• Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine - This shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the guardian deity of the Minamoto clan and samurai in general. It enshrines the deified spirits of the ancient Emperor Ojin, identified with Hachiman, along with Hime-gami and Empress Jingu.

• Kotoku-in (Great Buddha of Kamakura) - The Great Buddha of Kamakura (鎌倉大仏, Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha located at Kotokuin Temple. Standing at 11.4 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, only surpassed by the one in Nara’s Todaiji Temple and some newer statues.

• Hase-dera Temple - Hasedera (長谷寺) is a Jodo sect temple renowned for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The 9.18-meter tall, gilded wooden statue is one of Japan’s largest wooden sculptures and is housed in the temple’s main building, the Kannon-do Hall.

• Hokokuji Temple (Takedera Temple) - Hokokuji Temple is famed for its beautiful, small bamboo grove behind the main hall, featuring over 2000 dark green bamboo stalks. Narrow paths lead through the bamboo to a tea house where, for a small fee, visitors can enjoy matcha tea while viewing the grove. Behind the temple are shallow caves believed to hold the ashes of some later Ashikaga lords.

• Kamakura Hiking Trails - Kamakura is bordered by the ocean to the south and wooded hills in other directions. Scenic hiking trails through these woods connect various atmospheric temples and are a great way to explore Kamakura’s sights. Most trails take between 30 to 90 minutes to complete, offering a mix of nature and cultural experiences.

• Enoshima Island - A short train ride west of Kamakura, Enoshima (江の島) is a tourist-friendly island connected to the mainland by a bridge. The island features a shrine, park, observation tower, and caves, with views of Mount Fuji on clear days.

Enoshima is divided into a yacht harbor accessible by motorized traffic and a forested hill, which can only be explored on foot (and paid escalators) and contains most attractions. Several shrine buildings, collectively known as Enoshima Shrine, are dedicated to Benten, the goddess of good fortune, wealth, music, and knowledge. Benten is believed to have created Enoshima and subdued a five-headed dragon that terrorized the area.

• Engaku-ji Temple - Engakuji (円覚寺) is a leading Zen temple in Eastern Japan and the second of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples. Founded by regent Hojo Tokimune in 1282, a year after repelling the second Mongol invasion, the temple honors fallen Japanese and Mongolian soldiers.

Engakuji is built into the slopes of Kita-Kamakura’s forested hills. The first main structure is the Sanmon main gate from 1783, followed by the Butsuden main hall, which houses a wooden statue of Shaka Buddha. The Butsuden was rebuilt in 1964 after the previous building was lost in an earthquake.

• Kencho-ji Temple - Kenchoji (建長寺, Kenchōji) is the foremost of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples and the oldest Zen temple in Kamakura. Founded by regent Hojo Tokiyori in 1253 during the Kencho Era, its first head priest was Rankei Doryu, a Zen priest from China.

Though smaller than in its prime, Kenchoji still has many buildings and subtemples, stretching from the entrance gate at the valley’s bottom far into the forested hills. After passing the Sanmon main gate, visitors will see Kenchoji’s temple bell (Bonsho), a national treasure, on their right.

• Zeniarai Benten Shrine - Zeniarai Benten Shrine (銭洗弁天) is a popular shrine in western Kamakura where people wash their money (zeniarai means “coin washing”). It is said that money washed in the shrine’s spring will double.

Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura government, ordered the shrine’s construction after a god appeared in his dream, recommending the shrine to bring peace to the country. The dream occurred on the day, month, and year of the snake, leading to the shrine’s dedication to Benten, a Buddhist goddess associated with snakes.

• Meigetsuin (Hydrangea Temple) - Meigetsuin Temple (明月院) is a Rinzai Zen Sect temple founded in 1160 in Kamakura. Known as Ajisaidera (“Hydrangea Temple”), it features abundant hydrangea blooms during the rainy season in June, with 95% being the Hime Ajisai (“Princess Hydrangea”) variety, named for their pretty blue colors.

Originally a repose built by a son in memory of his father who died in the Taira and Minamoto clans’ power struggle in the late Heian Period, it later became part of the larger Zenkoji temple complex, which was abolished during anti-Buddhist movements after the Meiji Restoration, leaving only Meigetsuin as an individual temple.

• Ankokuronji Temple - Ankokuronji (安国論寺) is one of several Nichiren sect temples in the southeastern hills of Kamakura. Founded by Nichiren around 1253, he is said to have lived there for several years.

Visitors can walk a short hiking trail through the wooded hills around the temple buildings, enjoying a nice view of Kamakura. Some trail passages are steep and should be explored with good walking shoes and in dry weather.

