Located around 51km south of Tokyo Kamakura is the perfect day trip from the capital. Once a small village remarkable Kamakura has no fewer than 65 Buddhist temples and 19 Shinto shrines spread throughout the town and surrounding hills. Most are centuries old and several date back to 1192 when a warrior called Yoritomo Minamoto seized power to establish his shogunate in Kamakura, selecting the location as it was easy to defend, enclosed as it is on all 4 sides by wooded hills and on the fourth by the sea.

The dramatic setting of Kamakura was to embrace the government for a 150 years and its history is one of assassination until in 1333 the emperor in Kyoto defeated the Kamaura shogunate.

Today the seaside resort town has old wooden homes, its temples, shrines and wooded hills. See the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Zeniarai-Benten Shrine, Hachimangu Shrine, Kotokuin Temple and of course the Great Buddha statue.