If you are looking for an easy day trip from Tokyo, Kamakura is a perfect choice. It is only about an hour from Tokyo, but it feels completely different.
You get temples, shrines, a giant Buddha, cute little streets, the ocean, great food and one of the most charming train rides in Japan.
We visited Kamakura with the kids during our summer trip to Japan, and it ended up being one of those days that had a little bit of everything.
How to Get to Kamakura from Tokyo
Getting to Kamakura from Tokyo is very easy, and you do not need to buy train tickets ahead of time.
You can take a regular JR train from Tokyo to Kamakura and simply tap in with your Suica card.
Once you arrive at Kamakura Station, switch to the Enoden, the little local train that connects Kamakura with Hase, Enoshima and other stops along the coast.
The Enoden is honestly part of the experience. At first, it goes right through residential neighborhoods, passing incredibly close to houses and little streets. Later, if you continue toward Enoshima, parts of the route run right along the ocean.
We took the Enoden from Kamakura Station to Hase Station to start our day.
Start at the Hasedera Temple, Kamakura, Japan
Our first stop was Hasedera Temple, and this ended up being one of my favorite places in Kamakura. The admission fee is 400 yen for adults and 200 yen for kids ages 6-11.
The temple is built into a hill, so you slowly make your way up through the grounds and eventually get beautiful views over Kamakura and the ocean.
There are gardens, temple buildings and so many little Jizo statues throughout the grounds.
Make sure you walk all the way up to the viewpoint. There is also a sitting area where you can grab a snack and enjoy the view.
We got dango, sat down for a bit and just enjoyed looking out toward the ocean.
One of the coolest parts of Hasedera is Benten-kutsu Cave.
You actually walk down into a cave filled with carvings and tiny Benten statues made from shells. It feels completely different from the rest of the temple and was especially fun to explore with the kids (we also almost missed this cave and just noticed the entrance on the way out of the Temple).
Go inside the Great Buddha of Kamakura
From Hasedera, it is a short walk to Kotoku-in Temple, home to the famous Great Buddha of Kamakura. The Great Buddha of Kamakura at Kotoku-in Temple dates back to the 13th century, stands about 37 feet (11.3 meters) tall, and is one of the most iconic sights to see on a Kamakura day trip from Tokyo.
The bronze Buddha has been here for centuries and is the most recognizable sight in Kamakura. But the part the kids thought was the coolest? You can actually go inside the Buddha.
For a small additional fee (50 yen), you can walk inside the hollow bronze statue.
It only takes a few minutes, but when else are you going to be able to say you went inside a giant Buddha in Japan?
Swim at the Beach in Kamakura
Another reason Kamakura makes such a fun day trip is that you can go from visiting temples to standing on the beach a few minutes later.
We walked down to Yuigahama Beach, and the kids obviously had to go into the water. The water was so warm!
We were not really planning a beach day, but apparently that does not matter when you travel with kids and there is an ocean nearby.
If you are visiting Kamakura during summer, I would definitely leave some time for the beach. And maybe bring a towel. We learned that one the hard way.
Where to Eat in Kamakura: Lunch at Panda Kamakura
There are so many great places to eat in Kamakura, from seafood and shirasu bowls to traditional Japanese set meals and cute cafés. Some popular options include Kamakura Rokuyata, Café Yoridokoro, and MOKICHI Kamakura.
But we wanted something easy, quick, and something the whole family would enjoy, so for lunch we went to Panda Kamakura for onigiri.
They have different onigiri fillings with little sides, so everyone could pick what they wanted without turning lunch into a whole production. Sometimes the simplest meals in Japan end up being some of the best ones.
Walk and shop the Komachi-dori Shopping Street
After lunch, we walked along Komachi-dori Shopping Street. This is one of the main shopping streets in Kamakura and is filled with little stores, snacks, sweets, and souvenirs.
It is also a perfect street to slowly wander through on your way toward Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
Of course, “we are just going to walk through” never actually means that when there are cute Japanese stores involved.
Try the famous Kamakura Pigeon Cookies
One of the things you need to try in Kamakura is Hato Sablé from Toshimaya. We called them the pigeon cookies because, well, they are giant pigeon-shaped cookies. And they are SO good.
They are simple buttery sablé cookies, but somehow we could not stop eating them. They were also surprisingly inexpensive, so we bought a pack of 10.
I will admit that figuring out what to buy at the Toshimaya Honten store was slightly confusing because there were different boxes and packages, and we could not really understand what the difference was.
Eventually, we just picked one. They also make such an easy souvenir to bring back from Kamakura.
