Kamakura and Yokohama

Kamakura and Yokohama are in Kanagawa, on the coast south of Tokyo, less than an hour by train from the capital. The two cities represent different eras of Japan and can be visited on the same trip, in one or two days.

Kamakura was the seat of the first shogunate, the samurai government founded by Minamoto no Yoritomo at the end of the 12th century, and preserves dozens of temples and shrines among forested hills and the sea. The outdoor bronze Great Buddha is the most famous image; the zen monasteries of Kita-Kamakura, the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine and Hase-dera temple complete the visit. Nearby, in the city of Fujisawa, the island of Enoshima has shrines, caves and a lighthouse-observatory.

Yokohama was a fishing village until 1859, when it became one of the first ports opened to foreign trade after more than two centuries of isolation. Western and Chinese merchants settled there, and the city grew as a gateway for novelties: the country’s first daily newspaper, the first railway linking Yokohama to Tokyo, and beer. Today it is the second largest city in Japan by population.

Yokohama’s waterfront includes the modern Minato Mirai area, with the Landmark Tower and the Ferris wheel, the red-brick warehouses, Yamashita Park, with a passenger ship converted into a museum, and Chinatown. On top of the Yamate hill are the Western-style houses and the foreigners’ cemetery. The waterfront at night, with the buildings illuminated, is one of the city’s highlights.

This destination brings together 2 cities: Kamakura, Yokohama.