• Jomyo-ji Temple - Jomyoji Temple (浄妙寺, Jōmyōji) is a Zen temple in eastern Kamakura’s hills. Ranked fifth among Kamakura’s five great Zen temples, it was founded by the influential Ashikaga family and once had seven buildings and several pagodas. Many structures were destroyed by fire over the centuries, leaving only the historic main hall, reception hall, main gate, and warehouse.

The main hall, at the end of a garden, houses a statue of Shaka Nyorai, the historical Buddha. Jomyoji Temple also has a restored teahouse where visitors can enjoy tea for a small fee while viewing a dry garden. The hillside behind the main hall has a spacious cemetery and a path leading to a small western-style restaurant operated by the temple, offering good views over Kamakura from its patio.

• Zuisenji - Zuisenji (瑞泉寺) is a beautiful Zen temple in eastern Kamakura, nestled in a narrow valley and surrounded by wooded hills. It is a branch temple of Engakuji Temple.

Founded by Muso Kokushi, a leading Zen master and famous garden designer, Zuisenji is known for its pure Zen rock garden behind the main hall, designed by Muso. The temple also attracts visitors with its many flowers and blooming trees, including numerous plum trees.

• Myohonji Temple - Myohonji (妙本寺, Myōhonji) is one of several Nichiren sect temples in Kamakura’s southeastern hills. Founded by Hiki Yoshimoto in 1260, it features a statue of Nichiren to the left of the main hall.

The temple is connected via the Gionyama hiking trail to nearby temples and a shrine, leading through Kamakura’s wooded hills. The trail should be explored with good walking shoes and in dry weather due to some steep and rough passages.

• Jochiji Temple - Jochiji (浄智寺, Jōchiji) is the fourth of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples and a branch temple of the Engakuji school of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Its head temple, Engakuji, is just a few hundred meters away across the railway tracks.

Founded in 1283 by the ruling Hojo family after the premature death of a son, Jochiji was once a large complex with many buildings and subtemples. Now small and calm, its main hall, the Dongeden, displays a Buddhist trinity of the Amida Buddha, Shaka Buddha, and Miroku Buddha.

• Tokeiji Temple - Tokeiji (東慶寺, Tōkeiji) is a small branch temple of the Engakuji school within the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Its head temple, Engakuji, is just a few hundred meters away across the railway tracks.

Founded in 1285 by the wife of regent Hojo Tokimune after his early death, Tokeiji served as a shelter for abused women seeking divorce until the end of the Edo Period. An official divorce could be obtained by staying at the temple for three years.

• Jufukuji Temple - Jufukuji Temple (寿福寺) is the third of Kamakura’s five great Zen temples and a branch temple of the Rinzai sect’s Kenchoji school.

Established by Minamoto Yoritomo’s wife Masako after his death, its founding priest was Eisai, who introduced Zen Buddhism to Japan. Besides the often-photographed pathway leading to the temple, Jufukuji is not open to the public.

• Sankeien Gardens - Sankeien (三溪園) is a spacious Japanese-style garden in southern Yokohama, showcasing historic buildings from across Japan. The garden features a pond, small rivers, flowers, and scenic trails, evoking Kyoto rather than Yokohama.

Built by Hara Sankei and opened to the public in 1904, the garden includes a daimyo (feudal lord) residence, several tea houses, and the main hall and three-storied pagoda of Kyoto’s old Tomyoji Temple.

• Yokohama Minato Mirai 21 - Minato Mirai 21 (みなとみらい 21) is a seaside urban area in central Yokohama, meaning “harbor of the future.” It features many high-rises, including the Landmark Tower, Japan’s tallest building from 1993 to 2014. The area was a large shipyard until the 1980s when it was redeveloped into a new city center.

Minato Mirai boasts a prime waterfront location and numerous attractions, including shopping centers, hotels, a convention center, an amusement park, a relaxation center with hot spring baths, museums, and parks.

• Yokohama Chinatown - Yokohama Chinatown (横浜中華街, Yokohama Chūkagai) is Japan’s largest Chinatown, located in central Yokohama. The narrow, colorful streets are filled with Chinese stores and restaurants, and various events and festivals, such as Chinese New Year in early February, are held here.

Yokohama Chinatown developed quickly after Yokohama’s port was one of the first to open to foreign trade in 1859, becoming home to many Chinese traders. Today, the area has more businesses than residents.

Four colorful gates mark Chinatown’s entrances, with five more within. The Kanteibyo, a brightly colored temple in the center, was built in 1873 by Chinese residents and is dedicated to the Chinese god of good business and prosperity.

