With every annual visit to my all time favourite city; Tokyo, you’d think i’d have run out of things to do and see. It’s actually quite the opposite. Yes, the capital city of Japan is the most congested city in the country and with the booming tourism surrounding it, it’s hard to think of places where you’ll be able to get away from the hustle and bustle and relax a bit. Don’t get me wrong, there are many beautiful temples, local tucked away food markets and unique experiences to be had in central Tokyo, even hidden shrines squeezed in between large skyscrapers like the one in the photo on the left (Hie Shrine). It all depends on timing and the willingness to explore. But this blogpost is specifically for those who seek to travel a bit further out from the city.
There are many beautiful and interesting cities that we visited this year including Yokohama, home to the country’s biggest Chinatown as well as Enoshima, Takao and our favourite this time was a coastal town in Kanagawa prefecture; Kamakura, just a stone’s throw away. Ok, maybe not but it’s less than an hour south of Tokyo on the local train. Although a very small city in comparison to it’s other neighbouring cities, it’s actually quite a big tourist destination. But with its mass of numerous temples, shrines and culinary establishments, you’d never feel overly overwhelmed.
Now i’d suggest that anyone that is planning to take a day-trip over from Tokyo to Kamakura, to leave early about 7:30am, especially if you’ll be visiting the amazing Hokoku-ji Bamboo garden located east of the city as i’m