sunset on Yuigahama Beach
Kamakura’s coast is low key, not glamorous, but the sunsets are gorgeous. I have walked out onto Yuigahama Beach in the late afternoon as the sky flared over Enoshima and the islands offshore, with surfers in the water and families on the sand. It is the perfect way to close a day of temples, and on clear evenings it is genuinely moving. In winter the light is sharp and the beach is quiet; in summer it is lively and full of swimmers. Either way, I always end up staying until the colors fade.
There Is Always More To See
I have been coming here for years and still find new corners, a moss garden, a carving, a viewpoint I missed. If you have a single day, pair the Great Buddha with Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and one good hike, then finish on the beach. If you have longer, slow down and let the hills hand you the rest. Kamakura rewards the unhurried, and it has never once disappointed me.
