Kamakura used to the capital of Japan during 12th to 14th century. It was the first period governed by the samurai warriors; Shoguns.Since samurai practiced Zen Buddhism, there are many Zen Temples which were built before those in Kyoto.
At your hotel
I will pick you up near the reception.
The Great Buddha in Kotoku-In Temple; The Buddha was built in the 13th century, which is the most popular site in Kamakura. It is a statue of Amida Buddha who helps everyone in need to be reborn in the Heaven (Admission: 300 JPY except the guide)
Hase-dera Temple; It is about 10 minutes walk from the Great Buddha, this temple was established in 8th century, which has a nice Japanese garden, various statues of Buddha, a deck to overview the Pacific Ocean, and a unique cave shrine. It is also famous for its hydrangea trail which is very crowed in June. (Admission: 400 JPY except the guide)
Lunch; We will have a casual Japanese lunch such as vegetarian dishes for monks, or tempura with noodle, steamed rice, grilled eel over steamed rice, sushi, or pork cutlet from 1,500 JPY. If you have any restrictions on foods, please let me know before the tour.
You can find pictures of these places from the following link by clicking (>) in the left window.
This shrine was established in 1063 for Minamoto Family who governed Japan in the 12th century. This shrine is very big and popular among local Japanese people to visit in new year days. (Admission free)
This temple was estalished in 1334 to commemorate Ashikaga Ietoki who was the grandfather of Takauji who started Muromachi period. The bamboo forest in the temple is something different from other places (Admission: 300 JPY except the guide). You can drink a cup of Japanese power green tea with sweets with the view of the bamboo forest. (Extra fee: 600 JPY except the guide)
This temple was established in 1253 which ranked as No.1 Zen temple in Kamakura. You can see and take pictures of the marvelous Cloud Dragon in the ceiling which is as good as the one at Tenryu-ji Temple in Kyoto. (Admission: 500 JPY except the guide)
This temple was established in 1282 which ranked 2nd highest Zen temple in Kamakura. You can see and take a picture of the statue of Shaka in the main worship hall and a garden nearby. (Admission: 300 JPY except the guide)
Enjoy shopping and foods while walking along the long streets with unique shops of Japanese products and sweets. This street is very popular among local Japanese women.
If it is very fine, you can see Mt. Fuji from this beach.
If you come here, you will find a cozy restaurant for lunch and may try an Onsen (hot bath) next to the restaurant. They have several private Onsen.
(Admission of Onsen: public 1500 JPY +3000 JPY for a private Onsen with reservation )
This temple was established in 1160 to comfort the sprit of the samurai who died in the first battle between Heike and Genji families. This temple is very famous among local Japanese for its Hydrangea garden. So it's too busy to visit in June but is good to visit in other seasons for quiet and well maintained gardens. (Admission 500 JPY including the guide)
Tokei-ji Temple was established in 1285 as a temple of nun i.e. convent. This temple had been offering the refuge for poor wives escaping from their husband until 1902.
Jochi-ji Temple was established in 1281 for Hojo family who governed the later part of Kamakura period and was the rank No. 4 Zen temple in Kamakura.
These temples are not popular yet among foreign tourists but are old hidden authentic temples. I'd recommend these temples, if you are getting tired of crowded popular places. (Admission 300 JPY in Jochi-ji except the guide, No photo allowed in Tokei-ji Temple)
End of the tour
At your hotel
1. Memorable Tour; I can show you around the most memorable places in Kamakura based on my experience.
1. Easier to Go; I will choose the most efficient and comfortable transportation so you don't have to be bothered by how to visit them efficiently within a day.
3. Flexible Plan; My tour is very flexible with time and places with many options according to your interest.
4. Delicious Foods; Japanese food is very important part of my tour, I will take you to my favorite restaurant for lunch during the tour.
guide fee, hotel pick up
Transportation cost of you and the guide (3,000 JPY per person)
Lunch of you and the guide (about 1,500 JPY per person)
Entrance fee of you (Big Buddha: 200 JPY, Hase-Dera: 400 JPY, Hokoku-Ji: 300 JPY, Kencho-Ji: 500 JPY, Enkaku-Ji: 300 JPY)
There is little restriction due to COVID 19 in 2023. I was vaccinated six times with the Pfizer one.
Not available on Mondays.
Most of the temples close about 16:00 to 17:00.
- The tour guide is not available on Monday.
- Please, send a direct message to the tour guide for confirming the availability before booking
Yuki met us at our hotel in Tokyo promptly after confirming the meeting time by text, very reassuring. We were taken by train to an interesting shrine that offered good views of Mt. Fuji, another short hop on the train and bus to the lake where we had a nice trip on a pleasure craft that gave us different views. Yuki took us to a nice restaurant for lunch. Altogether a very nice day, Yuki is an interesting gentleman who proved to be a very good guide.
Dear Trevor Thank you for taking time to review my tour. I was very happy when Mt. Fuji appeared as the weather was not so stable there. Best regards Yuki
I can’t say enough about Yuki! He was so organized from the beginning conversation to the end of the tour. He was knowledgeable and kept us on schedule. He showed us his Miyabi Tour of Kyoto that we chose. His I knowledge on the history, customs and Japanese culture was outstanding. You cant make a better decision than to hire Yuki for your tour. We loved Yuki and we are so happy we met him and were able to spend the day with him.
Dear Kimberly Thank you for writing the review of my tour. We visited Fushimi Shrine, Sanjusangen-do Temple, Kiyomizu Temple and Gion area. It was the day before the main festival of Gion and we enjoyed to see Yasaka Shrine and Yomahoko float for the main festival. Thank you for taking my tour. Yuki
If you're interesting in visiting historical sites and learning about Japanese culture, Yuki is the guide for you! While it rained must of our day in Tokyo, it did not make it any less exciting, fun, and interesting. Yuki added color to every place that we went to. He taught us how to use the subway, how to read our fortunes, and how to properly enter and exit shrines. This you cannot learn just by reading signs. This is what I believe is important in respecting and appreciating the Japanese culture. He has an iPad with information on each location which provided an additional knowledge and fun facts. He is very kind, friendly, and welcoming. He only provides tours around 3 times a week, so do not wait to book him! We cannot recommend him enough. Thank you Yuki for sharing your day with us. We are so grateful and can only hope our paths cross again. - Alisa
Dear Alisa Thank you for your review. It was a rainy day but we took the advantage by visiting less crowded quiet gardens. There are lotus and Iris flowers blooming even better under the rainy weather. Thank you for taking my Tokyo tour. Yuki
We had such a great trip today with Yuki. He was knowledgeable and so helpful getting us around. He was patient with our two kids (ages 9 and 12) and set up a perfect day. He was on time and the day was perfectly planned. Thank you!!
Dear Meghan Thank you very much for wring the review of my Hakone tour on the same day. It was cloudy but Mt. Fuji appeared at the last minutes. It was unfortunate that the Shinkansen had a big trouble on our return trip to Tokyo so that we changed our plan to take a local train instead. Thank you again for taking my tour. Yuki