Bunkyo Trip Overview
1~8passengers, full-flat rate; If you are nine, it costs less than US$100 P/P.
We offer you several selling points other travel companies could never do.
Effective : Because the guide and driver is same person. On top of it, he plays
Photographer’s roll.
Comfortable : Because the cars we use are spacious and luxury.
Exciting : Because you will savor a local food like they would do.
Flexible : Because the schedule is up to you. This is full-private tour for you.
Inquisitive : Because you will learn a lots of Japanese History.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 hours
Starts: Bunkyo, Japan
Trip Category: Day Trips & Excursions >> Day Trips
Explore Bunkyo Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Bunkyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
1~8passengers, full-flat rate; If you are nine, it costs less than US$100 P/P.
We offer you several selling points other travel companies could never do.
Effective : Because the guide and driver is same person. On top of it, he plays
Photographer’s roll.
Comfortable : Because the cars we use are spacious and luxury.
Exciting : Because you will savor a local food like they would do.
Flexible : Because the schedule is up to you. This is full-private tour for you.
Inquisitive : Because you will learn a lots of Japanese History.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Hokokuji Bamboo Forest, 2-chōme-7-4 Jōmyōji, Kamakura, Kanagawa 248-0003, Japan
Secluded in the hills of eastern Kamakura, Hokokuji (報国寺, Hōkokuji) is a small temple of the Rinzai Sect of Zen Buddhism. Originally founded during the early years of the Muromachi Period, Hokokuji was the family temple of the ruling Ashikaga Clan and was later also adopted as the family temple of the Uesugi Clan. Appearing rather unassuming as you arrive, the path to the temple leads past a relatively modest gate and through a small garden to the main hall, which was rebuilt in the 1920s after the original building had been lost in the Great Kanto Earthquake. The hall houses a statue of the historic Buddha (Shaka Nyorai), the temple’s main object of worship. To the left of the main hall stands a unique looking bell tower with a simple, thatched straw roof, which was also a feature of the original main hall before it had burnt down. Hokokuji Temple, however, is best known for the beautiful, small bamboo grove found behind the temple’s main hall, which lies thick with over 2000 dark green bamboo stalks. A few narrow pathways lead through the bamboo to a tea house where, for a small fee, you can sit and enjoy a cup of macha tea while enjoying views into the bamboo grove. Also located behind the temple are a series of shallow caves carved into the hillsides, which are believed to hold the ashes of some of the later Ashikaga lords.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Kotoku-in (Great Buddha of Kamakura), 4 Chome-2-28 Hase, Kamakura 248-0016 Kanagawa Prefecture
The Great Buddha of Kamakura (鎌倉大仏, Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 11.4 meters, it has long been the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, surpassed only by the statue in Nara’s Todaiji Temple and some recent creations. The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were destroyed multiple times by typhoons and a tsunami in the 14th and 15th centuries. So, since the late 15th century, the Buddha has been standing in the open air.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Hase-dera Temple, 3-11-2 Hase, Kamakura 248-0016 Kanagawa Prefecture
Hasedera (長谷寺) is a temple of the jodo sect, famous for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The 9.18 meter tall, gilded wooden statue is regarded as one of the largest wooden sculpture in Japan and can be viewed in the temple’s main building, the Kannon-do Hall. According to legend, it was carved from the same tree as the similarly tall Kannon statue worshiped at the Hasedera Temple in Nara Prefecture. Adjacent to the main hall is the Kannon Museum, a small museum that requires an additional entrance fee. It exhibits some more of the temple’s treasures, including Buddhist statues, a temple bell and a picture scroll. Explanatory signs are in Japanese, and an English pamphlet with basic explanations is available. On the opposite side of the main hall stands the Amida-do Hall with an almost three meter tall, golden statue of Amida Buddha. Hasedera is built along the slope of a wooded hill. The temple’s main buildings stand halfway up the slope on a terrace which allows for nice views of the coastal city of Kamakura. There is also a small restaurant where Japanese sweets, meals and beverages are served. Along the stairs leading up the slope stands the Jizo-do Hall with hundreds of small statues of the Jizo Bodhisattva who helps the souls of deceased children to reach paradise. The temple entrance is located at the base of the slope. A pretty garden with ponds welcomes visitors as they enter the grounds. A small temple hall in the garden is dedicated to Benten (also known as Benzaiten), a goddess of feminine beauty and wealth. Sculptures of Benten and other gods can be found in a small cave (Benten-kutsu) next to the hall
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, 2-1-31 Yukinoshita, Kamakura 248-0005 Kanagawa Prefecture
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (鶴岡八幡宮, Tsurugaoka Hachimangū) is Kamakura’s most important shrine. It was founded by Minamoto Yoriyoshi in 1063, and enlarged and moved to its current site in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura government. The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family and of the samurai in general. The deified spirits of the ancient Emperor Ojin who has been identified with Hachiman, Hime-gami and Empress Jingu are enshrined at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. The shrine approach seen from the main hall The shrine is reached via a long, wide approach that leads from Kamakura’s waterfront through the entire city center, with multiple torii gate along the way. The main hall (Hongu or Jogu) stands on a terrace at the top of a wide stairway. The main hall includes a small shrine museum, which displays various treasures owned by the shrine, such as swords, masks and documents. To the left of the stairway stood until 2010 a large ginkgo tree, which predated the shrine, and was once used as a hideout in an ambush attack on a shogun. Every autumn, the tree turned beautifully golden, but it did not survive a winter storm in March 2010. At the base of the stairway stands the Maiden, a stage for dance and music performances. Other structures on the shrine grounds include the Wakamiya Shrine, a secondary shrine to the right of the stairway and various auxiliary buildings. Maiden dancing stage in front of the stairs that lead towards the main hall Flanking the main approach to the shrine are two ponds. One pond represents the Minamoto Clan and has three islands, while the other represents the Taira Clan, the Minamoto’s arch rivals, and has four islands, as the number four can be pronounced the same as “death” in Japanese. A garden, known for its peonies, surrounds the Minamoto Pond halfway. It is open seasonally in spring and winter and costs 500 yen to enter. Various events are held at the shrine throughout the year. During the New Year holidays, it registers over two million visitors, making it one of the country’s most popular shrines for hatsumode (the year’s first visit to a shrine). In mid April and mid September, horseback archery (yabusame) is performed along the main approach to the shrine.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Enoshima Island, Enoshima, Fujisawa 251-0036 Kanagawa Prefecture
Only a short train ride west of Kamakura, Enoshima (江の島) is a pleasantly touristy island just off the coast but connected by bridge with the mainland. The island offers a variety of attractions, including a shrine, park, observation tower and caves. Views of Mount Fuji can be enjoyed on days with good visibility. 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.
Duration: 1 hour
