Kamakura
Seat Of The Kamakura Shogunate (1192 1333); The Great Buddha Of Kotoku In Is A National Treasure · Kamakura, Kanagawa
A seaside town an hour south of Tokyo that was the seat of Japan's first shogunate from 1192 to 1333, and still holds dozens of temples and shrines among wooded hills. Its most famous sight is the Great Buddha of Kotoku-in, a bronze statue over eleven metres tall that has sat in the open air since a tsunami swept away its hall at the end of the fifteenth century. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the main shrine, stands at the top of a long avenue from the sea. The great Zen temples of Kita-Kamakura, Kencho-ji and Engaku-ji, are among the oldest in Japan, and Hase-dera, a temple on a hillside, is known for its thousands of small Jizo statues and its hydrangeas in June. Hiking trails link the temples through the hills. Komachi-dori is the busy snack street. The Enoden, a small old railway, runs along the coast to Enoshima island, past a level crossing made famous by an anime. The beaches fill with surfers and bathers in summer. Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo and very crowded at weekends.
2-1-31 Yukinoshita, Kamakura, Kanagawa, 248-8588, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The structure: the Great Buddha and most temples open daily from about 8 or 9 am to about 4 to 5 pm, with shorter winter hours; Tsurugaoka Hachimangu's grounds are open longer; shops on Komachi-dori run to about 6 pm. Traps: temples close earlier than people expect; hydrangea season in June and autumn weekends bring long queues; beaches are lifeguarded only in July and August; the Enoden queue at Kamakura station can be long at weekends. Confirm times before relying on them.