Perfect Kamakura and Enoshima Day Trip Itinerary! (Bonus Yokohama)

Hey guys, this is my in depth guide to visiting Kamakura, Enoshima, and Yokohama all in a single day from Tokyo. Before this trip, I did a ton of research, and almost everyone said that trying to see all 3 in one day was too ambitious. But with only 1 free day and no plans to stay overnight outside of Tokyo, we decided to give it a shot.

If you are short on time and want to experience temples, the seaside, and a modern city all in the same day, it is absolutely doable with some planning. Follow along as I share exactly how we made it work.

Below is my Sample Itinerary I used.

Sample Itinerary

• Kamakura
  • At here at 7 am and get to yoridokoro (breakfast) (Yoridocoro Inamuragasaki - TableCheck reserve 1 month in advance March 10th (6:30 PM ) for special counter seats) BOOKED
  • Next go to the great Buddha!
  • Take bus or walk Houkokuji for matcha and bamboo forest
  • Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
  • End at Komachi Street 
(find a neat lunch spot) or just eat street food (ideally all of this finish by 12 pm)
• Enoshima (need to take the shonan monorail to ofuna station when we go home enoshima line)
  • Take Enoden Line from Kamakura station to Enoshima Station (MAKE DETOUR AT (1-chome, Koshigoe, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture) before you get to enoshima ) famous photo
  • Decide at this time whether or not to take the Benten Maru Ferry (10-2:30 pm daily) takes you directly to the caves, before the bridge - IF SO DO EVERYTHING BACKWARDS
    • CAVE- BELL OF LOVE - ENOSHIMA SEA CANDLE (AMZIN VIEWS) - LON CAFE - GRAND TORI - CRACKERS - BRONZE hvTORI
  • While in enoshima ( cross the bridge first, go up to the shrine enoshima shrine, enoshima sea candle escalators
  • Try the Senbei Crakers at the beginning.
  • Hopefully finish everything by 5 pm.
  • Sunset at Iwaya caves would be nice (Uomitei is a nice spot to watch that)
• Dinner in Yokohama Sairyu 7:45 reserved
  • Chinese spot. https://tabelog.com/en/kanagawa/A1401/A140101/14001312/

Map and What we visited!!

Getting There

Kamakura is the perfect little seaside town if you are looking for that classic, Instagram worthy day trip from Tokyo. It is relatively close to the city and very easy to reach by train. The trip takes about 1 hour, depending on where you are staying in Tokyo.

You can use Google Maps to find the best route, but I highly recommend taking the route that includes the Shonan Monorail at least once. Riding this suspended train was one of the highlights of the journey for me. Since the cars hang from the track above, it almost feels like a roller coaster as you glide over the streets and neighborhoods on your way to Kamakura.

If you want to ride the Shonan Monorail, I recommend taking the train to Ofuna Station and boarding it there on your way to Kamakura. Alternatively, you can save the monorail ride for later in the day and take it from Enoshima to Ofuna on your way to Yokohama before heading back to Tokyo. Just plug Ofuna Station into Google Maps when you are ready to leave Enoshima, and it will guide you the rest of the way.

Yoridocoro Breakfast in Kamakura

We booked a table at the very popular breakfast spot Yoridocoro, and getting a reservation definitely took some planning. I followed the instructions on their Instagram and set an alarm to book as soon as reservations opened. We managed to snag the coveted 7 a.m. seating.

Keep in mind that there are only 4 seats per time slot that directly face the **Enoden train **tracks, so if you want that iconic view while you eat, it is essential to reserve as soon as bookings go live.

In my opinion, this is a must do experience in Kamakura. Even if you cannot get those special seats, I still recommend arriving early to try their famous fluffy “cloud eggs,” where you whip the egg whites yourself at the table before finishing the dish. Just be prepared for a line if you arrive after opening, as the café is incredibly popular. Even waiting can be fun, since you can take photos by the tracks and watch the charming Enoden trains pass by. You can book here. We did it for the day before at 6:30 PM CST.

The Train comes by every 10-15 minutes while you dine and it's counter seating ONLY.

