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Is my last minute Kamakura plan reasonable?
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2023/11/20 15:21
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Hello everyone, I came up with the idea to see the great Buddha of Kamakura before departing from Japan at Narita airport. I would appreciate if more informed people could tell me if my plan is reasonable and worth it? I do have the JR pass so this would help me get maximum value from it. Thank you!
December 14th: 1. Hasedera Temple (0700) a. Leave hotel at 0440 to arrive at Yotsuya Station. Take the JR Chuo Line Rapid from Yotsuya to Tokyo station. Take the JR Yokosuka Line from Tokyo to Kamakura. Walk to Hasedera Temple. 2. Great Buddha of Kamakura (0800) 3. Take the Daibutsu Hiking Course to get to Zeniarai Benten Shrine (0900) 4. Genjiyama Park (1000) 5. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (1030) 6. Komachidori Street (1130) 7. Kamakura Station (1230) to Narita Terminal 1 a. Take the JR Yokosuka Line from Kamakura station (1257) to Musashi-Kosugi station (1336). b. Take the Narita Express from Musashi-Kosugi (1340) to Narita Airport Terminal 1 (1458) 8. Fly home, plane departs just after 1800
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by Vlit
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Re: Is my last minute Kamakura plan reasonable?
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2023/11/20 17:17
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「1. Hasedera Temple (0700)」 Hasedera doesn't open until 8 a.m., according to their website. Same for the Great Buddha.
Basically, it looks like you want to squeeze Hasedera, the Great Buddha, Zeniarai Benten, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, and Komachidori Street all into a single morning (starting at 8 a.m.), and then be back at Kamakura Station by 12:30. That's a very tight, but not impossible, itinerary. Some people would even say it's too much, and is going to be too busy to be enjoyable, but if that morning is the only chance you have to go to Kamakura, and you don't know when you'll be back in Japan, you might be able to fit it all in.
「3. Take the Daibutsu Hiking Course to get to Zeniarai Benten Shrine (0900) 4. Genjiyama Park (1000)」 Since you're going to be tight on time, I would skip the hiking course and go by taxi from the Great Buddha to Zeniarai Benten. It's a nice hike, but going by taxi will be quicker. Likewise, Genjiyama Park is skippable. It's a nice enough park, but not particularly beautiful or interesting.
So my itinerary would be 1. Arrive at Kamakura Station early enough to be at Hasedera by 8 a.m. 2. Walk from Hasedera to Daibutsu 3. Taxi to Zeniarai Benten 4. Ideally taxi to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (but taxis can be hard to find around Zeniarai Benten) 5. Walk to Komachidori 6. Walk to Kamakura Station (Komachidori ends next to the station)
Again, it's not the ideal way to see Kamakura, and a lot of the enjoyment of temple/shrine visiting in Japan is taking the time to slow down and leisurely appreciate the sights. But it's easy for me to say that, since I live half an hour from Kamakura and can go whenever I want to, so if this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you, I can understand wanting to see as many places as you can.
P.S. 「5. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (1030)」 You might want to consider starting with Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, since it opens at 6 a.m. After that you could go by taxi to Zeniarai Benten, go by taxi to the Great Buddha, walk to Hasedera, go by taxi back to Kamakura Station, and then walk to Komachidori.
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by . . . . (guest)
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Re: Is my last minute Kamakura plan reasonable?
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2023/11/20 17:38
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Where is your suitcase in all of this? Have you sent it a few days before to Narita? Or you need a locker at Kamakura? Sometimes they are full. Maybe not at the time you consider. But adds a risk.
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by LikeBike
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Re: Is my last minute Kamakura plan reasonable?
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2023/11/20 17:57
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I wouldn't use Tokyo Station to transfer to Yokosuka Line. It's almost like two different stations.
If you're coming from Yotsuya to Hase-dera, transfer at Tokyo Station to the Tokaido Line bound for Fujisawa. At Fujisawa, take the Enoden Train. It's much easier and comfortable. If you board the 05:24 train at Yotsuya, you will arrive at Hase Station at 06:51. You can also consider transferring at Shinjuku Station if you're more used to it.
Or if you wish to walk from Kamakura Station to Hase-dera, then take that Tokaido Line bound for Fujisawa, but transfer at Totsuka Station to the Yokosuka Line. The 2 lines share a platform at Totsuka.
Going to the airport, you probably chose to transfer at Musashi-kosugi to save money, but I'm sure you're aware that you can transfer at Yokohama Station which is more typical. Either way is fine only because the NEX runs on the Yokosuka Line tracks. At Musashi-kosugi Station, the Yokosuka Line is located very far away from all the other train lines.
Good luck!
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by Uco
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Re: Is my last minute Kamakura plan reasonable?
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2023/11/21 03:40
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Thank you everyone for your responses and revision of my itinerary. Its all so helpful and I really appreciate it. I have a pack that I will be carrying with all my stuff in it and I planned to walk around holding it. It's reassuring knowing that plan is possible to Kamakura before I go.
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by Vlit
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