This coastal delight is just one hour from Tokyo, but feels a world away
Just an hour away from Tokyo, this charming seaside town is quickly climbing the ranks of must-visit places. You’ve probably seen pastel-coloured images of cute trolley cars gliding along the seaside with Mount Fuji as a striking backdrop in your social media feeds. But Kamakura has much more hidden treasures beyond these beautiful views.
Inspired by the stunning tram photos I can’t escape on social media, I’m visiting Kamakura on a day trip from Tokyo with Inside Japan, a unique travel company that organizes bespoke tours for busy and independent travelers. They take the hassle out of travel planning; Your only job is to come. And sometimes, even this can be misleading; such as for me, who was in Tokyo for the third time and boasted of being an expert at navigating the city’s labyrinthine transportation system. Apparently, I’m not as knowledgeable as I thought. After getting completely lost, I send a quick email to Inside Japan’s 24/7 concierge service and, thanks to their help (albeit a little late), I get back on track.
I resisted the urge to do too much research on the town and left all the planning to Inside Japan. So my day is full of pleasant surprises. When I arrived, my guide was waiting patiently for me in front of Hase-dera Temple, holding an umbrella. Danne, a Perth native living in Yokohama, works as a translator and will be translating the information in our Japanese guide.
However, our guide is not an ordinary guide. He is a former television producer turned monk and enjoys showing visitors around his new home. Their stories are accompanied by a broad smile that echoes the expressions of the large Jizo statues that greet us inside the temple.
Hase-dera sits atop a forested hill, and the gentle patter of rain on the leaves this morning feels particularly magical. The gardens of the temple are immaculate and are said to represent heaven. I can only imagine how gorgeous they look in June when their hydrangeas are in full bloom.
To escape the rain, we follow our guide into a cave, a sacred site where people come to pray to 16 different gods, each representing an unusual aspect of life, from alcohol consumption to traffic safety. Our guide Misaka-san offers to light a candle for me, and I choose the god “more money”; a popular choice, as evidenced by the number of melted candles left in front of it.
As we climb higher up the hillside, we encounter a small army of tiny stone statues, each resembling a miniature human. They are neatly arranged in neat rows along a stone wall and set in a moss-covered garden framed by gently flowing water. Each stone is inscribed with a Japanese name, and it is clear that these sculptures carry deep meaning. Misaka-san explains that they were left behind by parents mourning the loss of their children, hoping they would be reborn into a joyful life. Seaweed is said to represent the nourishment of life.
Perhaps Hase-dera’s best kept secret is Kannon’s statue. Located in its own temple within the complex, this 9.18-metre gilded statue was discovered covered in barnacles in the ocean. It is thought to have drifted all the way from Nara Prefecture, where another Hase-dera temple is located. Misaka-san always enthusiastically chants a Buddhist sutra for me and my wish for more money. When the hymn ended, I silently wished I had asked for world peace.
We leave the temple and head towards the cafe that offers the best views of Kamakura. The town’s rooftops stretch below us, with the ocean behind us, looking moody in the rain. The cafe serves satisfying vegan mushroom pasta and matcha; It’s the perfect fuel for afternoons exploring Kamakura’s other hidden treasures: a tranquil bamboo forest home to a secluded tea house, a towering statue of the Great Buddha that survived the 1923 earthquake, and a lively shopping street where you can sample street food and sake.
At the end of the shopping street we reach the tram station, where a final dose of “kawaii” awaits us: a frog statue symbolizing the visitors’ hope of returning. So am I, little man. Me too.
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Kylie McLaughlin is Traveler’s former deputy digital editor. Follow her travels on Instagram @kylieam and TikTok @kylie_travels