• Yokohama Zoo ‘’Zoorasia’’ - Zoorasia (ズーラシア) is one of Japan’s newest, largest, and best-kept zoos, established in 1999 with themes of “Symbiosis of Life” and “Harmony with Nature.” Animals are kept in spacious areas mimicking their natural habitats, a rarity in Japanese zoos.

Zoorasia’s animal exhibits are spread across eight ecological areas: Asian Tropical Forest, Subarctic Forest, Oceanian Grassland, Central Asian Highland, Japanese Countryside, Amazon Jungle, African Tropical Rainforest, and African Savannah. Highlights include elephants, polar bears, black bears, okapi, and proboscis monkeys. The zoo also has restaurants, cafes, nature trails, and recreation areas for kids.

• Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama - The Cup Noodles Museum (also known as the Andō Momofuku Hatsumei Kinenkan) is an interactive museum in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai District, showcasing the history of instant ramen noodles through whimsical exhibits and hands-on workshops. Opened by Nissin Food company, whose founder invented instant ramen in 1958, it is the second cup noodles museum in Japan.

The museum features a short film on the history of instant noodles, a replica of the shed where they were invented, and a visual timeline of instant noodle products worldwide. Modern art pieces representing Nissin’s innovative approach, including cup noodles and space ramen for astronauts, are also on display.

• Motomachi Park - During the Edo Period (1603-1867), Japan’s rulers prohibited almost all foreign interactions. When isolation ended in the 1850s, Yokohama was one of the few port towns where foreign traders could reside. While the Chinese created Chinatown, Westerners settled in the Yamate area, also known as “The Bluff.”

The Yamate area (山手) retains sites related to its history as Yokohama’s main Western residential district. Few predate 1923 due to the Great Kanto Earthquake. Today, Yamate is a hilly residential area with pleasant parks. International schools and churches indicate the continued presence of Western residents.

• Yamate 234ban Residence - During the Edo Period (1603-1867), Japan’s rulers prohibited almost all foreign interactions. When isolation ended in the 1850s, Yokohama was one of the few port towns where foreign traders could reside. While the Chinese created Chinatown, Westerners settled in the Yamate area, also known as “The Bluff.”

The Yamate area (山手) retains sites related to its history as Yokohama’s main Western residential district. Few predate 1923 due to the Great Kanto Earthquake. Today, Yamate is a hilly residential area with pleasant parks. International schools and churches indicate the continued presence of Western residents.

• Shinyokohama Ramen Museum - The Shinyokohama Raumen Museum (新横浜ラーメン博物館, Shin Yokohama Ra-men Hakubutsukan) is a unique museum dedicated to ramen, a popular Japanese noodle dish originally from China.

The first-floor gallery presents the history of ramen in Japan, including the success of instant ramen, displaying the variety of noodles, soups, toppings, and bowls used across Japan, and showing how noodles are made.

The two basement floors feature a 1:1 replica of Shitamachi, Tokyo’s old town, circa 1958, when ramen’s popularity was rising. Nine ramen restaurants offer dishes from different Japanese regions.

• Yamashita Park - Yamashita Park (山下公園, Yamashita Kōen) is a public park stretching about 750 meters along Yokohama’s waterfront. About 100 meters wide, it consists mostly of open green space and was built after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.

A massive ocean liner, the Hikawa Maru, is docked beside the promenade. First put into service in 1930 on the Yokohama-Vancouver/Seattle line, it had first-class cabins attracting the imperial family and Charlie Chaplin. Retired in 1960, it now serves as a museum with displays and 1930s-style interiors.

• Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal - The Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal (大さん橋国際客船ターミナル, Ōsanbashi Kokusai Kyakusen Terminal), or Osanbashi Pier, is between Minato Mirai and Yamashita Park. It is where international cruise ships dock in Yokohama. The 400-meter pier has walkways and green spaces open to the public, making it an interesting attraction even for those not boarding a ship.

Originally built in 1894, the pier was reconstructed in 2002 as a passenger terminal with a bold design incorporating grass and floorboards mimicking rolling waves. It is one of Yokohama’s best spots for a walk and unobstructed views of the Minato Mirai skyline. Below the walking area are boarding facilities, shops, restaurants, and a hall for small exhibitions and events.

• Private transportation
• In-vehicle air conditioning
• Highway Fee
• Surcharges on fuel
• Licensed Local Guide
• Parking fees

• Other personal expenses
• Lunch
• Food and Drink
• Entrance fees