Kamakura & Enoshima in One Day
A day trip from Tokyo: Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the hydrangea temple of Hase-dera, the Great Buddha, the coastal Enoden train and sunset from Enoshima.
Last updated 2026-09-03 · 1-day self-guided plan
Kamakura & Enoshima
Shrine, Great Buddha, coastal train, island sunset
For anyone with one day to spend outside Tokyo who wants temples, sea air and a slow little train along the beach, all without a car.
- 1
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and Komachi-dori
The JR Yokosuka Line from Tokyo or Shinagawa reaches Kamakura in about an hour; be there by 9:00. A straight avenue of cherry trees leads from the station to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the shrine of the shogunate, up a steep stone stair to the vermilion hall. Walk back along Komachi-dori, the parallel street of snack stalls, for a matcha soft serve or a purple sweet-potato croquette.
1.5 HoursCost: Free - 2
Hase-dera
Ride the Enoden, the two-carriage tram that leaves from the west side of Kamakura station, three stops to Hase. Five minutes uphill is Hase-dera, a hillside temple with a huge gilded eleven-headed Kannon, a cave of carved deities and a terrace looking over the bay. In June the hydrangea path draws queues with numbered tickets; the rest of the year it is quiet.
1 HourCost: ¥400–700 
3Kotoku-in and the Great Buddha
Walk ten minutes north from Hase-dera to Kotoku-in around 12:00. The bronze Great Buddha has sat in the open since a wave destroyed its hall five centuries ago, eleven metres tall and green with age. For a small extra coin you can step inside the hollow statue. The lane back to the station has shirasu bowls of tiny whitebait, the local lunch.
45 MinutesCost: ¥300–500
4Enoden along the Shonan coast
Back at Hase, take the Enoden west toward Enoshima, about 20 minutes. Between Inamuragasaki and Koshigoe the line runs right along the shore, with surfers, the black-sand beach and, on a clear day, Mt Fuji across the water; sit on the left side heading west. The Kamakurakokomae crossing by the sea is the spot everybody photographs.
45 MinutesCost: ¥300–600- 5
Enoshima island at sunset
From Enoshima station walk 15 minutes across the causeway and up the steps through the shrine gates to the top of the island; paid escalators save the climb. Enoshima Shrine's three halls line the way, and the Sea Candle lighthouse and garden at the summit face west for the sunset with Fuji in silhouette. Take the Odakyu from Katase-Enoshima straight back to Shinjuku, about 70 minutes.
2 HoursCost: ¥500–1,500
Day 1 Estimated Cost
- Food¥2,500–5,000
- Transport¥2,000–3,000
- Admissions¥1,200–2,700
Tips
JR out to Kamakura, Enoden along the coast, Odakyu home from Katase-Enoshima: a one-day Enoden pass pays off if you hop on and off more than twice.
Expect stone stairs at every stop and a stiff climb on Enoshima; trainers, not sandals, and a hat for the causeway in summer.
Shirasu-don, raw or boiled whitebait over rice, is the lunch in Hase and Enoshima; it is off the menu during the winter fishing ban, so order the boiled kind then.
The Great Buddha is backlit in the afternoon, so shoot it before noon; for the Enoden and the sea, stand at Kamakurakokomae station's platform, not on the crossing itself.