They are located by Inamuragasaki station

Kotoku- In

Your next stop after Yoridocoro is to visit the Great Buddha of Kamakura. This is located at Hase Station. This is an absolute must when visiting Kamakura, and if you planned your day correctly, you should arrive at Kotoku-in Temple right around when they open.

Make sure to bring cash because there is an entrance fee. I can't remember the exact amount, but I believe it was around $2 per adult. Arriving early is key because you can get the best views of the Great Buddha before the crowds arrive and take your photos without as many people around.

Houkokuji

After visiting the Great Buddha, your next stop should be the bamboo forest at Houkokuji Temple. You can use Google Maps to navigate here, and I believe we took a bus to get there. in 2026 the price was 400 yen for an adult to enter.

There is a small entrance fee to enter the bamboo grove, and there is also an additional fee if you want to experience their matcha service. I highly recommend doing the matcha and bamboo experience. Sitting inside the bamboo forest while surrounded by lush greenery and moss is such a peaceful and unique experience. It is one of those moments where you can really slow down and enjoy the atmosphere of Kamakura.

Komachi Street and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

From here, you can take a bus back to Komachi Street, which is one of the most popular areas to visit in Kamakura. You can also make a stop at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū nearby if you want to see another iconic landmark before exploring the street.

Giraffe had great curry bread.

Komachi Street is a very touristy area, but it is definitely worth checking out. The street is filled with small shops, souvenir stores, and plenty of street vendors selling different Japanese snacks and foods. It is a great place to walk around, grab a bite, and explore before continuing on with the rest of your Kamakura itinerary.

Kamakura Beniya Hachimangu is famous for the Kurumiko, i bought some too!

Ideally you want to finish all this by 12 pm.

Heading to Enoshima

Your next stop is Enoshima, which is a small island located just off the coast of Kamakura. It is relatively close and takes about 30 minutes to get there using the Enoden railway line.

While you are in the Kamakura area, I recommend purchasing a day pass, which should help cover your train fares throughout the day and make getting around much easier.

If you want to add another iconic photo stop along the way, you can also visit the famous Slam Dunk crossing. Just make sure you GPS directly from Komachi Street to the Kamakurakōkōmae Station , because it is not immediately obvious where to go. It is a quick stop, but it is a must for anime fans or anyone looking for that classic Kamakura photo.

Enoshima

Once you get to Enoshima, your itinerary will largely depend on the weather and whether the ferry is running.

When you arrive at Enoshima Station, you will first need to cross a large bridge to get onto Enoshima Island. However, before crossing the bridge, there is a Bentenmaru ferry that operates daily from around 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This ferry can take you directly to the caves, which are located on the opposite side of the island.

This is an important thing to know because taking the ferry can save you from having to do the long uphill walk to the caves and then back down. If you take the ferry first, you can essentially explore Enoshima backwards, starting at the caves and making your way back toward the main entrance and shopping streets.

That being said, it is very weather dependent. Unfortunately, when we visited, the ferry was not operating, so we had no choice but to walk up the island, visit the caves, and make our way back down.

Once you cross the bridge and arrive at Enoshima Island, you will be greeted by the beautiful bronze torii gate, which has developed that iconic green patina color. This is one of the first photo opportunities you will come across, so definitely take a picture here. You can also save it for the way back, but it is a spot you do not want to miss.

Giant Senbei Crackers

From there, you will walk along the main street, which is very narrow and can get pretty crowded. This is where you will find the famous senbei crackers. These are giant seafood crackers made by pressing ingredients like octopus or shrimp into a thin, crispy cracker.

I highly recommend trying one, but keep in mind that they are cash only and you will order through a vending machine. There can also be a pretty long line depending on when you visit.

Escalators

After that, continue making your way up the island. Once you reach the main gate, you have the option to pay for 3 sets of escalators that take you toward the top of Enoshima. However, keep in mind that you will still need to walk back down and around the island to reach the caves and back the way you came to go home. There will be no escalators on the way back.

We took the 3 escalators up and you can read more about them here.

