Kamakura

Kamakura is a small city, not far from Yokohama and Tokyo, surrounded by beautiful nature and temples, known also for the high number of seasonal festivals. Kamakura was designed as a small city only during the last century, but it’s existence goes far back in time, when it played an important role in Japanese history, as the former de facto capital of Japan and the seat of the shogunate and of the Regency during the Kamakura period.

What to see in Kamakura

It took us 50 minutes from our hostel to Kita-Kamakura station, from where we walked to Tokeiji, a small, beautiful and tranquil Buddhist temple and continued after to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a  Shinto shrine established in the 11th century and built in 1828 in the traditional Edo architectural style. The latter is the most important shrine in the area. Whatever direction you walk in, you will find plenty of temples, shrines and other historical monuments that make Kamakura a very popular tourist destination.

Our next stop was Hokokuji, an old temple, well known for its dense bamboo grove and the tea house offering a matcha reception. Walking through the bamboo forest was a beautiful experience and had an important place on our list of things to do in Japan. It is a small forest, crowded by local tourists, but it definitely felt pleasant being there and the short visit left us time also for checking out the big Buddha statue that was 50 minutes walk distance from Hokokuji.

We arrived at Kotokuin temple one hour before it closed it gates to the public, but early enough to admire the monumental, outdoor bronze statue of the Buddha that makes the place so famous and to walk around the area and take pictures.

We had another coffee break at the main station before saying goodbye to this small city, beautiful for his enchanting temples, narrow streets and surrounding nature, and returned to Yokohama.

For more beautiful pictures of Kamakura click here.