The tour will begin at 08:00am outside of Shinjuku station where you will meet your tour guide. You will meet outside of Shinjuku stations SOUTH GATE. Once everybody has arrived you will officially start the tour and your tour guide will escort you to the first destination
We will board the train from Shinjuku departing for Fujisawa station. The journey will take approximately 60 minutes. From there we will hop on the iconic local train travelling to Kamakura station known as Enoden by the locals. This quaint train car makes you feel like youve stepped back in time to a retro era gone by and is an attraction in itself for the Kamakura area
Once we have arrived at Kamakura station we will begin walking to our first destination a beautiful temple tucked away from central Kamakura famed for its stunning bamboo forest statues and tea house. The walk will take approximately 30 minutes where you will walk along a river and pass by many traditional houses. At the temple your guide will tell you about the temples history and significance as well as the importance of tea culture and the tea ceremony in Japan. We will walk around the temple grounds and then you will experience a matcha and wasanbon traditional Japanese sweet experience in the Temple tea house overlooking the bamboo forest. Slowly sip your matcha and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere.
After the temple we will walk for 20 minutes back to central Kamakura and to our second destination a famous shrine in the heart of Kamakura. Famed for its large red Torii gate and beautiful bridges as you enter the shrine complex. Here we will spend 30 minutes learning about the Shrines history and feeding the resident Koi in the Shrines pond
Next we will take a short walk of 5 minutes to the main shopping and eating district of Kamakura Here your guide will give you an introduction to the area and recommend local foods to try This is also where you will have your lunch break so please enjoy your free time exploring trying street food and picking up the perfect souvenir of your day There is so much choice from sweet treats to savoury items to tempt you
After your lunch break we will take a walk to our fourth destination and probably the most famous in all of Kamakura A temple known for its great Buddha statue in the centre of the temple complex As part of the tour you will be able to enter the great Buddha and feel the amazing power and scale of the statue and see the giant Waraji sandals of the Buddha
It is now time to venture over to Enoshima island We will take a short walk of 5 minutes from the temple to Hase train station to get back on the Enoden train. The journey will take approximately 23 minutes to arrive in Enoshima However the views on this train journey are truly breathtaking. The train winds around the picturesque streets like a snake and alongside the sea where you can watch the ocean people surfing and locals enjoying the beach.
Once we have arrived in Enoshima we will walk along its beautiful stretch of coastline. Very popular with local people and tourists alike this stretch of coastline offers the best views of Enoshima island and on very fair weather days you can see Mount Fuji On Enoshima Island we will visit Enoshima Shrine and its Observatory to take in panoramic views of the Pacific ocean and Japanese coastline
After the relaxing walk along the sea and after enjoying the views at the top of Enoshima shrine and observatory we will walk back to Katase Enoshima station. Depending on the time of year we may catch the sunset as we leave Enoshima island We will then get a train back to Fujisawa station and board our train back to Shinjuku So sit back relax and enjoy the return journey.
Inlcusions:
Enoshima Kamakura Freepass to cover all your transport for the tour
Bamboo Temple admission fee and tea and sweet experience
Japanese Koi feeding fee
Great Buddha temple admission fee and entrance fee to go inside of the Great Buddha
Enoshima island escalators and observatory admission fees
Local English speaking guide