Around 1300 years ago, two sculptors carved two Kannon statues out of a sacred tree. One of them was enshrined here at Hasedera in Kamakura. It is commonly called “Eleven-headed Kannon” since it has eleven heads on top of its own head. It measures 9.18 meters tall and this makes it one of the largest wooden Buddhist statues in Japan.
Hesedera temple resides on a mountain called “Kannon-zan”. The ground holds a large variety of flowers which bloom throughout the year welcoming visitors. Additionally, the scenic view from the observation platform on the upper ground is recognized as one of the most picturesque spots in Kamakura.

Partial Summary Credit: Hasedera Website

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Address: 3 Chome-11-2 Hase, Kamakura, Kanagawa 248-0016

Hours: 8am - 5pm

Website: https://www.hasedera.jp/en/

How to get there: A 6 minute walk from Hase Station on the Enoden Line.

 

This is quite possibly the main attraction for all of Kamakura and the symbol of that area.

The Great Buddha

The statue commonly known as Kamakura Daibutsu (Great Buddha of Kamakura), a colossal copper image of Amida-butsu (Amitabha Buddha), is the principle image of Kotoku-in. The fact that it sits in the open air makes it unusual amongst large Buddha statues in Japan. The Great Buddha, designated a National Treasure by the Japanese government, is some 11.3 meters tall and weighs around 121 tons. Though in size it falls short of the Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple at Nara (an image of Rushana-butsu [Vairochana Buddha]), it essentially retains its original form; as such it is an invaluable example of Japanese historical Buddhist art.
According to the Azumakagami, a chronicle describing the achievements of the Kamakura Shogunate from the late 12th century through the mid-13th century, construction of the Great Buddha began in 1252. It is also believed that the priest Joko gathered donations from the people to build it. However, much remains unclear about the specifics of the Great Buddha’s construction, and the artist has yet to be identified.

Kotoku-In

Kotoku-in (officially known as Daii-san Kotoku-in Shojosen-ji) belongs to the Jodo Sect, a traditional Buddhist sect founded by the priest Honen (1133–1212). Honen was a devotee of Amitabha, Buddha of the Western Pure Land. It is believed that the original vow of Amitabha Buddha is to liberate all beings, irrespective of sex, age or social standing, regardless of whether the individual has engaged in good or evil deeds in their lives. According to the Jodo Sect belief system, one only needs to chant the nenbutsu* to receive the protection of Amitabha and be reborn in his Pure Land. This is the teaching of the Jodo Sect as taught by Honen.

Partial Summary Credit: Kotoku-In Website

Photo credit: Gaijin Pot Travel

Address: 4 Chome-2-28 Hase, Kamakura, Kanagawa 248-0016

Hours: 8am - 5pm

Website: https://www.kotoku-in.jp/en/

How to get there: A 6 minute walk from Hase Station on the Enoden Line.

 

Kamakura is home to several sand beaches, which are popular getaways for those who want to escape the nearby cities of Tokyo and Yokohama for some sunbathing, swimming and surfing. The official beach season in Kamakura lasts from July to August.

Located adjacent to each other, Yuigahama and Zaimokuza are Kamakura's two most popular beaches due to their convenient location and good facilities. As a result, both get very crowded during the summer season. The two beaches collectively span about one kilometer of coastline, providing a lot of space for sunbathing and swimming. Beach huts and rental shops are open during the season and provide visitors with shade, changing and shower rooms, food and drinks.

Photo Credit: Japan Guide

Address: Yuigahama, Kamakura, Kanagawa 248-0014

Hours: N/A

Website: https://www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/visitkamakura/en/index.html

How to get there: A 5 minute walk from Yuigahama Station on the Enoden Line.

 

If you got to Kamakura early enough and have enough energy left then it’s worth taking the rest of the day to Enoshima. Enoshima is a small island off the coast connected by a bridge. It offers really nice views, shrines, a park, caves to explore and an observation tower.

From Kamakura, you can access Enoshima on the Enoden train. Enoden is a famous train a long the coastline that is often seen in many movies, TV shows, dramas, animes and manga.

Enoshima is divided into a yacht harbor accessible to motorized traffic and a forested hill which can only be explored on foot (and paid escalators) and contains most of the sights. Several shrine buildings, collectively known as Enoshima Shrine, are found around the island and are dedicated to Benten, a popular goddess of good fortune, wealth, music and knowledge. Benten is believed to have created Enoshima before subduing a five headed dragon that had been terrorizing the area.

