1 Day In Kamakura: The Best Day Trip From Tokyo

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A day trip from Tokyo to Kamakura is the perfect city escape, full of history, nature, and delicious food, and this 1 day in Kamakura itinerary will show you the best this picturesque town has to offer!

Kamakura is a charming coastal town less than an hour south of Tokyo, making it the perfect day trip destination to fit into your existing Tokyo itinerary, if you want to venture out of the buzzing city.

Packed with peaceful temples, shrines, lush nature, and adorable small-town vibes, there’s so much to see in this picturesque town, which is why it became my go-to day trip spot while living in Tokyo for six months.

While there are more temples and shrines than you can visit in one day—after all, it’s considered the “Kyoto of the East”—we have to start somewhere.

So after visiting Kamakura multiple times, I curated this 1 day in Kamakura itinerary that will guide you through the unmissable sights, and some of my favorite finds in this charming town.

Woman standing in front of a big torii gate at the end of Danzakura walkway in Kamakura

1 Day In Kamakura: The Best Day Trip from Tokyo

How to get from Tokyo to Kamakura

Taking a day trip from Tokyo to Kamakura is very simple.

While there is a multitude of routes you could take to make your way to Kamakura, the easiest way is to find the closest station of the JR Yokosuka Line, which will take you directly to Kamakura Station.

You can get on this line from the central Tokyo Station, and Shimbashi Station, so if you are based near any of these, this is the way to go.

  • Train frequency: Every 15-20 minutes, depending on the time and day, you can check the Yokosuka Line timetable here.
  • Price: The ticket costs around 945 JPY (6 USD) one way.

Morning: Visit the picturesque garden at Meigetsu-in Temple

🚊To follow this itinerary, you will want to get off the train at Kita-Kamakura Station, one station before the central Kamakura Station.

The first stop in your 1 day in Kamakura itinerary is the stunning Meigetsu-in Hondogo Garden—one of my absolute favorite places in Kamakura.

First, explore the grounds of Meigetsu-in, one of the many historic temples in Kamakura, and the first one to become famous for its beautiful gardens.

Once you have done a round, head to the back of the property where you will find the temple with a round window with a picture-perfect view of the back garden.

There’s an additional fee to access the famous gardens but trust me, it is absolutely worth it!

If visiting during the summer months, you will be able to witness the stunning hydrangeas blooming, and during the fall, the vibrant colors of the trees change.

  • Opening hours: 9 am – 4 pm
  • Entrance fee: 500 JPY (3 USD) for the temple, and an extra 500 JPY for the garden

A quick break at a charming tea house

To fully immerse yourself in the adorable Japanese small-town vibes, don’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy some matcha and traditional sweets at a tea house, surrounded by Kamakura’s lush hills.

There are two tea houses nearby, first, there is this tea house inside Meigetsu-In, and another cute and small tea house where we had our tea break with these adorable bunny-shaped steamed buns.

Lunch at Rojiura Curry Samurai Kamakura

After feeling like a Disney princess wandering through the Meigetsu-in Gardens head back into town for an early lunch at the delicious Rojiura Curry Samurai Kamakura.

Rojiura Curry Samurai is one of the best restaurants in Kamakura to visit as it is a local gem, as well as being the perfect hearty and healthy meal to fuel your day of exploring.

It is particularly comforting during a cold winter day, as we came to find during our Kamakura trip in February—brrr.

At Rojiura Curry you can customize your meal, choosing the kind of protein, the number of vegetables, and the spiciness level—I normally ordered the chicken curry with 12 veggies and loved it!

And if you get hooked, you are in luck, as you can now find some Rojiura Curry Samurai locations in Tokyo.

Visit the Great Buddha of Kamakura: An iconic attraction

One of the top attractions to see in Kamakura—if not THE top—is the imposing Great Buddha located inside the premises of the Kotoku-in Buddhist temple.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a massive bronze statue, standing 11.4 meters tall, making it Japan’s second tallest bronze Buddha, just after the one at Nara’s Todaiji Temple.

This is one attraction we kept missing over and over due to our tendency to leisurely explore cities instead of sticking to a planned itinerary.

So learn from my mistakes and make sure to prioritize the attractions you want to see during your one day in Kamakura, and plan your times accordingly.

Explore the unmissable Komachi-Dori Street

Now that you have ticked off the main attractions of your Kamakura itinerary, you can take a leisure stroll through the city center and the popular Komachi-dori Street.

What used to be a modest street market centuries ago is now a buzzing shopping street lined with boutiques, souvenir shops, local restaurants, and numerous eye-catching street food stands.

