• Hase-dera Temple - Hasedera (長谷寺) is a temple of the Jodo sect, renowned for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The 9.18-meter-tall, gilded wooden statue is considered one of the largest wooden sculptures in Japan and can be admired in the temple’s main building, the Kannon-do Hall.
• Kotoku-in (Great Buddha of Kamakura) - The Great Buddha of Kamakura (鎌倉大仏, Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, located on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. Standing at 11.4 meters, it has long been the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, surpassed only by the statue in Nara’s Todaiji Temple and some recent creations.
• Kencho-ji Temple - Kenchoji (建長寺, Kenchōji) is the foremost of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples. As the oldest Zen temple in Kamakura, Kenchoji was established by the ruling regent Hojo Tokiyori in 1253 during the Kencho Era, after which it was named. Its first head priest was Rankei Doryu, a Zen priest from China.

Although significantly smaller than during its peak, Kenchoji still comprises a large number of temple buildings and subtemples, extending from the entrance gate at the valley’s base far into the forested hills behind. After passing through the Sanmon main gate, visitors will find Kenchoji’s temple bell (Bonsho), designated a national treasure, on their right.

• Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine - The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family and samurai in general. The deified spirits of the ancient Emperor Ojin, identified with Hachiman, Hime-gami, and Empress Jingu, are enshrined at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

• Hokokuji Temple (Takedera Temple) - Hokokuji Temple is best known for the beautiful, small bamboo grove behind the temple’s main hall, which is dense with over 2000 dark green bamboo stalks. A few narrow pathways lead through the bamboo to a tea house where, for a small fee, visitors can enjoy a cup of matcha tea while taking in views of the bamboo grove. Also located behind the temple are a series of shallow caves carved into the hillsides, believed to hold the ashes of some of the later Ashikaga lords.

• Enoshima Island - Just a short train ride west of Kamakura, Enoshima (江の島) is an island off the coast but connected by bridge to the mainland. The island offers a variety of attractions, including a shrine, park, observation tower, and caves. Views of Mount Fuji can be enjoyed on days with good visibility. Several shrine buildings, collectively known as Enoshima Shrine, are found around the island and are dedicated to Benten, a popular goddess of good fortune, wealth, music, and knowledge. Benten is believed to have created Enoshima before subduing a five-headed dragon that had been terrorizing the area.

• Engaku-ji Temple - Engakuji (円覚寺) is one of the leading Zen temples in Eastern Japan and the second of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples. Engakuji was founded by the ruling regent Hojo Tokimune in 1282, one year after the second invasion attempt by the Mongols was repelled. One purpose of the new temple was to honor the fallen Japanese and Mongolian soldiers. Engakuji is built into the slopes of Kita-Kamakura’s forested hills. The first main structure encountered upon entering the temple grounds is the Sanmon main gate, dating from 1783. Behind it stands the temple’s main hall, the Butsuden, which displays a wooden statue of the Shaka Buddha. The Butsuden was rebuilt relatively recently in 1964 after the former building was lost in an earthquake.

• Zeniarai Benten Shrine - Zeniarai Benten Shrine (銭洗弁天) is a popular shrine in western Kamakura, where people visit to wash their money (zeniarai means “coin washing”). It is said that money washed in the shrine’s spring will double. Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura government, ordered the shrine’s construction after a god appeared in his dream and recommended building the shrine to bring peace to the country. Because the dream occurred on the day of the snake, in the month of the snake of the year of the snake, the shrine was later also dedicated to Benten, a Buddhist goddess associated with snakes.

• Meigetsuin (Hydrangea Temple) - Meigetsuin Temple (明月院) is a temple of the Rinzai Zen Sect founded in 1160 in Kamakura. It is also known as Ajisaidera (“Hydrangea Temple”) because hydrangeas bloom in abundance on the temple grounds during the rainy season around June. 95% of the hydrangeas here are of the Hime Ajisai (“Princess Hydrangea”) variety; they are thus named because of their pretty blue colors. The temple was originally a repose built by a son in memory of his father who had died in the struggle for power between the Taira and Minamoto clans in the late Heian Period. It later became part of a larger temple complex called Zenkoji, which was abolished during anti-Buddhist movements soon after the Meiji Restoration, leaving only Meigetsuin to remain as an individual temple today.

• Ankokuronji Temple - Ankokuronji (安国論寺) is one of several temples of the Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism along the hills in the southeast of Kamakura. Nichiren himself founded Ankokuronji around 1253 when he first came to Kamakura, and he is said to have lived at the temple for several years. Visitors can walk along a short hiking trail through the wooded hills around the temple buildings. A nice view of the city of Kamakura can be enjoyed along the way. Some of the trail’s passages are quite steep and should only be explored with good walking shoes and during dry weather.