An interesting aquarium and some of the closest beaches to Tokyo are located on the mainland just off Enoshima. The beaches on either side of the island can become very crowded with sun bathers and swimmers during the summer holidays in July and August, while the long stretches of beach that continue to Chigasaki in the west and Kamakura in the east are popular surfing spots.

Visitors to Enoshima should consider purchasing the Enopass, a combination ticket that includes admission to the island's main attractions (garden, observation tower, caves) and use of the escalators for 1000 yen. The pass provides additional discounts on admission to the Benten Statue, the Enoshima Spa and the aquarium as well as on purchases at dedicated shops and restaurants. The Enopass can be purchased at tourist information desks and the escalator ticket office.

You can also go inside caves (may be closed some days due to weather or water ocnditions) and explore the cave using a candle they give you.

Partial Summary Credit: Japan Guide

Photo credit: Usplash

Address: N/A

Hours: N/A

Website: N/A

How to get there: A 20 minute walk from Ensohima Station on the Enoden Line. You can also take a bus from Ensohima Station that will drop you off closer to the island.

 

The Meguro River meanders nearly 8 kilometers through several chic neighborhoods before emptying into Tokyo Bay. Generously landscaped walking paths along its banks and easy access to drinking and dining make it popular year-round.

Much of the Meguro Riverside area provides pleasant walking and a mellow atmosphere that marks a contrast to the capital's urban buzz. The stretch between Nakameguro and Gotanda Stations is renowned for its pretty greenery and easy access to the hip Nakameguro neighborhood with its many restaurants and bars.

Just beside the river, the Meguro Museum of Art focuses on modern Japanese artists and is worth checking out if you get caught in the rain. So is the quirky, squirmy Tokyo Parasite Museum just a couple blocks from the river. The gift shop alone is worth a look.

Further downstream at the edge of Tokyo Bay, Tennozu Isle offers galleries, chic cafes, and waterside dining, including at T.Y. Harbor, a popular brewery restaurant.

The Meguro River is also one of Tokyo's premier cherry blossom viewing spots. Over a kilometer of trees lining the paths on either side of the river in Nakameguro burst into bloom at the end of March and beginning of April, forming a corridor of flower clouds above the river.

When the sun goes down, the paper lanterns strung along the river come on during the Nakameguro Sakura Festival when bands of locals celebrate spring with feasting and drinking on blue tarps beneath the blossoms. Grab a beer from one of the street stalls and bask in the glow of Japan at its most laid back.

Wintertime has its own charm when a stretch of the river near Gotanda Station comes alive with an impressive holiday lights display.

Summary Credit: Go Tokyo

Photo credit: JW Web Magazine

Address: N/A

Hours: N/A

Website: N/A

How to get there: A 5-10 minute walk from Nakameguro Station East Exit on the Tokyu Toyoko Line depending which part of the river you go to.

 

Opened in November 2016, this commercial strip is set below the railway tracks in Nakameguro, stretching for a total of 700m and running from the Meguro River across Yamate-dori in the direction of Yutenji. 28 different businesses occupy the complex, all with their own distinct personality: you'll find the likes of Pavilion, a wine and kiln-grilled food specialist; a branch of Tsutaya Books, complete with a café; the newest Tokyo outpost of New York's City Bakery, and Niwakaya Chosuke, an udon izakaya from Kyushu that finally made the move to the capital. 

Summary Credit: Timeout Tokyo

Photo credit: G Mark

Address: Right around the Nakameguro Station

Hours: Depends on store but typically open for lunch and dinner time

Website: N/A

How to get there: An 1 minute walk from Nakameguro Station

 

The biggest Starbucks Reserve Roastery in the world is now open and it’s in Nakameguro, by the cherry blossom-lined Meguro River. If you’ve been to the area recently, you’ve probably noticed the long lines and fanfare. This is only the fifth roastery that Starbucks has opened worldwide – the other four being in Seattle, Shanghai, Milan, and New York.

The massive space houses the roasting factory on the fourth floor, with each floor below devoted to a different type of Starbucks hangout. The first floor is a bakery and café; the second floor is a Teavana tea room; and the third floor is a Arriviamo cocktail bar. The fourth floor factory also has a lounge area and workshop space. There’s also outdoor terrace seating that overlooks the Meguro River. You can bet these seats will be in high demand come sakura season next month. Here’s what you can do at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo.

The Tokyo Roastery is a massive site: with its 1200sqm spread out over four floors, it’s now the biggest Starbucks on the planet (sorry, Shanghai). The exterior was designed by one of Japan’s most influential contemporary architects, Kengo Kuma, while the interior was created by the Starbucks community design team. Everything about the interior – from the lighting to the furniture made in Tendo City, Yamagata – was selected to match Kuma’s modern Japanese style.