The hike can be pretty strenuous, especially during the summer, so make sure to bring plenty of water and be prepared for a lot of walking.

As you make your way up the island using the escalators, you will pass by the Grand Torii gate, multiple cafes with beautiful ocean views, and the Enoshima Sea Candle, which you can pay to visit if you want to see the views from the top.

You will also pass by the Bell of Love before eventually making your way to the Iwaya Caves, which is where you will find the famous Enoshima dragon spirit inside the caves.

Personally, we did not pay to go up the Enoshima Sea Candle. We just walked past it and briefly checked out the Bell of Love because our main goal was to make it to the caves. If you have more time, there are plenty of things to explore along the way, but for our itinerary, we prioritized reaching the caves before making our way back down.

Sunset Iwaya Caves (Closes at 6 pm)

When you visit the Iwaya Caves, be prepared because getting there is definitely a journey. Like I mentioned earlier, you have to hike up the island, make your way back down, and walk along the cliffside before reaching the actual caves.

Not going to lie, this was a pretty difficult hike, especially after already walking around Kamakura earlier in the day. Once we finally reached the caves, we were greeted by almost a 100 person line waiting to enter.

To enter the caves, you will need to purchase a ticket, and there are 2 different cave areas, Cave 1 and Cave 2. At Cave 1, they give you a candle to help guide you through the darker sections of the cave. However, if you are traveling with children, they provide a battery powered light instead, so you do not have to worry about giving them an actual flame.

Inside the caves, you can learn more about the history and legends surrounding Enoshima. For Cave 2, we almost went through the entire cave, but there was a very long line to see the dragon statue inside. Since we did not want to wait, we decided to watch the sunset through one of the openings in the cave instead before making our way back toward the entrance of the island.

Heading back towards Yokohama

At this point, we had finished exploring the caves and completing all the hikes around 5 p.m., so we were ready to head to Yokohama.

You can definitely spend more time on Enoshima, grab dinner nearby, or try their famous shirasu dishes that you will see throughout the island. However, since our goal was to fit all 3 destinations into 1 day, we decided to continue on.

View from Ofuna Station

We took the Shonan Monorail back to Ofuna Station and then made our way directly to Yokohama for the next part of our trip.

Yokohama

Yokohama was about 52 minutes from Enoshima, and taking the detour through Ofuna Station was actually a really nice experience. The station itself has a bunch of restaurants, food stalls, and even a whole culinary department area, so it is honestly a pretty cool stop if you have extra time.

However, we were trying to make it to our dinner reservation, so we headed straight to Yokohama. Yokohama is actually really well known for its Chinese food, especially because it is home to one of the largest Chinatowns in Japan.

To be honest, by this point in the day, we were exhausted and pretty jet lagged. We woke up around 4 a.m. to start this entire journey, so we were definitely running on empty. We ended up having dinner at a restaurant called Sairyu, which is known for its Chinese cuisine in Japan.

Overall, I thought the food was just okay. If I could redo this itinerary, I probably would have spent more time exploring Yokohama itself or just headed straight back to Tokyo to get some much needed rest.

Ending notes

If I could redo this experience, my biggest advice would be to spend more time in Kamakura. Honestly, I think Kamakura deserves at least a full day, if not an overnight stay, because there are still so many things I would love to go back and explore.

As for Enoshima, I thought the experience was really cool and it was a very cohesive part of the trip, but I’m not sure I would personally do it again. The hike was much more difficult than I expected, especially with all the uphill and downhill walking, and doing it under the hot sun made it even more challenging.

I think I personally enjoyed Kamakura more than Enoshima. Enoshima was beautiful and I’m glad I got to experience it, but I feel like I was able to see everything I wanted to see and it was more of a one time visit for me. Kamakura, on the other hand, still has places I want to go back and check out.

With that being said, yes, you can absolutely do Kamakura, Enoshima, and Yokohama all in 1 day. Just keep in mind that it is a very long day. You will likely need to leave around 4 or 5 a.m. and won’t get back to Tokyo until around midnight.

If you have a baby like i did, Enoshima was NOT stroller friendly and we used a baby carrier the whole time!