• Jomyo-ji Temple - Jomyoji Temple (浄妙寺, Jōmyōji) is a Zen temple in the hills of eastern Kamakura. Ranked fifth among the five great Zen temples of Kamakura, Jomyoji was founded by the influential Ashikaga family and at its peak was made up of seven buildings and several pagodas. Over the centuries, however, many of the structures were destroyed by fire, and only its historic main hall, reception hall, main gate, and warehouse remain today. The main hall sits at the end of a garden and houses a statue of Shaka Nyorai, the historical Buddha. Jomyoji Temple also has a restored teahouse where visitors can sit and enjoy a cup of tea for a small fee while enjoying the view of a nice dry garden. On the hillside behind the main hall is the temple’s spacious cemetery, while a path leads up the hill to a small western-style restaurant. The restaurant is operated by the temple and offers good views out over Kamakura from its patio.

• Zuisen-ji Temple - Zuisenji (瑞泉寺) is a beautiful Zen temple in the far east of Kamakura, in the back of a narrow valley and surrounded by wooded hills. It is a branch temple of the Engakuji Temple. Zuisenji was founded by Muso Kokushi, a leading Zen master of his time and one of Japan’s most famous garden designers. The temple is known for its pure Zen rock garden behind the temple’s main hall, designed by Muso himself. The temple furthermore attracts with its many flowers and blooming trees in the other parts of the temple grounds, including a large number of plum trees.

• Myohonji Temple - Myohonji (妙本寺, Myōhonji) is one of several temples of the Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism along the southeastern hills of Kamakura. The temple was founded by Hiki Yoshimoto in 1260 and features a statue of Nichiren to the left of the main hall. The temple is connected via the Gionyama hiking trail with some other nearby temples and a shrine. It leads through the wooded hills of Kamakura and should be explored only with good walking shoes and during dry weather, because there are a few steep and rough passages.

• Jochiji Temple - Jochiji (浄智寺, Jōchiji) is the fourth of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples. It is a branch temple of the Engakuji school of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Its head temple, the Engakuji Temple, stands just a few hundred meters away on the opposite side of the railway tracks. Jochiji was founded in 1283 by members of the ruling Hojo family on the occasion of the premature death of a son. Once a large temple complex with many buildings and subtemples, Jochiji is now small and calm. In its main hall, the Dongeden, the temple’s main object of worship, a Buddhist trinity of the Amida Buddha, Shaka Buddha, and Miroku Buddha, is displayed.

• Tokeiji Temple - Tokeiji (東慶寺, Tōkeiji) is a small branch temple of the Engakuji school within the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Its head temple, the Engakuji Temple, stands just a few hundred meters away on the opposite side of the railway tracks. Tokeiji was founded by the wife of the regent Hojo Tokimune in 1285 after Tokimune had died at a young age. Until the end of the Edo Period, the temple served as a shelter for women who suffered abuse by their husbands and sought a divorce. An official divorce could be attained by staying at the temple for three years.

• Jufukuji Temple - Jufukuji Temple (寿福寺) is the third of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples. It is a branch temple of the Rinzai sect’s Kenchoji school. Jufukuji was established by the order of Minamoto Yoritomo’s wife Masako after her husband had passed away. Its founding priest was none other than Eisai, the man responsible for introducing Zen Buddhism into Japan. Besides the often-photographed pathway that leads towards the temple, Jufukuji is not open to the public.

• Eishoji Temple - Eisho-ji Temple (英勝寺) is the only surviving nunnery in Kamakura, located near Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Founded in the early Edo period by a woman connected to the Tokugawa family, it’s known as a “flower temple” for its seasonal blooms.

Visitors can enjoy a peaceful bamboo grove and a graceful Amida Buddha statue said to be by the famous sculptor Unkei. The quiet atmosphere makes it a hidden gem worth visiting.

• Private vehicle
• English speaking driver
• Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from ‘What to expect’ list’

• Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
• Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
• You cannot combine multiple tour groups.

The tour for independent travelers to discover Kamakura on their own but, with the ease of having an English-speaking chauffeur. Relax as your chauffeur takes you around Kamakura in style and comfort.

Take a breath of fresh sea air when you visit Kamakura. Kamakura’s temples and shrines are known for beautiful gardens. View the ocean from the highest points of the temples and write your wish on an oyster shell. The over 11 meters tall Great Buddha is an icon of the area residing in Kotokuin Temple. After the temples and shrines, stop by the old Komachi shopping street. Locals and tourists alike flock here. Try some Hatosabure, dove shaped biscuits, while you are there. Kamakura has much to offer and we hope to guide you soon!

Tour details may change due to traffic conditions. Travel time between Tokyo and Kamakura is about 70 min. Specific vehicle types are not available for request. Tour does not include guide. Maximum number of passengers: 7.

• There are only a limited number of car seats and booster seats. Rear-facing car seats are not available. You must contact us directly if you need them.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.