Visit the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura
At the end of Komachi-dori, you will reach Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, Kamakura’s most important Shinto shrine. The shrine was originally founded in 1063 and moved to its current location in 1180 by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu became the spiritual and political center of Kamakura and is closely connected to Japan’s samurai history, which is one of the reasons it is such an important place to visit today.
The grounds are huge, with ponds, bridges, torii gates and a long staircase leading up to the main shrine. It is an easy stop to combine with Komachi-dori Shopping Street during a Kamakura day trip.
This is one of the things I loved about spending a day in Kamakura.
You can visit Buddhist temples, see the Great Buddha, walk along the beach and then visit a major Shinto shrine, all without traveling very far.
Wash your money at Zeniarai Benten Shrine, Kamakura
If you still have time and energy, you can also visit Zeniarai Benten Shrine, one of the most unique shrines in Kamakura.
The shrine dates back to 1185 and, according to legend, was founded by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, after a deity appeared to him in a dream and told him about a sacred spring hidden in the hills.
Today, the shrine is famous for one very specific tradition: washing your money.
You place your coins or bills into a small basket and wash them with the spring water inside the shrine’s cave. According to tradition, money washed in the spring may multiply and bring good fortune.
The spring itself is also considered one of Kamakura’s Five Famous Waters, which makes this little shrine even more interesting to visit.
Let me know if the money-multiplying part works. 😂
Check out the Studio Ghibli Store
Of course, we also had to stop at Donguri Kyowakoku, the official Studio Ghibli store in Kamakura.
This location was especially fun because there are two stores right next to each other, filled with Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away and other Studio Ghibli characters. I also loved seeing the artwork and drawings from the movies displayed throughout the store.
It is a great place to pick up Studio Ghibli souvenirs, but even if you are not planning to buy anything, it is worth stopping in just to look around. And yes, after visiting multiple Ghibli stores on this trip, we still went inside.
If you want to recreate our Kamakura Itinerary, this is a great order: Tokyo → Kamakura Station → Enoden to Hase → Hasedera Temple → Great Buddha → Yuigahama Beach → lunch at Panda Kamakura → Komachi-dori Shopping Street → Toshimaya pigeon cookies → Tsurugaoka Hachimangu → Donguri Republic → Zeniarai Benten Shrine if you have time → train back to Tokyo.
You could easily spend more time in Kamakura or continue farther along the Enoden toward Enoshima, but for one day, this itinerary gives you a little bit of everything.
Kamakura Day Trip FAQ
Is Kamakura worth a day trip from Tokyo?
Yes! Kamakura is one of the best day trips from Tokyo if you want to see a completely different side of Japan without traveling very far. It has famous temples and shrines, the Great Buddha, shopping streets, local food, the Enoden train and even the beach, all about an hour from central Tokyo.
How do you get from Tokyo to Kamakura?
The easiest way is by JR train. From Tokyo Station, you can take the JR Yokosuka Line directly to Kamakura Station. From Shinjuku, the JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line also has direct trains to Kamakura. The trip takes about an hour.
You do not need to reserve these trains in advance. We simply used our Suica cards and tapped in.
Is one day enough for Kamakura?
Yes. One full day is enough to see many of Kamakura’s most famous attractions, including Hasedera Temple, the Great Buddha, Komachi-dori and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
What is the best Kamakura one-day itinerary from Tokyo?
Our Kamakura itinerary looked like this:
Tokyo → Kamakura Station → Enoden to Hase → Hasedera Temple → Great Buddha → Yuigahama Beach → lunch → Komachi-dori → Tsurugaoka Hachimangu → shopping and snacks → train back to Tokyo.
If you have extra time, you can also add Zeniarai Benten Shrine or continue on the Enoden toward Enoshima.
Should you visit Kamakura or Enoshima?
Kamakura is the better choice if you are most interested in temples, shrines, Japanese history and the Great Buddha. Enoshima has more of a seaside island atmosphere, ocean views and caves.
Yes, it is possible to visit both Kamakura and Enoshima in one day, especially because the Enoden train connects them.
But with kids, I personally would not try to see every major Kamakura attraction and Enoshima in the same day. Kamakura alone easily filled our day without feeling rushed.
Can you use Suica in Kamakura?
Yes. You can use Suica for JR trains between Tokyo and Kamakura as well as the Enoden train around Kamakura.
This makes Kamakura an especially easy Tokyo day trip because you do not need to figure out separate train tickets for every ride.
Is Kamakura good to visit with kids?
We thought Kamakura was a great day trip from Tokyo with kids because there was much more to do than simply visit temples.
Our kids could ride the Enoden, go inside the Great Buddha, explore the cave at Hasedera, try Japanese snacks, shop on Komachi-dori and play at the beach.
