Arrived at Kamakura and perplexed with the directions? Fumbling to find the right page in the guidebook? In Japan, the language can be a little overwhelming. Whenever I arrive at a new place in Japan, I’m always desperately looking through my phone in pursuit of exploration. There are many attractions in this beach area which attracts tourists from all over the world. One of my favorite activities in Kamakura is to grab a bottle of beer, sit by the beach and gaze at the sun set somewhere in the horizon. During summers there are many small restaurants that are temporarily constructed by the local people where you can relax and enjoy seafood.
Kamakura beach area
Fresh seafood at a small outdoor stall in Kamakura
Here’s a list of a few things you can do at Kamakura:
Bicycles for rent:
Renting a bicycle is one of the best ways to see the entire beach area of Kamakura. There are many bicycle rental shops in Kamakura that rent out all categories of bicycle, including electric bicycles and bicycles with transmission gears. For more information, look at this article on Kamakura bicycle rental. Given below is a rough fare estimate of the bicycles rented in Kamakura:
Fare estimation for bicycle renting in Kamakura
For more information on renting a bicycle in Kamakura, please check out my other article.
An ‘Enoden’ ride:
Enoshima Electric railway, more commonly known as Enoden railways in Japan, is a very popular tourist attraction in Kamakura. It connects the Kamakura station to the Fujisawa Station. It takes about 20 minutes to reach Fujisawa station using Enoden. A ticket for the entire day costs 600 yen. There are cheaper tickets as well. After exiting the Kamakura station , there is a bicycle rental shop that is managed by Japan Railways. This shop gives out Enoden tickets along with bicycles at special rates. Please refer to the chart above. I would recommend taking Enoden during the afternoon as it will be less crowded during that time, as you can enjoy the view of the sunset.
A zoomed view of the sea and a beach from Enoden
Renting a SUP board and wind surfing – Paddle your way across the beach line:
Renting a SUP board in Kamakura is very easy. There are many shops available that rent out SUP boards. A SUP board is a kind of board that’s a little bigger than the usual surfing boards. These boards come with a paddle so that you can paddle your way throughout the coast line. The surf/SUP rental shops usually come with all the additional equipment required for surfing. Some rental shops also require prior reservations. A very famous surf board rental outlet in Kamakura is Hi-Surf. This shop also rents out board and equipment for wind surfing. To make reservations for wind surfing or SUP boards in Kamakura, you can use this link. The information is in Japanese but I used google automatic translator to convert it to English.
Wind surfing in Kamakura
Kamakura Access:
Take the Yokosuka line from JR Tokyo station towards Zushi or Kurihama and disembark at Kamakura, for 920 Yen.
