Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Yokohama/Kamakura
Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from 'What to expect' list
Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
Private transportation
You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.
Overview
Enjoy an efficient, one-day walking tour of Yokohama or Kamakura accompanied by a government-licensed and experienced English-speaking guide!
For options to experience both modern and traditional sides of Japan outside of Tokyo, the cities of Yokohama and Kamakura are great. Let us know which city you would like to experience and we will customize a six-hour tour that's best for you!
Note*1: You cannot visit all the sites on the itinerary. You will be able to visit about 3 sites, with a maximum of 4, in the time provided.
Note*2: The National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.
This private tour is a walking day tour. A private vehicle is not included. Public transportation or local taxis maybe used to transfer between sites. Exact transportation costs can be discussed with the guide after a reservation is finalized. Please have Japanese Yen on hand for your transportation costs. If ...
you wish to arrange for a private vehicle, please contact us directly. All Private vehicles must be booked 5 days in advance. Maximum number of passengers: 7. Read more ā¼
Itinerary
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family and of the samurai in general. The deified spirits of the ancient Emperor Ojin who has been identified with Hachiman, Hime-gami and Empress Jingu are enshrined at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.
1 minute
Kotoku-in (Great Buddha of Kamakura)
The Great Buddha of Kamakura (éå大ä», Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 11.4 meters, it has long been the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, surpassed only by the statue in Nara's Todaiji Temple and some recent creations.
3 minutes
Hase-dera Temple
Hasedera (é·č°·åÆŗ) is a temple of the Jodo sect, famous for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The 9.18 meter tall, gilded wooden statue is regarded as one of the largest wooden sculpture in Japan and can be viewed in the temple's main building, the Kannon-do Hall
3 minutes
Hokokuji Temple (Takedera Temple)
Hokokuji Temple is best known for the beautiful, small bamboo grove found behind the temple's main hall, which lies thick with over 2000 dark green bamboo stalks. A few narrow pathways lead through the bamboo to a tea house where, for a small fee, you can sit and enjoy a cup of matcha tea while enjoying views into the bamboo grove. Also located behind the temple are a series of shallow caves carved into the hillsides, which are believed to hold the ashes of some of the later Ashikaga lords.
3 minutes
Enoshima Island
Only a short train ride west of Kamakura, Enoshima (ę±ć®å³¶) is a pleasantly touristy island just off the coast but connected by bridge with the mainland. The island offers a variety of attractions, including a shrine, park, observation tower and caves. Views of Mount Fuji can be enjoyed on days with good visibility.
Enoshima is divided into a yacht harbor accessible to motorized traffic and a forested hill which can only be explored on foot (and paid escalators) and contains most of the sights. Several shrine buildings, collectively known as Enoshima Shrine, are found around the island and are dedicated to Benten, a popular goddess of good fortune, wealth, music and knowledge. Benten is believed to have created Enoshima before subduing a five headed dragon that had been terrorizing the area.
3 minutes
Engaku-ji Temple
ngakuji (åč¦åÆŗ) is one of the leading Zen temples in Eastern Japan and the number two of Kamakura's five great Zen temples. Engakuji was founded by the ruling regent Hojo Tokimune in the year 1282, one year after the second invasion attempt by the Mongols had been reverted. One purpose of the new temple was to pay respect to the fallen Japanese and Mongolian soldiers.
Engakuji is built into the slopes of Kita-Kamakura's forested hills. The first main structure encountered upon entering the temple grounds is the Sanmon main gate, which dates from 1783. Behind it stands the temple's main hall, the Butsuden, which displays a wooden statue of the Shaka Buddha. The Butsuden was rebuilt relatively recently in 1964 after the former building was lost in an earthquake.
30 minutes
Kencho-ji Temple
Kenchoji (å»ŗé·åÆŗ, KenchÅji) is the number one of Kamakura's five great Zen temples. The oldest Zen temple in Kamakura, Kenchoji was founded by the ruling regent Hojo Tokiyori in 1253 during the Kencho Era after which it was named. Its first head priest was Rankei Doryu, a Zen priest from China.
Although considerably smaller than during its heydays, Kenchoji still consists of a large number of temple buildings and subtemples, and stretches from the entrance gate at the bottom of the valley far into the forested hills behind. After passing through the Sanmon main gate, visitors will see Kenchoji's temple bell (Bonsho), designated a national treasure, on their right.
Meigetsuin Temple (ęęé¢) is a temple of the Rinzai Zen Sect founded in 1160 in Kamakura. It is also known as Ajisaidera ("Hydrangea Temple") because hydrangea bloom in abundance on the temple grounds during the rainy season around June. 95% of the hydrangea here are of the Hime Ajisai ("Princess Hydrangea") variety; they are thus named because of their pretty blue colors.
The temple was originally a repose built by a son in memory of his father who had died in the struggle for power between the Taira and Minamoto clans in the late Heian Period. It later became part of a larger temple complex called Zenkoji, which was abolished during anti-Buddhist movements soon after the Meiji Restoration, leaving only Meigetsuin to remain as an individual temple today.
3 minutes
Ankokuronji Temple
Ankokuronji (å®å½č«åÆŗ) is one of several temples of the Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism along the hills in the southeast of Kamakura. Nichiren himself founded Ankokuronji around 1253 when he first came to Kamakura, and he is said to have lived at the temple for several years.
Visitors can walk along a short hiking trail through the wooded hills around the temple buildings. A nice view of the city of Kamakura can be enjoyed underway. Some of the trail's passages are quite steep and should only be explored with good walking shoes and during dry weather.
3 minutes
Jomyo-ji Temple
Jomyoji Temple (ęµå¦åÆŗ, JÅmyÅji) is a Zen temple in the hills of eastern Kamakura. Ranked fifth among the five great Zen temples of Kamakura, Jomyoji was founded by the influential Ashikaga family and at its peak was made up of seven buildings and several pagodas. Over the centuries, however, many of the structures were destroyed by fire, and only its historic main hall, reception hall, main gate and warehouse remain today. The main hall sits at the end of a garden and houses a statue of Shaka Nyorai, the historical Buddha.
Jomyoji Temple also has a restored teahouse where visitors can sit and enjoy a cup of tea for a small fee while enjoying the view of a nice dry garden. On the hillside behind the main hall is the temple's spacious cemetery, while a path leads up the hill to a small western-style restaurant. The restaurant is operated by the temple and offers good views out over Kamakura from its patio.
3 minutes
Zuisenji
Zuisenji (ēę³åÆŗ) is a beautiful Zen temple in the far east of Kamakura, in the back of a narrow valley and surrounded by wooded hills. It is a branch temple of the Engakuji Temple.
Zuisenji was founded by Muso Kokushi, a leading Zen master of his time and one of Japan's most famous garden designers. The temple is known for its pure Zen rock garden behind the temple's main hall, designed by Muso himself. The temple furthermore attracts with its many flowers and blooming trees in the other parts of the temple grounds, including a large number of plum trees.
3 minutes
Myohonji Temple
Myohonji (å¦ę¬åÆŗ, MyÅhonji) is one of several temples of the Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism along the southeastern hills of Kamakura. The temple was founded by Hiki Yoshimoto in 1260, and features a statue of Nichiren to the left of the main hall.
The temple is connected via the Gionyama hiking trail with some other nearby temples and a shrine. It leads through the wooded hills of Kamakura, and should be explored only with good walking shoes and during dry weather, because there are a few steep and rough passages.
3 minutes
Jochiji Temple
Jochiji (ęµęŗåÆŗ, JÅchiji) is the number four of Kamakura's five great Zen temples. It is a branch temple of the Engakuji school of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Its head temple, the Engakuji Temple, stands just a few hundred meters away on the opposite side of the railway tracks.
Jochiji was founded in 1283 by members of the ruling Hojo family on the occasion of the premature death of a son. Once a large temple complex with many buildings and subtemples, Jochiji is now small and calm. In its main hall, the Dongeden, the temple's main object of worship, a Buddhist trinity of the Amida Buddha, Shaka Buddha and Miroku Buddha, is displayed.
3 minutes
Tokeiji Temple
Tokeiji (ę±ę ¶åÆŗ, TÅkeiji) is a small branch temple of the Engakuji school within the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Its head temple, the Engakuji Temple, stands just a few hundred meters away on the opposite side of the railway tracks.
Tokeiji was founded by the wife of the regent Hojo Tokimune in 1285 after Tokimune had died at a young age. Until the end of the Edo Period, the temple served as a shelter for women who suffered abuse by their husbands and sought a divorce. An official divorce could be attained by staying at the temple for three years.
3 minutes
Jufukuji Temple
Jufukuji Temple (åÆæē¦åÆŗ) is the number three of Kamakura's five great Zen temples. It is a branch temple of the Rinzai sect's Kenchoji school.
Jufukuji was established by the order of Minamoto Yoritomo's wife Masako after her husband had passed away. Its founding priest was none other than Eisai, the man responsible for introducing Zen Buddhism into Japan. Besides the often photographed pathway that leads towards the temple, Jufukuji is not open to the public.
3 minutes
Sankeien Gardens
Sankeien (äøęŗŖå) is a spacious Japanese style garden in southern Yokohama which exhibits a number of historic buildings from across Japan. There is a pond, small rivers, flowers and wonderful scrolling trails that make you think you are in Kyoto rather than Yokohama.
The garden was built by Hara Sankei and opened to the public in 1904. Among the historic buildings exhibited in the park are an elegant daimyo (feudal lord) residence, several tea houses and the main hall and three storied pagoda of Kyoto's old Tomyoji Temple.
3 minutes
Yokohama Minato Mirai 21
Minato Mirai 21 (ćæćŖćØćæćć 21) is a seaside urban area in central Yokohama whose name means "harbor of the future". It has many large high-rises, including the Landmark Tower, which was Japan's tallest building from 1993 until 2014. The area was a large shipyard until the 1980s, when development began to turn it into a new city center.
Minato Mirai is blessed with a great location along the water and has a wealth of attractions. Visitors to the area will be able to find shopping centers, hotels, a convention center, an amusement park, a relaxation center with hot spring baths, museums and park space.
3 minutes
Yokohama Chinatown
Yokohama Chinatown (ęØŖęµäøčÆč”, Yokohama ChÅ«kagai) is Japan's largest Chinatown, located in central Yokohama. A large number of Chinese stores and restaurants can be found in the narrow and colorful streets of Chinatown. Various events and festivals such as Chinese New Year around the beginning of February are also held at Chinatown.
Yokohama Chinatown quickly developed, after the port of Yokohama had been one of the first Japanese ports to be opened to foreign trade in 1859. It became the residence of the many Chinese traders who settled down in the city. Today, there are more businesses than actual residents living in the area.
Four colorful gates stand at the entrances to Chinatown, and five more gates can be found within. The Kanteibyo is a gaudily colored temple in the center of Chinatown. Constructed in 1873 by Chinese residents, it is dedicated to the Chinese god of good business and prosperity.
3 minutes
Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama
The Cup Noodles Museum (also known as the å®č¤ē¾ē¦ēŗęčØåæµé¤Ø, AndÅ Momofuku Hatsumei Kinenkan) is a fun and interactive museum in Yokohama's Minato Mirai District that shows the history of instant ramen noodles using a combination of whimsical exhibits and hands on workshops. It was opened by the Nissin Food company, whose founder invented instant ramen noodles in 1958 as a fast and convenient food. It is the second cup noodles museum to open in Japan; the first is the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum in Osaka.
Tickets can only be purchased on the day. You must line up before 10am at the museum to purchase tickets.
3 minutes
Motomachi Park
For most of the 250 years of the Edo Period (1603-1867), the rulers of Japan prohibited almost all interactions with foreign countries. When the period of isolation finally ended in the 1850s, Yokohama was one of only a few port towns where foreign traders, looking to profit from the newly opened country, were permitted to reside. While the Chinese made themselves a Chinatown, Westerners took up in the hills of the Yamate area, which was also called "The Bluff".
The Yamate area (å±±ę) retains a number of sites relating to its history as the main residential district of Westerners in Yokohama. However, because of the Great Kanto Earthquake, few of them predate 1923. Present day Yamate is still for the most part a hilly residential area with some pleasant parks. As visitors travel between Yamate's sightseeing spots, they will see by the international schools and churches that the presence of Western residents continues to this day.
30 minutes
Yamate 234ban Residence
For most of the 250 years of the Edo Period (1603-1867), the rulers of Japan prohibited almost all interactions with foreign countries. When the period of isolation finally ended in the 1850s, Yokohama was one of only a few port towns where foreign traders, looking to profit from the newly opened country, were permitted to reside. While the Chinese made themselves a Chinatown, Westerners took up in the hills of the Yamate area, which was also called "The Bluff".
The Yamate area (å±±ę) retains a number of sites relating to its history as the main residential district of Westerners in Yokohama. However, because of the Great Kanto Earthquake, few of them predate 1923. Present day Yamate is still for the most part a hilly residential area with some pleasant parks. As visitors travel between Yamate's sightseeing spots, they will see by the international schools and churches that the presence of Western residents continues to this day.
Yamashita Park (å±±äøå ¬å, Yamashita KÅen) is a public park that stretches about 750 meters along Yokohama's waterfront. The park is about a hundred meters wide, and consists mostly of open green space. It was constructed after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
Strolling through Yamashita Park, it is hard to miss the massive ocean liner in the water beside the promenade. The ship is called the Hikawa Maru, and was first put into service in 1930 along the Yokohama-Vancouver/Seattle line. The ship had first-class cabins that attracted the likes of the imperial family and Charlie Chaplin for the transpacific journey. In 1960, after 30 years at sea, the ship was retired. It now serves as a museum, with informative displays and interiors in the style of the 1930s.
30 minutes
Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
5 stars
14
4 stars
1
3 stars
0
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0
1 star
1
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We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her
Reviews by TravelOne travelers
Showing 1-5 of 14 reviews with 5 stars
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Kiyo and Kamakura
Published on Oct, 2024
Kiyo San was an excellent guide who lives in the Kamakura area and knows it very well. She kept our walking interesting by providing comments along the way regarding what we were seeing and passing. She has a very good knowledge of local and Japanese history to help understand how events impacted the Kamakura area. It was a busy, fun day and the time flew by!
Great 6 hour tour of Kamakura!
Published on May, 2024
Kappa was a wonderful guide! We had a great time touring Kamakura, learning about Japanese history and Kamakuraās history. We highly recommend this tour!
Good way to see a lot of Tokyo in 1 day
Published on Apr, 2024
Kenzo did a great job before and during our tour. He helped us plan an itinerary that worked for us. He was knowledgeable of all of the places and navigated the public transportation superbly. (We probably boarded 15-20 subways or trains.)
A delightful introduction to Tokyo
Published on Apr, 2024
The day flew by, one wonderful experience after another! Kenzo Ito was so well informed and shared historical and cultural facts galore. I fully felt his enthusiasm and it reaffirmed my personal observations of the beauty, grace and timeless serenity of our surroundings amidst moments of the hustle and bustle of life today. A great juxtaposition!
Great escape from Tokyo for a day
Published on Nov, 2023
Yoshi took us to see the wonderful temples in Kamakura, which were magnificent, before showing us Yokohama's distinctly terrific Chinatown. We had a great time, and he was extremely knowledgeable about each of the places we visited. Anyone looking to get out of Tokyo for a fun day trip should take this tour!
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