• Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine - This shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron deity of the Minamoto clan and samurai. It enshrines the deified spirits of Emperor Ojin, identified with Hachiman, Hime-gami, and Empress Jingu.

• Kotoku-in (Great Buddha of Kamakura) - The Great Buddha of Kamakura (鎌倉大仏, Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha located at Kotokuin Temple. Standing at 11.4 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, only surpassed by the one in Nara’s Todaiji Temple and some newer statues.

• Hase-dera Temple - Hasedera (長谷寺) is a Jodo sect temple known for its eleven-headed Kannon statue, the goddess of mercy. The 9.18-meter tall, gilded wooden statue is one of Japan’s largest wooden sculptures and is housed in the Kannon-do Hall.

• Hokokuji Temple (Takedera Temple) - Hokokuji Temple is renowned for its beautiful bamboo grove behind the main hall, featuring over 2000 bamboo stalks. Narrow paths lead to a tea house where visitors can enjoy matcha tea while viewing the grove. Behind the temple are shallow caves believed to hold the ashes of some Ashikaga lords.

• Enoshima Island - A short train ride west of Kamakura, Enoshima (江の島) is a tourist-friendly island connected to the mainland by a bridge. The island offers attractions like a shrine, park, observation tower, and caves, with views of Mount Fuji on clear days.

Enoshima is divided into a yacht harbor accessible by motorized traffic and a forested hill, which can only be explored on foot or by paid escalators. The island’s shrines, collectively known as Enoshima Shrine, are dedicated to Benten, the goddess of good fortune, wealth, music, and knowledge. Benten is said to have created Enoshima and subdued a five-headed dragon that terrorized the area.

• Engaku-ji Temple - Engakuji (円覚寺) is a leading Zen temple in Eastern Japan and the second of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples. Founded by regent Hojo Tokimune in 1282, a year after repelling the second Mongol invasion, it honors fallen Japanese and Mongolian soldiers.

Engakuji is built into the slopes of Kita-Kamakura’s forested hills. The first main structure is the Sanmon gate from 1783, followed by the Butsuden main hall, which houses a wooden Shaka Buddha statue. The Butsuden was rebuilt in 1964 after an earthquake destroyed the previous building.

• Kencho-ji Temple - Kenchoji (建長寺, Kenchōji) is the foremost of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples and the oldest Zen temple in Kamakura. Founded by regent Hojo Tokiyori in 1253 during the Kencho Era, its first head priest was Rankei Doryu, a Zen priest from China.

Though smaller than in its prime, Kenchoji still has many buildings and subtemples, stretching from the entrance gate at the valley’s bottom into the forested hills. After passing the Sanmon gate, visitors see the temple bell (Bonsho), a national treasure.

• Zeniarai Benten Shrine - Zeniarai Benten Shrine (銭洗弁天) is a popular shrine in western Kamakura where people wash their money, believing it will double. Minamoto Yoritomo, founder of the Kamakura government, built the shrine after a god appeared in his dream, advising him to build it for peace. The shrine is also dedicated to Benten, a Buddhist goddess associated with snakes, as the dream occurred on a snake day, month, and year.
• Meigetsuin (Hydrangea Temple) - Meigetsuin Temple (明月院) is a Rinzai Zen Sect temple founded in 1160 in Kamakura. Known as Ajisaidera (“Hydrangea Temple”), it features abundant hydrangeas, especially the blue Hime Ajisai variety, blooming in June.

Originally a memorial built by a son for his father who died in the Taira-Minamoto power struggle, it became part of the larger Zenkoji complex, which was abolished after the Meiji Restoration, leaving Meigetsuin as an individual temple.

• Ankokuronji Temple - Ankokuronji (安国論寺) is one of several Nichiren sect temples in southeastern Kamakura. Founded by Nichiren around 1253, he lived there for several years.

Visitors can hike a short trail through the wooded hills around the temple, offering a nice view of Kamakura. Some steep passages require good walking shoes and dry weather.

• Jomyo-ji Temple - Jomyoji Temple (浄妙寺, Jōmyōji) is a Zen temple in eastern Kamakura, ranked fifth among Kamakura’s five great Zen temples. Founded by the Ashikaga family, it once had seven buildings and several pagodas, but now only the main hall, reception hall, main gate, and warehouse remain. The main hall houses a Shaka Nyorai statue.

Jomyoji also has a restored teahouse where visitors can enjoy tea while viewing a dry garden. The hillside behind the main hall has a spacious cemetery and a path leading to a small restaurant with views over Kamakura.

• Zuisenji - Zuisenji (瑞泉寺) is a beautiful Zen temple in eastern Kamakura, surrounded by wooded hills. A branch of Engakuji Temple, it was founded by Muso Kokushi, a leading Zen master and garden designer. The temple is known for its Zen rock garden and many flowers and blooming trees, including plum trees.

• Myohonji Temple - Myohonji (妙本寺, Myōhonji) is a Nichiren sect temple in southeastern Kamakura, founded by Hiki Yoshimoto in 1260. It features a Nichiren statue to the left of the main hall.

Connected via the Gionyama hiking trail to nearby temples and a shrine, the trail goes through Kamakura’s wooded hills and requires good walking shoes and dry weather due to steep passages.

• Jochiji Temple - Jochiji (浄智寺, Jōchiji) is the fourth of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples and a branch of the Engakuji school of the Rinzai sect. Founded in 1283 by the Hojo family after a son’s premature death, it was once a large complex but is now small and calm. The main hall, Dongeden, houses a Buddhist trinity of Amida, Shaka, and Miroku Buddhas.
• Tokeiji Temple - Tokeiji (東慶寺, Tōkeiji) is a small branch of the Engakuji school within the Rinzai sect. Founded in 1285 by the wife of regent Hojo Tokimune after his death, it served as a shelter for abused women seeking divorce until the Edo Period. An official divorce could be obtained by staying at the temple for three years.
• Jufukuji Temple - Jufukuji Temple (寿福寺) is the third of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples and a branch of the Rinzai sect’s Kenchoji school. Established by Minamoto Yoritomo’s wife Masako after his death, its founding priest was Eisai, who introduced Zen Buddhism to Japan. Besides the often-photographed pathway, the temple is not open to the public.

• Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
• Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from ‘What to expect’ list

• Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
• Private Vehicle
• You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
• Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.