Kamakura Private Tour: Temples, Nature, and the Great Buddha
Description
Set between the mountains and the sea, Kamakura is a city shaped by centuries of spiritual devotion and military power. Once a stronghold of the samurai and a center of religious life, this coastal gem remains one of Japan’s most beloved destinations full of temples, culture, and peaceful nature. From towering Buddha statues to sacred shrines, quiet beaches, and streets filled with local life, Kamakura invites you to explore its deeply rooted traditions. ・Visit ancient temples surrounded by nature and participate in traditional Japanese customs ・Marvel at the Great Buddha and other iconic religious statues that have stood the test of time ・Walk along Kamakura’s seaside the closest beach escape from the city and a favorite among locals
Tour Options
Itinerary
A quiet and serene Zen temple surrounded by forest, the Jochiji temple was built in 1281 by Hojo Tokoyori, a leader of the Kamakura Shogunate, in order to honour his son who had died young. It is nice to stroll through the grounds of this temple, enjoying the lush flowerbeds and bamboo groves. Remember to rub the belly of the statue of Hotei, as this is said to bring you good fortune.
Enjoy the beautiful nature around the pass.
Next you will walk along the Daibutsu Hiking Course through the mountains until you reach a mysterious hole in the hillside, framed by a torii gate. Go through that hole and you'll find the Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine. Built in 1185, the shrine strongly emits the scent of incense and is filled with a rare blend of both Shinto and Buddhist monuments. Explore until you find a small cave with a natural spring bubbling inside. Here, people wash their money in the spring's water as it is said that money washed in spring will double in the summer.
According to legend, the first Shogun of Kamakura Minamoto Yoritomo was visited in his dream by a white fox (known as Inari) who advised him how to win a battle against his enemies. Emerging from the battle victorious, Minamoto built the Sasuke Inari Shrine in gratitude. Set in the mountains surrounded by dense green forest, there you can find a tunnel comprised of over 100 red torii gates, just like Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto. The shrine also contains hundreds of mini white inari foxes and the site of an ancient "hidden village".
The great Kamakura Buddha stands at 13.35m tall and weights about 121 tonnes. The construction of the bronze statue of Buddha as it appears today dates from 1252. It is one of the biggest Buddha statues in Japan and is definitely worth seeing. You can even enter inside the great statue.
Hasedera Temple is located about halfway up Mount Kamakura. The temple, therefore, has excellent views south over the ocean and the picturesque Yuigahama Beach. During June and July you can see the grounds full of blooming hydrangeas. Hasedera is home to a 9.18m tall Kannon statue with 11 heads - one of the largest wooden Buddhist statues in Japan. There is also a small but spooky and atmospheric cave to explore in the gardens.
The beach faces south so you are always going to see the sun over the ocean from this point. Relax and chill here and catch the lovely views! During summer there is an open air market called the Umi-no-ie which is good to check out.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Please add 8000 yen per person to the tour price for hotel pick up
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Tour duration can be extended at a rate of 1,000 yen per person, per half hour, payable in cash.
- You will walk at least 5 km including a mountain pass. So please wear shoes that are easy to walk in.
Reviews(128)
Our guide Tia was fun, knowledgeable and flexible. This was one of my favorite tours in Japan. It was great to walk to so many beautiful sites. She did a great job communicating with us on questions we had before the tour.
Dear valued guest, Thank you so much for booking our Kamakura tour and for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the beautiful sites with Tia. It's wonderful to know her communication and flexibility made your day even more memorable. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you again on your next visit to Japan! Best regards, Kyoko
My partner and I had a fantastic tour through Kamakura with Terry. He was knowledgeable and very sociable. The tour was comprehensive but affordable with a relaxed atmosphere. It was simply very fun and informative. I think this tour is best for small groups of 2-5
Dear valued guest, Thank you very much for joining our Kamakura Private Tour and for sharing your kind review! We're delighted to hear that Terry’s knowledge, warm personality, and relaxed guiding style made your day in Kamakura both fun and informative. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again on a future visit! Best regards, Kyoko
Terry was an excellent communicator before the tour and even better during the tour. He was very patient with our slowness. More importantly, truly cares about and is familiar with the area. We had a lovely day exploring with him.
Dear valued guest, Thank you very much for joining our Kamakura Private Tour and for sharing your kind review! We're delighted to hear that Terry’s clear communication, patience, and deep familiarity with the area helped make your day in Kamakura so enjoyable. We truly appreciate your warm words and hope to welcome you again on a future visit! Best regards, Kyoko
Teiko was a wonderful guide - perfect for us! She was very engaging and made sure we enjoyed our time on the tour. She was very responsive to information requests prior to the tour, which made our travel to the meeting point stress free. The tour itself is great - beautiful stops that were meaningful and significant. We highly recommend this tour and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to have Teiko as your guide!
Dear Natasha, Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that Teiko made your Kamakura tour so enjoyable, from her helpful communication beforehand. We truly appreciate the recommendation and hope you’ll visit again! Best regards, Kyoko
Terry went above and beyond in ensuring we had a memorable experience exploring the beauty and history of Kamakura. We appreciate his keen sense of detail and ensuring we got to see and explore so much the town has to offer!
Dear valued guest, Thank you very much for joining our Kamakura Private Tour and for sharing your review! We’re delighted to hear that Terry’s thoughtful guiding and attention to detail helped make your family’s day in Kamakura so memorable. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you again on a future visit! Best regards, Kyoko
Terry was an excellent and thoughtful guide, contacting us before the tour to advise us about the weather, terrain and lunch choices. He is knowledgeable about Kamakura and it's shrines and temples. Would use him again and highly recommend.
Dear Paul, Thank you very much for joining our Kamakura Private Tour and for sharing your review! We’re glad to hear that Terry took such great care of you. We truly appreciate your recommendation and would be happy to welcome you again! Best regards, Kyoko
Toshi is amazing. Such an amazing tour. I truly enjoyed myself. I 10 out of 10 recommend.
Dear valued guest, Thank you for your time to leave us lots of stars! We're so happy to hear you had a wonderful time exploring Kamakura with Toshi. We sincerely appreciate the recommendation and hope to see you back for more tours in the future! Best regards, Kyoko
Toshi was amazing!! Thank you for being so kind. This was a wonderful experience for us! I would 10/10 recommend!
Dear valued guest, Thank you for your time to leave us a positive feedback! We're so happy to hear you had a wonderful time with Toshi! Thank you for your kind words and high rating, and we look forward to welcoming you again someday! Best regards, Kyoko
We enjoyed our tour with Teiko so much. She was knowledgeable, friendly and considerate. We learned much more about the shrines, temples and people of Japan in 4 hours than we had in the 4 previous days!
Dear Tracy, Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed the Kamakura Private Tour and learned so much about Japan’s shrines, temples, and people in a short time. Your warm words about Teiko truly mean a lot to us. Thank you for the high rating, and we look forward to welcoming you again on your next visit to Japan! Best regards, Kyoko
We had Toshi as our guide and she was incredible. The tour was a highlight to our trip! It was well paced and we saw many different places. Without Toshi, we would not happen really understood what we were seeing and experiencing and I’m sure we would have missed out on so much. Thanks Toshi
Dear Jennifer, Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that your Kamakura tour with Toshi was a highlight of your trip. Her thoughtful guidance and deep knowledge truly help bring each site to life. Thank you again for the great review, and we look forward to your next visit to Japan! Best regards, Kyoko
