Kamakura Big Buddha

Kamakura is a a small town to the south of Tokyo, about 1 hour train ride from Shinjuku station. It is mostly temples with the major attraction being the bronze Big Buddha statue, located in Kotoku-In Temple. If you love temples and can stand the crowds, then Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo. However, after seeing a few temples elsewhere in Japan, do you need to see more? There are less crowded places to see temples and Buddha statues, so perhaps give Kamakura a miss?

Crowds and alternatives?

Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo and famous for the temples and Big Buddha. As a result there are always huge numbers of tourists at the major spots. While the number of tourists in Japan has been increasing rapidly over the last 10 years, Kamakura numbers have stayed fairly steady. Although there is increased complains of tourist pollution in the city. “When Japan” guesses that while the number of tourists has remained steady at 20 million a year, the ratio of foreign to Japanese tourists has shifted towards foreign.

Below are the Google suggest results in Japan and English for the phrase “Kamakura Tourists”. In Japanese the results are from the top: –

Kamakura Tourists…. Nuisance, Too many, Foreigners, Age ranges, Decreasing, Manner, Trash (litter, rubbish, etc.)

“When Japan” recommends going to Buzz-saw mountain as that will give you a more impressive Big Buddha experience without the crowds of foreign tourists.

Travelling around Kamakura

The distances between temple sites is actually fairly large so a bus is recommended. There is more information on the official homepage.