Kamakura Highlights with a Local: Samurai Shrine & Japan's First Zen Temple
The tour lasts 2 hours
Available in English
Description
Kamakura was Japan's capital 800 years ago — the birthplace of samurai rule — and it's just under an hour from Tokyo. On this relaxed 2-hour morning walk, a local shows you two of its greatest sites and the stories behind them, in English.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu: the grand shrine at the heart of the old samurai government. We'll walk the ceremonial approach a shogun built for his newborn son, and I'll teach you how to do it like a local — purify your hands, bow and clap to wake the god, draw an omikuji fortune, and hang an ema wish. (In summer, a wall of wind chimes carries your wish on the breeze.)
Kencho-ji: Japan's very first Zen training monastery, founded in 1253 — the great gate, a dragon painted across the Dharma-hall ceiling whose eyes follow you, and the birthplace of a famous soup invented here by accident 750 years ago. If there's time, we finish at the teahouse by the gate where you can taste that exact recipe.
I'm a Kanagawa local who lived in France and works as a nurse and midwife — expect cultural translation and a few bad jokes, not a lecture.
This is a tip-based free tour. Kencho-ji admission ¥500; the shrine is free.
Cette visite se déroule en anglais, mais je parle aussi un français courant du quotidien — n'hésitez pas à me dire bonjour !
Kamakura Highlights with a Local: Samurai Shrine & Japan's First Zen Temple
Other cities after visiting Kamakura
How does a free tour work?
1
Choose and book
Select a tour, date and time. Booking is free.
2
Enjoy the tour
Go to the meeting point and live the experience with your guide.
3
Pay what you want
At the end, you decide how much to pay based on your satisfaction.
Free cancellation and booking
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