An hour south of Tokyo lies the town of Kamakura (鎌倉). It's a popular tourist destination because of the numerous shrines and temples, and the sand beaches that people from the capital go to during summer. I even heard during summer, there's some kind of wild summer party in the beaches of Kamakura. Despite being a tourist destination, I haven't been to this town until my friend suggested a road trip on one fine Saturday.

We left Tokyo early to avoid the traffic. But still, we arrived in our first destination past 11AM. Aside from the traffic we're trying to avoid but seems unavoidable, my friends who were the drivers that day were still beginners who's getting used to driving. Did I tell you that is the reason why we're having this roadtrip? We're safe and got our health insurance in case, don't worry!

11:30AM: Bamboo Grove of Kamakura

Hokoku-ji (報国寺) is a small temple famous for its bamboo garden. The bamboo grove is not as grand as Kyoto's Arashiyama, but it's very relaxing especially if there aren't a lot of people. There are benches where you could enjoy the garden taking in all that view. Also at the center of the bamboo grove, there's a small cafe-like area where you could enjoy matcha and sweets while looking at the the bamboo. It's just really a small place, and we came here for the bamboo because Kyoto is too far.

1PM: Late Lunch

We're trying to avoid the peak hours for lunch hence this time. My friend though had work to do so during lunch time, she was working. 😕 Not sure if she enjoyed her food. I enjoyed mine by the way. We ate at a restaurant near our next destination.

2PM: Kamakura Shrine

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (鶴岡八幡宮) is said to be the shrine one should not miss when visiting Kamakura. Usually the shrine is crowded during cherry blossoms season because it's conveniently located at the end point of Dankazura (段葛), the sidewalk in the center of the street that has a long line of sakura. It would seem that you're walking in an aisle full of cherry blossoms! We came early though, sakura was not yet in full bloom so no photos of Dankazura for this post. Maybe next time!

After ascending the long stairs, we found the main shrine. There were a lot of people, and some ritual was going on.

I didn't take a lot of photos in this place because there were a lot of people and it's a place of worship.

2:30PM: Shopping District

We didn't spend much time in the shrine and moved directly to the shopping district that's just near it. My friend was waiting for us in the cafe (because she's still working 😕) and we didn't want to keep her waiting. Komachi-dori (小町通り) is the shopping street in Kamakura where you can find souvenirs and some restaurants. It's a busy area because it's located between Kamakura station and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu so people going to the shrine often pass here if not in Dankazura. We entered the shopping street from its tail though, but to enter this street from its head, you'll be entering through a big Torii (鳥居, red gate). That means the shopping street is a sacred place.

Even when we just had our lunch, we're still up for snacks. I read recommendations to try Iwata Cafe's pancake but I got disappointed by it. It's the cakey pancake, not the moist one as I expected it to be. So no, I don't recommend this cafe.

Just realized I didn't take photos of the shopping district! 😱

4:30PM: The Great Buddha

Kamakura Daibutsu (鎌倉大仏, english: The Great Buddha of Kamakura) is something that I will always associate Kamakura with. Located in Kotoku-in (高徳院), The Great Buddha is a bronze statue of Amitābha. According to Wikipedia, it is said that according to temple records, the statue dates from around 1252, during the Kamakura period, which it is named after.

The gates to the temple will close at 5pm, so we were just really trying our luck if we could get in the temple or not. Well, luck was on our side because we could get to see one of the tallest Buddha statues of Japan.

The statue is so huge up close!

5:30PM: Sunset at the Beach Side

The parking lot on the beach side is not on Google Maps! We found it while looking for some place to park because we wanted to go to the view that's famous in the anime Slam Dunk. Sadly, we went to the wrong location so if I'll be back to the area, I'll take a photo and let you guys know.

We initially planned our sunset to be in Enoshima but there's a huge traffic going to the island. We opted to stay in the parking lot instead. It was cloudy so no views of Mount Fuji. On clear skies, Mount Fuji will show himself.

The waves are too strong and a lot of surfers are enjoying the current, even if it's almost dark. There's a restaurant in the parking premises but we didn't bother to go there and just enjoyed the view.

6:45PM: Exploring Enoshima

Enoshima (江の島) is a small island connected by a bridge from the mainland. What surprised me is that the island has a curfew, meaning you cannot enter the island late at night like at 10pm. I'm not sure though, maybe I read the signs wrong. Correct me if I am wrong please!

The Enoshima Shrine is found here, and is very tiring to climb. We didn't avail of the express (escalator) that will take us directly to the Shrine so we endured the long ascend. But very worth it! Shrine was so dark already but there were still a few people walking around.

Since it's a small island, you can explore it on one full day. Since we arrived after sunset, we didn't explore the whole island. Next time!

What's great about this island is the food! I love seafood but it's too hard to find good and affordable seafood in Tokyo. In Enoshima, it's raining seafood! My tummy was so satisfied.

It was an adventure in Kamakura. I wasn't expecting to see a lot of people but I guess because it was long weekend, they also needed a breather from the chaotic and busy city life. There are still areas left to see in Kamakura, which means there's something to look forward to the next time I visit. I also want to visit just the beach but I think this summertime, many people would also do the same. Let's see!

Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！

^{All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.}