Kamakura was where the first samurai government was established in 1185. The city is surrounded by hills on three sides and faces the ocean. Kamakura boasts a lot of historic religious buildings, which harmonize with the surrounding nature. It's about one hour away from Tokyo by train. This tour visits famous Great Buddha of Kotoku-in temple, Hase-dera temple, and Zeniarai-benzaiten shrine, where your money could increase if you wash it in the spring water, and lastly Komachi shopping street.
At your hotel
The temple was originally founded to enshrine the Eleven-headed Kannon statue, but also it boasts many other Buddha statues and a beautiful garden. It is known as a flower temple.
The origin of the Great Buddha is unknown but it has sat there for more than 700 years. The Buddha has survived in its original form though the Buddha hall collapsed by natural disasters and was never rebuilt. The Buddha is designated as a National Treasure.
Legend has it that the shrine was established to enshrine Shinto deities in a valley where supernatural spring water gushes out. It is believed if you use bills and coins that have been washed in the spring water, the money could become many times and come back to you. It's worth trying!
The street is lined with gift shops and snack stalls. There are so many good things drawing your attention, an ice cream with red bean jam, Kamakura sausages, a meat bun and so on.
Your hotel or your nearest station
In this tour to Kamakura, I would like you to enjoy the harmony between religious buildings and beautiful nature. The beauty of the city is protected by a landscape ordinance. Kamakura has unique ambience that is different from Tokyo or even Kyoto. It is the best place for one-day trip to find something new.
Guide fee, hotel pick-up.
Your transportation fee and guide's (about ￥1,200 per person), your entrance fees for Hase temple (￥500) and Kotoku-in temple (￥300). Your lunch.
I can guide you in the metropolitan area including Tokyo and Kanagawa every day as long as I am available.
Nothing special.
After visiting Great Buddha, we will walk 25min to reach Zeniarai-benzaiten shrine. Unfortunately, there is no transport to get there. And also, from the shrine to the next destination Komachi street, walk 20min. If you do not prefer walking so long, we will visit Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu shrine as a substitute. Its vermillion sanctuary is beautiful. The deities worshipped in the shrine were guardians of the Kamakura government.
I really enjoyed the tour with Masako to Kamakura. She gave me a good first impression of Japanese culture and history right at the beginning of my trip. She responded very flexibly to my wishes. That was great overall. Thank you very much.
Dear Joachim, Thank you for your kind comment. I appreciate it. I am glad to hear you enjoyed Kamakura. Thank you very much for your cooperation. We started the tour earlier than planned though you had just arrived in Japan the night before. Thanks to you, things went smoothly, it was a busy Sunday though. Please enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan with Karin and Lennart. Best regards, Masako
Masako is the "Best". She is credentialed as a Guide and in English. We hired her for our three full days in Tokyo prior to heading to Hakuba to ski. A kind, thoughtful and gentle spirited person. A patient teacher. We shared with her our interests and she built a schedule which was easy to review and approve before our arrival. In addition to the cultural and historical interest, we were in search for a few items that Japan is well known for and Masako helped us successfully locate them. Her knowledge of Tokyo was impressive. So much culture, history and beauty to absorb in just three days. We will be back and pick up where we left off with Masako.
Dear J.r. and Lorie, Thank you for your lovely comment. I am glad to hear you enjoyed Tokyo. You were cooperative and patient. I very much appreciate it. It was easy for me to show you around even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the busy streets. I was impressed you have detailed information about Japanese history and culture. I was happy you are interested in Togo Heihachiro, Japanese contemporary art, Japan's jeans and more. Your interests helped me a lot during the tour. How was Hakuba? You must have enjoyed skiing there. Hope you will return home safely. Best regards, Masako
My family of 4 booked a 4 day tour of Tokyo with Masako and we were so lucky to have her! Masako is so lovely, gentle and kind, speaks perfect English, and is very knowledgeable and informative. She is also highly organised - she kindly pre-booked tickets for us to make sure we got good times, and just made sure that everything went smoothly. We saw everything we wanted and more, eg going out of her way to help us buy certain items we wanted. We would not hesitate to highly recommend Masako.
Dear May, I'm most grateful to you for your lovely comment. I'm not sure if I deserve it, but very glad to hear you enjoyed today. Today we toured in busy places. You and your family are cooperative and cohesive. It helped me a lot to show you around. It was not difficult for me to take you from place to place or walk around in a huge crowd. And also, I was impressed you are considerate and thoughtful. I am very happy to guide "nice family." Hope you will enjoy your stay in Tokyo, Hakone and Osaka. Best regards, Masako
Masako is an excellent tour guide she made our Tokyo experience unforgettable. She is caring and very knowledgeable.
Thank you very much for your kind comment. I am glad to hear you enjoyed yesterday. All of you are friendly and kind. I very much enjoyed the tour and nice chatting. I appreciate your cooperation and patience. Please enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan.