Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By train
On the west side of Kamakura station are ticket
machines and platforms for the private Enoden line to
Hase and Enoshima (6am-11pm;
W
enoden.co.jp); tickets
to Hase cost ¥190, to Enoshima (25min) ¥250. If you plan
to hop on and off the Enoden line a lot and haven't got
any other form of discount ticket, it's worth investing in
the “One Day Free Ticket” (¥580), which entitles you to
unlimited travel on this line.
By bus
The only time a bus might come in handy is for
the more far-flung restaurants or the eastern sites. For the
eastern sites you'll need stand 4 for Kamakura-gū and
stand 5 for Sugimoto-dera (¥190 minimum fare). To make 3
or more journeys by bus, you'll save money by buying a
“Kamakura Free Kippu” (¥550), a day-pass available from the
JR ticket o
ce. The pass also covers JR trains from Kamakura
to Kita-Kamakura and Enoden line services as far as Hase.
By bike
There's a bike rental outfit (daily 8.30am-5pm;
T
0467 24 2319) outside the station's east exit; turn right
as you emerge and it's up the slope on the south side of
the square. Rates range from ¥500 for the first hour to
¥1500 per day weekdays; weekends and national holidays
- when you should try to get there early - cost an
additional ¥50 or ¥100 respectively. You'll need to show a
passport and give the name of your hotel.
ACCOMMODATION
Central Kamakura offers little budget accommodation, but a fair choice of mid-range hotels. Another option is to stay on
Enoshima and enjoy the island when the crowds have gone. During peak holiday periods, it can be hard to find a room.
have views onto the garden.
¥38,000
Kamakura Central Guesthouse
چݰಙ
2-22-1
Yuigahama
T
0467 22 4529.
The most conveniently
located hostel in town, just 10min on foot from Kamakura
station, and 3min from the beach - you don't even need to
don your flip-flops. The rooms are fine enough,
though
the
common areas can feel rather crowded. Dorms
¥3000
Kamakura Hase Youth Hostel
ח୩
Ϣʔεϗεςϧ
5-11 Sakanoshita
T
0467 24 3390,
W
www1.kamakuranet.ne.jp/hase_yh.
Small hostel
with bunk-bed dorms, a 3min walk from Hase station -
follow the tracks heading away from Kamakura. Check in
is 4-8pm, with a curfew of 10pm. They also serve b
reakfas
t
(¥300) and di
nner (¥
700). Dorms HI members
¥3000
,
non-members
¥4000
KAMAKURA
Hotel Kamakura Mori
ϗςϧח.PSJ
3F 1-5-21
Komachi
T
0467 22 5868.
A short walk up Wakamiya-ōji
from the station, the
Mori
offers clean, decent-sized twin or
triple rooms wi
th TV and
en-suite bathrooms, though rates
are expensive.
¥16,000
Hotel New Kamakura
ϗςϧχϡʔΧϚΫϥ
13-2
Onarimachi
T
0467 22 2230,
W
www.newkamakura
.com.
The best-value place to stay in Kamakura is this
welcoming hotel in an early twentieth-century, Western-
style building, a minute's walk north of Kamakura station
- take the west exit and follow the train tracks. Don't
be put off by the car park out front: inside the rooms are
light and
airy, with a choice of Western or Japanese style.
¥10,000
Kaihinsō
͔͍ͻΜ
4-8-14 Yuigahama
T
0467 22
0960,
W
kaihinso.jp.
Nestled by the beach, this guesthouse
is one for romantics: the surrounding area is peaceful, and
the interior furnishings elegant and beautiful. The building
went up in 1924 as a private residence; though added to
since, the Western-style section is now protected property.
You can stay in one of the two rooms here, or in tatami
rooms in the newer Japanese section; some of the latter
20
ENOSHIMA
Ebisuya
ܙൺण
1-4-16 Enoshima
T
0466 22 4105,
W
ebisuyaryokan.jp.
Good-value ryokan, with well-
maintained Western and tatami rooms, plus traditional
baths and excellent meals. It's just under the bronze
torii
and dow
n an alley on the left. Rate includes two meals.
¥13,650
per person
EATING AND DRINKING
Kamakura is famous for its beautifully presented
Buddhist vegetarian cuisine
, known as
shōjin ryōri
, though there's plenty
more casual dining on offer at local restaurants. For a picnic, Kinokuniya has a good
food hall
on the west side of Kamakura
station, or try Union Store on Wakamiya-ōji. In summer, funky wooden
bars
line the beaches from Kamakura to Enoshima.
your way along the Daibutsu Hiking Course (see p.232).
There are seats inside, but in warmer months everyone's
out on the steeply arrayed outdoor terraces. Coffees and
teas cost around ¥600, alcoholic drinks a little more.
Daily
10am-7pm.
Hachi-no-ki Honten
ുͷຊళ
7 Yamanouchi
T
0467 22 8719; also two other branches side by side,
opposite Tōkei-ji in Kita-Kamakura
T
0467 23-3722.
KAMAKURA
Bentendō
หఱಊ
1-7-6 Komachi
T
0467 25 3500.
At this wonderful teahouse in the grounds of Engaku-ji
temple (see p.228), you can enjoy a cup of
matcha
(¥600)
while admiring the view across the valley to Tōkei-ji (see
p.229).
Daily 11am-4pm.
Cafe Itsuki
थΨʔσϯ
On Daibutsu Hiking Course.
A fantastic place to get your breath back if you're panting