Komachi-dori Street is the perfect go-to spot for souvenir shopping in Kamakura, as well as for getting a tasty snack en route to your next temple.

One of my favorite snacks in Komachi-dori Street, which we get every time we are in town, is Giraffa’s flavorful curry bread—they are seriously addictive!

Wander the beautiful grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

Follow Komachi-dori Street north and make your way to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, an iconic Shinto shrine in the heart of Kamakura.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine is an impressive 800-year-old Shinto shrine dedicated to Hachiman, the guardian deity of samurai.

Walk around the grounds of the shrine and marvel at its many beautiful elements, such as the picturesque Taiko bridge, the idyllic Genji pond with its carps and turtles, the sake barrels on display, and the imposing central structure of the Shinto shrine at the end of a long stairway

Take your time exploring the spacious grounds, as this is one of the unmissable things to do while spending 1 day in Kamakura.

  • Hours: 6 am – 8 pm
  • Entrance fee: Free

☕️ Coffee tip: If you are in need of an afternoon pick-me-up before or after the shrine exploring, there is a Verve Coffee Roasters nearby, one of my favorite coffee shops in Tokyo that luckily has a location here in Kamakura.

Walk along the quaint Danzakura walkway down to the beach

Once you are done exploring the grounds at the beautiful Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, walk along the picturesque Danzakura walkway—a must-visit during any 1 day in Kamakura itinerary—en route to catch the sunset at Kamakura’s Yuigahama Beach.

Yuigahama Beach is a popular escape destination for locals wanting to cool off and relax by the ocean during the warm summer months.

So depending on when you’re visiting Kamakura, an afternoon little trip to the beach could be the perfect way to end the day before heading for dinner.

Our visits were during the colder months, but we still managed to make it to the beach just to check it off our list.

Big tori gate line with blooming treest at the end of the Danzakura walkway in Kamakura, Japan

Dinner at Aratama Katsu Tei: The best tonkatsu restaurant in Kamakura

To finish off the perfect Tokyo day trip to Kamakura head over to Aratama Katsu Tei for one of the best tonkatsu I had during my nine-month stay in Japan.

Aratama Katsu Tei is a small tonkatsu restaurant with the cutest facade, looking straight out of the Japanese anime.

The tonkatsu is juicy and lean—depending on what cut you order, I like it lean—and what sets this tonkatsu place apart from many others I tried, is their incredibly flavorful tonkatsu sauce.

Tonkatsu sauce is something that varies from place to place, with each restaurant having its own recipe, and Aratama Katsu Tei’s tonkatsu sauce has my heart!

Another fun element is that you get to mix your own sauce, by smashing the aromatic sesame seeds, giving your last meal in Kamakura a little bit of an activity aspect to it— without having to do too much, don’t worry!

Back to Tokyo

Now that your eyes are filled with beauty, and your stomach is full with tonkatsu, its time to make your way back “home” to Tokyo.

Luckily the trains from Kamakura back to Tokyo keep going late in the evening. Check the Yokosuka Line timetable here.

🎋Optional attraction: If you want to do something different you could change one of the two attractions from this itinerary (Great Buddha of Kamakura or Meigetsu-in Temple), for Hokoku-ji Temple, a smaller temple known for its beautiful bamboo garden. If you opt for this, make sure to stop by its tea house in the middle of the peaceful garden.

Travel tips for visiting Kamakura

  • Start early: Start your day trip to Kamakura early, as most attractions close around 4 pm. To be able to enjoy a full day in Kamakura I would advise you to arrive in Kamakura at around 9 am.
  • ☕️ Breakfast: Most cafes in Japan don’t open until 11 am, so for ultimate travel efficiency have a quick 7-Eleven breakfast the morning of your day trip to Kamakura.
  • ☕️Coffee: If departing from Shimbashi station stop by Saza Coffee which opens at 8 am during the weekdays for your morning fuel. This was my go-to coffee spot before day trips out of Shimbashi.

Final thoughts on a day trip from Tokyo to Kamakura

Packed with picturesque temples, historic shrines, and beautiful nature, Kamakura has so much to offer for any traveler wanting to dive into the Japanese small-town charm.

This is why Kamakura became my go-to getaway spot while living in Tokyo for six months, it is the perfect day trip to escape the buzz of the capital, without going too far.

I hope this guide on how to spend 1 day in Kamakura helps you plan your day trip to this charming town, and I truly hope you love it as much as I do!

Which attractions are a must-visit on your Kamakura itinerary? Let us know in the comments.

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