Kamakura
Kamakura is an ancient capital in southeastern Kanagawa Prefecture (population ~170,000), where Minamoto no Yoritomo founded Japan's first samurai government — the Kamakura Shogunate — in 1185. It served as the political center for about 150 years until 1333. The city contains over 100 temples and shrines, most famously the Great Buddha at Kotoku-in (cast 1252, 11.4 m tall, a National Treasure), Hasedera (hydrangeas and autumn colors), Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (the Minamoto clan's tutelary shrine), and Hokoku-ji (the «Bamboo Temple»). With the Enoden train running along the coast and views of Enoshima and Mt. Fuji from Yuigahama and Shichirigahama, Kamakura ranks among Kanto's finest one-day photographic destinations combining history and the sea.
Highlights
- Great Buddha at Kotoku-in — cast in 1252, an 11.4 m, 121-tonne bronze Amida Buddha; a National Treasure, with interior viewing available
- Hasedera — June hydrangeas (40 varieties, 2,500 plants), November illuminated maples, with sweeping views of Sagami Bay from the lookout
- Tsurugaoka Hachimangu — founded 1063; the Dankazura cherry-tree avenue, the Maiden stage, the great gingko (fell 2010, regrowing), and the lotus-filled Genji Pond
- Enoden Kamakurakokomae crossing — the «Slam Dunk» opening-credits landmark, with the level crossing in front of Enoshima across the sea
- Hokokuji — the «Bamboo Temple,» with a grove of 2,000 moso bamboo; sip matcha while photographing the silence
