A small, relaxed town trapped
between the sea and a circle of
wooded hills one hour's train ride
south of Tokyo,
KAMAKURA is
steeped in history. Many of its 65
temples and 19 shrines were founded
some eight centuries ago, when, for
a brief and tumultuous period, this
was Japan's political and military
centre. Its most famous sight is the
Daibutsu , a glorious bronze
Buddha surrounded by trees, but the
town's ancient
Zen temples
are equally compelling.
Kamakura's prime sights can be
covered on a day-trip from Tokyo,
starting with the temples of Kita-Kamakura
, the town's northern suburb, and
then walking south to the sights of central
Kamakura , before finishing up
at the Great Buddha in Hase
on its western outskirts. If you can
only spare a day, make sure you get
an early start: most sights close
early (generally 4.30pm in winter
and only a little later in summer).
However, the town more than
justifies a two-day stopover,
allowing time for the enchanting
temples of east Kamakura and
to follow one of the gentle
"hiking courses" up into
the hills, or to ride the Enoden
line west to tiny Enoshima
island. If at all possible, avoid
weekends and national holidays, when
both Kamakura and Enoshima are
swamped with tourists.
Kamakura's biggest festivals
take place in early April and
mid-September, including displays of
horseback archery and costume
parades, though the hour-long summer
fireworks display (August 10) over
Sugami Bay is its most spectacular
event. The town is also well-known
for its spring blossoms and autumn
colours, while many temple gardens
are famous for a particular flower -
for example, Japanese apricot at
Zuisen-ji and Tokei-ji (February)
and hydrangea at Meigetsu-in
(mid-June).
The easiest way of getting to
Kamakura is on the JR Yokosuka
line from Tokyo Station (¥890) via
Yokohama (¥380). Trains stop in
Kita-Kamakura before pulling into
the main Kamakura Station three
minutes later; make sure you board a
Yokosuka- or Kurihama-bound train to
avoid changing at Ofuna. For a
two-day outing, it's worth
considering the Kamakura-Enoshima
Free Kippu (¥1970), a discount
ticket covering both the Yokosuka
and Enoden lines. Another, much more
expensive option is to take a guided
tour with Japan Travel Bureau (tel
03/5620-9500; www.jtb.co.jp
); prices for the full-day tour,
excluding lunch, are ¥11,000 from
Tokyo and ¥9000 from Yokohama
(March 22-July 15 & Sept 20-Nov
30 Wed & Sat). In addition,
Odakyu Q Tours (tel 03/5321-7887, www.odakyu-group.co.jp/english
), located in Tokyo's Shinjuku
Station
, offers unaccompanied Kamakura
day-trips, including your train
fare, lunch and an explanatory
English-language guidebook, but no
tour guide, for ¥5000.
