A Tokyo day trip to Kamakura
A one hour express train ride from Shibuya is the perfect getaway to your getaway - this quiet little beach town named Kamakura. Surrounded by mountains, the ocean, peaceful temples & a famous giant Buddha statue. This guide is full of local favorite temples, bakeries, shops and eateries. Rent a bike by the station and cruise slowly with the locals.
Morning
Iwata Coffee Shop
Located at the beginning of Komachi Street, the pain pedestrian walkway lined with shops & snack booths. Start your Kamakura day by fueling up on coffee & the best pancakes you’ll ever have. The retro interior & outdoor garden gives it such a cozy nostalgic vibe.
Pacific Bakery
Shichirigahama Station on the Enoshima Line offers a perfect walk along the beach & some fun eateries. Grab lunch at Pacific Drive‑In or walk into the adorable residential area for their sister location, Pacific Bakery.
Verve Coffee Roasters
From Santa Cruz California, this is a great spot for speciality coffee and espresso drinks, hot sandwiches and homemade waffles too. The relaxing wooden interior and outdoor terrace makes it the perfect place to plan out the rest of the day.
Garden House Kamakura
A delicious western style breakfast and lunch spot. The big food menu and outdoor garden terrace really makes this place stand out.
Buddhist Temples
The temples start one stop before Kamakura, at Kita-Kamakura station. There, you will find Meigetsuin, A buddhist temple with an iconic round window that frames the garden perfectly in any season. A few minute walk away is another temple named Engakuji, it’s much bigger and offers a beautiful rock zen garden.
At Kamakura station you can easily access Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, and Hokokuji, a beautiful buddhist temple with a small bamboo grove, zen garden, and a matcha tea house. A couple other iconic ones in the area are Kotoku-in, known for its giant iconic giant Buddha statue. Just down the street is Hasedera with beautiful gardens, views of Kamakura, and rows of Jizo statues. Sasuke Inari Shrine features hundreds of adorable fox statues. There are so many more smaller temples and shrines to explore, the best is discovering them on your own by foot or bike.
Afternoon
R Antiques
Kamakura is not only known for their temples, but antique shops too. You enter R Antiques by walking over the Enoshima Railway tracks, and makes the whole experience a bit more exciting. I also recommend Artique, is a really unique French‑Japanese style antique shop with some new local art and jewelry.
Ekiyoko Bake & Misaki Donuts
There are so many lovely cafes and bakeries to try when visiting Kamakura. Ekiyoko Bake specializes in homemade seasonal cakes and drink sets. Stop by Misaki Donuts for the softest & best flavored donuts like strawberry milk, or chocolate banana. Also, Betsubara Donuts is a local favorite and known for their classic plain donuts.
Kamakura Tea Club
Hidden off the main Komachi street, you can sip Japanese tea with the green tea experts at Kamakura Tea Club. Serving seasonal treats and an amazing selection of handmade teapots and tools, plus packaged tea to brew at home. For something a bit more casual, check out Chabakka Tea Parks nearby. It’s a Japanese tea bar with a giant green tea meanu, plus foamy iced teas on draft.
James & Co
This shop is full of high quality designed goods from gender neutral wardrobe staples, bath goods, and accessories. The best part about this shop? It’s part retail space, part design office - the clothes are designed on site so you can speak directly with the design team and they even offer free hemming on their pants too.
Evening
Breeze Bird Cafe & Bakery
Tucked away behind the tracks is this lovely hideaway. A perfect dinner, lunch or morning coffee spot. The portions are so generous, for Japan, and made so thoughtfully with seasonal & local ingredients. Some of the herbs & veggies are even grown on their patio.
かなや刷子 鎌倉若宮大路店
Kanaya Brush Shop is full of handmade brushes for both personal grooming and cleaning. There are so many materials to choose from, sizes, angled or straight, soft or tough. This shop will have the perfect brush for all of your projects and grooming needs.
Caraway Curry
Caraway is a local favorite and specializes in many different types of curry from pork, seafood, beef and veggie. Bonus points for the orangey-leather booth seating and other original retro details.
Dankazura Kosuzu
This is one of the best soba restaurants in the area, and well known for their warabimochi too.
Sabo Kirara
Sabo Kirara is a lovely little hideaway for traditional Japanese sweets and tea. The best way to end your Kamakura day trip.