The Great Buddha sits in the open air. Hiking trails connect hilltop temples. The Enoden train rattles along the coast. Kamakura was once the seat of Japan's military government, and its temples and shrines carry that gravity. Softened by salt air and surfers.
What Kamakura is known for
Top-rated in Kamakura
Kotoku-in Temple
4.4temple
Iconic 13.35-meter bronze Buddha statue dating from 1252, Japan's second tallest bronze Buddha.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Omotesando
4.4restaurant
Side-street food alley off Kamakura's main approach: shirasu bowls, wagashi, and craft beer.
Hasedera
4.5temple
Sister to Nara's Hase-dera and one of the oldest temples in Kamakura.
Hokoku-ji Temple
4.4temple
Zen temple with 2,000 bamboo stalks and an in-grove matcha tea house, rivaling Arashiyama.
Kenchoji
4.4temple
Top Zen temple in Kamakura whose garden is a designated National Scenic Beauty spot.
Engakuji
4.4temple
Temple said to house the Buddha's ashes, very important to Buddhists and seen as a key Zen temple in Kamakura.
Sasuke Inari Shrine
4.4shrine
A forest-hidden Inari shrine with dozens of red torii gates tunneling through dense bamboo and cedar.
Caraway
4.4restaurant
Legendary curry shop known for its rich, slow-cooked beef curry and generous rice portions.