*You will need a voucher to get inside with usual waits up to 1-2 hours on busy days.

Summary Credit: Timeout Tokyo

Photo credit: Rethink Tokyo

Address: 2 Chome-19-23 Aobadai, Meguro City, Tokyo 153-0042

Hours: 7am - 11pm

Website: https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations/tokyo

How to get there: An 11 minute walk from Nakameguro Station, West Exit on the Tokyu Toyoko Line.

 

If you’re taking a stroll by Tokyo’s cherry tree-lined Meguro river, keep your eyes open for CABIN. This cozy bar in Nakameguro offers an incredibly wide range of whisky and delicious handcrafted cocktails in a relaxed, intimate setting.

CABIN Nakameguro is an exquisite whisky bar founded by the team behind the trendy Daikanyama eatery Cedros, The two founders and brothers grew up between the West Coast and Japan, which explains the distinctly American vibe felt throughout the lodge’s rustic interior. The dim lighting and natural wood paneling gives CABIN a warm and cozy atmosphere. The walls are decorated with artistic carved wood hunting trophies, and you’ll find many vintage trinkets and decorative objects across the space. Comfy chairs and a crackling virtual fireplace complete the setting, making us feel right at home.

The bar offers a wide variety of exceptional whiskies from around the world, with special mention for some very rare Japanese bottles. Cocktail-wise, the menu doesn’t disappoint either. Brazilian-born head bartender (and jiu jitsu fighter!) Sullivan Gouvea has been taking inspiration from Japanese culture since the moment he started his life in Tokyo. His different encounters with “Wa” (or Japanese-ness) bring an exceptional twist to his creations, borrowing from traditional ingredients such as konpeito (Japanese sugar candy), wasanbon (fine-grained Japanese sugar) or sometimes even wasabi. Whisky cocktails are obviously the focus at CABIN, but the bar also offers a wide range of other delicious options if whisky is not your thing. Like for instance their signature Wild Corpse Reviver, made with Monkey 47, Lillet, Cointreau, lemon juice and absinthe.

Great drinks, great music and a trendy international crowd, CABIN has it all. Put this stylish bar on your list for your next night out in Nakameguro.

Summary Credit: Worlds Best Bars Website

Photo Credit: Worlds Best Bars Website

Address: 1-10-23 Nakameguro (Riverside Terrace 101), Meguro-ku, 153-0061 Tokyo

Hours: Closed Sundays, 7pm -12am Monday-Thusday, until 2am Friday/Saturday

Website: http://www.cabintokyo.com/

How to get there: A 6 minute walk from Nakameguro Station, East Exit on the Toyoko Line

 

In a perfect world, all bookshops would be like this. Tokyo's Klein Dytham Architecture won an award at the World Architecture Festival for their work on Daikanyama T-Site, which is spread across three interlinked buildings adorned with lattices of interlocking Ts. That 'T' stands for rental chain Tsutaya, whose seemingly bottomless pockets helped fund the kind of book emporium that most capital cities can only dream of. It's easy to lose hours thumbing through the selections here, which include a good range of English-language titles, art books, antique tomes and magazine back issues. There are also music and DVD sections – Tsutaya's normal stock in trade – as well as branches of Starbucks and Family Mart, while you'll find children's toys, bicycle and pet shops elsewhere in the complex. If you're looking to enjoy some vintage periodicals and cocktails in a sophisticated setting, meanwhile, the upstairs Anjin lounge is hard to beat.

Summary Credit: Timeout Tokyo

Photo credit: T site website

Address: 17-5 Sarugakucho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0033

Hours: 9am - 11pm

Website: https://store.tsite.jp/daikanyama/english/

How to get there: A 5 minute walk from Daikanyama Station, North Exit on the Tokyu Toyoko Line.

 

Designed to be a relaxing village amid bustling Tokyo, Hillside Terrace offers urban dwellers a chance to take their mind off things. Shops and restaurants serving organic food, and classy boutiques encourage visitors to focus on a more healthy and artistic lifestyle. You will also find greenery and quiet relaxing spaces in the complex.

Keep an eye out for special exhibitions, concerts, markets, seminars, and other events at Hillside Terrace. You may even be able to find your favorite artists or handcrafts here. Join the Hillside Terrace club to enjoy the library as well.

Summary Credit: Go Tokyo

Photo credit: Design Art

Address: 29-18 Sarugakucho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0033

Hours: Depends on store. Typically open for lunch and dinner time.

Website: http://hillsideterrace.com/

How to get there: A 3 minute walk from Daikanyama Station, Central Exit on the Tokyu Toyoko Line.