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Kamakura

Japan travel guide

What to see in Kamakura

An old samurai capital by the sea, with the open-air Great Buddha and temples among the hills.

Updated 19 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • 6 must-see places
  • Best time: from October to April
Photo: Alexandar Vujadinovic · CC BY-SA 4.0

Kamakura highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

  1. Great Buddha (Kōtoku-in)

    A bronze Buddha over 11 metres tall, sitting in the open air for centuries.

  2. Tsurugaoka Hachimangū

    The city’s main shrine, at the end of a grand avenue.

  3. Hase-dera

    A temple with gardens, thousands of small Jizō statues and sea views.

  4. Hōkoku-ji

    A small bamboo grove with a teahouse.

  5. Komachi Street

    A street of shops and food stalls leading from the station.

  6. Enoshima Island

    A little island with shrines, caves and views of Fuji on clear days.

Day trips from Kamakura

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

When to travel to Kamakura

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Kamakura are from October to April.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May with warnings
  6. Jun with warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with warnings
  9. Sep with warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings
  • May

    Golden Week

    From 29 April to 5 May half of Japan is on the move: bullet trains packed, hotels expensive and queues everywhere.

    What to do: Book reserved shinkansen seats and your hotels as early as possible.

  • June, July

    Rainy season (tsuyu)

    From early June to mid-July it rains often and it’s hot and humid.

    What to do: Bring a folding umbrella and keep an indoor plan for each day; Hokkaido escapes it.

  • August, September

    A typhoon may pass through

    In August and September a typhoon can stop trains and flights for a day (in October it’s rare).

    What to do: Have an indoor plan (museums, covered temples, onsen) for the day it happens.

Where and what to eat

To eat like a local: an izakaya. The dishes you can’t miss are in the Japan guide.

Frequently asked questions about Kamakura

What to see in Kamakura?

Great Buddha (Kōtoku-in), Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, Hase-dera, Hōkoku-ji, Komachi Street and Enoshima Island.

What to see in Kamakura in one day?

Don’t miss Great Buddha (Kōtoku-in), Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, Hase-dera, Hōkoku-ji, Komachi Street and Enoshima Island. To split it into days and areas without crossing the city back and forth, the Bagintravel app plans your trip in a minute.

What’s the best time to travel to Kamakura?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Kamakura are from October to April.

What day trips can you take from Kamakura?

Kamakura from Tokyo.

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Guide reviewed 19 October 2026. Places, areas and seasons: the same data the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.