Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Reservations are recommended for this famous
shōjin ryōri
restaurant beside the entrance to Kenchō-ji, though it's
easier to get a table at one of their newer Kita-Kamakura
branches. Whichever you opt for, prices start at around
¥3500.
Kenchō-ji branch Tues-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm,
Sat & Sun 11am-3pm; main Kita-Kamakura branch
daily except Wed 11am-2.30pm & 5-7pm.
Kōmyō-ji
ޫ໌ࣉ
6-1-19 Zaimokuza
T
0467 22 0603.
Enjoy the full
shōjin ryōri
experience in this temple set in
beautiful gardens on the coast in southern Kamakura.
Prices start at ¥4000 for a minimum of two people. Reser-
vations required at least a day in advance.
Open daily for
lunch only.
Kyorai-an
ڈᠽ҇
157 Yamanouchi
T
0467 24 9835.
Beef stew prepared in a demi-glacé sauce has a long
history in Japan, and
Kyorai-an
has one of the tastiest.
The restaurant itself is inside a traditional Showa-era
Japanese house. The set (¥2600) with toast or rice, salad
and coffee is good value.
Mon-Thurs 11am-3pm, Sat
& Sun 11am-5pm.
Milk Hall
ϛϧΫϗʔϧ
2-3-8 Komachi
T
0467 22 1179,
W
milkhall.co.jp.
Relaxed, jazz-playing coffee house-
cum-antique shop buried in the backstreets west of
Komachi-dōri. Best for a coffee and cake, or an evening
beer, rather than as a place to eat. Occasional live music.
Daily 11am-10.30pm.
Nakamura-an
ͳ͔ΉΒ҇
1-7-6 Komachi
T
0467 25
3500.
A homely restaurant that has them queuing up
outside at weekends for the handmade soba (¥700). To
find it, walk up Wakamiya-ōji and take the first left after
the Union Store.
Daily except Tues 11am-4.30pm.
Raitei
㥎
Takasago
T
0467 32 5656; bus #4 or #6
from stand 6 outside Kamakura station to the Takasago
stop (2-3 hourly; 20min; ¥230).
Atmospheric restaurant
in an old farmhouse set in gardens among the hills west
of Kamakura, with views to Fuji if you're lucky. Basic soba
set meals start at ¥700, or there's a choice of beautifully
presented bentō from ¥2600 up; the garden entry fee
(¥500) is discounted from your bill. Though a bit off the
beaten track, it's worth the effort.
Daily 11am-9.30pm.
ENOSHIMA
Bills
Shichirigahama
T
0467 33 1778,
W
bills-jp.net;
Shichirigahama station, on the Enoden line.
Celebrity
chef Bill Granger's first restaurant to open outside of his
native Australia, with a fantastic beachside location. You'll
want to go for the popular breakfasts, which are served
until 3pm on weekends.
Mon 8am-5pm, Tues-Thurs &
Sun 8am-10pm, Fri & Sat 8am-11pm.
Kinokuniya
لҏࠃ
1-3-16 Tasegaikan
T
0466 22
4247; Enoshima station.
Heading towards Enoshima
from the station, you'll pass this simple ryokan-cum-
restaurant on your right. It's highly popular with locals on
account of the cheap sets; try the
kin-me-dai
(a delicious
local red fish, served in soy) set, which goes for ¥1000,
including coffee.
Daily 11am-4pm.
Shonan Burger
ভೆόʔΨʔ
Enoshima
T
0466 29
0688.
Fun little burger bar, just over the Enoshima bridge
on the right. Their eponymous burger (¥400) is a real treat:
a fishcake patty served with ground radish, perilla leaf
and a miniature shoal of tiny sardines - look inside before
you bite.
Daily 11am-7pm.
20
Yokohama
ԣ
On its southern borders Tokyo merges with
YOKOHAMA
, Japan's second most populous
city (home to 3.6 million people) and a major international port. Yokohama feels far
more spacious and airy than the capital, thanks to its open harbour frontage and
generally low-rise skyline, and though it can't claim any outstanding sights, the place
has enough of interest to justify a day's outing from Tokyo.
Locals are proud of their city's international heritage, and there's definitely a
cosmopolitan flavour to the place, with its scattering of Western-style buildings,
Chinese temples and world cuisines, and its sizeable foreign community. The
upmarket suburb of
Yamate
(also known as “the Bluff”) is one of the city's
highlights, as are the vibrant alleys, colourful trinket shops and bustling restaurants
of nearby
Chinatown
. Near the seafront,
Kannai
boasts a few grand old Western
edifices, in complete contrast to the
Minato Mirai 21
development's hi-tech
skyscrapers in the distance.
Brief history
When Commodore Perry sailed his “Black Ships” into Tokyo Bay in 1853, Yokohama
was a mere fishing village of some eighty houses on the distant shore. But it was this
harbour, well out of harm's way as far as the Japanese were concerned, that the shogun
designated one of the five
treaty ports
open to foreign trade in 1858.
