The summer of Kamakura

—- a most popular day trip in Japan

Kamakura is a perfect tourist destination for both Japanese and foreigners.“The center city of Japan in the medieval age, Kamakura is a historical town in Kanagawa prefecture which is known as ‘the Kyoto of Kanto region’” [1]. If you are planning a short getaway from Tokyo, Kamakura is a wonderful option I recommend to you. It’s within a one-hour train ride that will bring you from a noisy Tokyo to this peaceful seaside town. 

 

 

It didn’t cost me a lot to get to Kamakura by train which is around a 1000 yen(about $9). Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines and other historical monuments. Besides, the sandy beaches attract large crowds during the summer months. When I got there, we purchased “Kamakura-Enoshima free pass.” It’s really a great option to travel around the town since each site is a pretty far walk from each other. The pass offers rides on a small retro train around the town and to Enoshima island [1]. Actually, taking this retro train is a really interesting thing to do there since you can do a lot of beautiful sight-seeing, and may come across the high school students who are dressed in JK school uniform, which make you feel like a scene in Japanese movie.

 

 

We just planned a one-day tour there, so we chose a few sites we were most interested in. We headed to Meigetsuin Temple for our first stop. It’s also known as “Hydrangea Temple.” It is said that “95% of the hydrangea here are of the Hime Ajisai variety, they are thus named because of their pretty blue color” [1]. We visited in July without the flowers blooming in full, but the beautiful scene also shocked me. Then we came to Yuigahama Beach. During the summer, the beach is extremely crowded by beach bums and lined with beach houses serving chilled drinks and food. We had some snacks and enjoyed ice-cream there, and that’s romantic. Our final stop is Enoshima Island. It’s also the last stop for the retro train. Visiting the coastline of Shonan area is highly recommended. It is on this small island that offers numbers of attractions like an observatory, shops, and restaurants. You can even see Fujiyama there. When we came back to Kamakura railway station, we hung around in Komachi Street (Komachi Dori) which is just off the JR Kamakura station, and it is the perfect place to shop and eat! You won’t get bored with the street with hundreds of shops, cafes, and restaurants.

Kamakura is one of the places I love the most in Japan. You can get relief from your busy working day and enjoy the weekend in this beautiful and comfortable place. 

 

[1]https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3102.html