Buddha, Bamboo & Zen - Bespoke Kamakura Private Walking Tours

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. The tour begins with a visit to Kotoku-in, a Buddhist temple. You will see the majestic Great Buddha of Kamakura, an iconic bronze statue. The 13.35 metre statue was originally carved in wood and then cast in bronze during the 13th century. For a small fee (50 yen), you can enter the interior of this statue. General admission is 300 yen, child admission (for ages 6-12) is 150 yen and there is no charge for children under 6 years old.

   1 h

2. See the stunning 9.18m tall “Eleven-headed Kannon” wooden statue carved 1,304 years ago in 721AD. Enjoy the beautiful gardens with a large variety of flowers blooming throughout the year. The hydrangea path in June is gorgeous - with more than 40 kinds of hydrangea flowers dotting the hills. Enjoy a scenic view of the sea and town of Kamakura. Check out the thousand jizo statues standing in long rows. Explore a small cave and enjoy the statue of Benzaiten and her followers chiseled out of the rock walls.

   45 min

3. Hokoku-ji is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple founded in 1334 and is affectionately called the "Bamboo Temple". The highlight of a visit to this temple is undoubtedly the 2,000 moso bamboo plants. For a small fee (¥600), you can sip authentic matcha green tea in a teahouse that overlooks a stunningly beautiful bamboo grove. If you listen carefully, you'll be able to hear the wind whispering between the bamboo. Seasonal flowers, moss gardens, bonzai and statues can be appreciated throughout the temple grounds.

   1 h

4. Komachi Street is the main pedestrian shopping street that runs through the heart of Kamakura. It is fun to explore the nooks and crannies of this street. You can enjoy a diverse range of dining options, including the freshest local seafood, gourmet burgers, craft beers and sake, desserts, coffee shops and delicious street snacks. You can rent a kimono for a day of sightseeing. Souvenir shops abound selling knives, ceramics, personalised name-engraved chopsticks, retro toys, trinkets and more. There's even an indoor pig park - where it is possible to hug a micro baby pig.

   1 h

5. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is the most important Shinto shrine in Kamakura. The shrine was originally established in 1063 and is dedicated to the deity, Hachiman, the tutelary god of warriors. You will approach the shrine via Wakamiya Ōji street and pass under some red shinto gates called "torii". You will cross a small bridge over a canal that joins two ponds. A little further along, you will reach a pavilion called 'Maiden'. If you are lucky, you may be able to see a traditional Japanese wedding, dance or music performance here. You will then climb the Great Stone Steps to the main hall of the shrine. A wonderful panoramic view of the city can be enjoyed from the top of these steps. People make wishes and pray for good fortune at this famous shrine.

   1 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 28 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Don’t Miss This One. Worth Every Penny! (Or yen 😉)

  We met up with Brad for a day tour of Kamakura while visiting Tokyo and had the most wonderful time! It was one of our favorite adventures during our fourteen day visit and exploration of Japan. Our family had never done an international trip before, and Brad couldn't have been a better guide through the unfamiliar worlds of Kamakura. We connected through my cousin, who also had a great experience when he visited a few years prior. Brad just truly cares about people and wants them to have the best time! Having a private tour made the experience that much more special and we were able to spend as much or as little time as we wanted at each venue and really soak up as much knowledge as we wanted. We explored several incredible shrines and were blessed enough to witness a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony taking place! We received our fortunes, enjoyed freshly made matcha tea while surrounded by bamboo, saw the most beautiful, epic, massive buddha statue! The moment my family and I rounded the corner and saw him/her we stopped dead in our tracks. You can’t help but be in awe of it’s presence. Brad would give us the history of everything we looked at. You could tell the information he was sharing was more in depth and more personal/meaningful to him than it might have been coming from other tour guides. He truly loves this land, making the experience even more memorable. At the end of it all, we enjoyed a delicious and authentic Japanese meal that left our bellies full and our heart happy. Thank you, Brad, for making our trip to Kamakura unforgettable! What an amazing experience. We will be recommending your tour to anyone taking a trip to beautiful Japan!

  W8538NIjennhJune 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5A Zen Hike through Japanese History

  We had an incredible walking and hiking tour with Brad, full of history and cultural explanations that made the experience so much richer than wandering on our own. It’s clear that Brad is passionate about Japan and excited to share his experience and knowledge of Japanese culture. We left the tour with a deeper understanding of Japanese history, and the role Buddhism and the Samurai period play in the culture until today. We booked this tour last minute at the end of our trip, and we wish we’d done it sooner! So our only advice would be to book this tour for the start of your trip so you can refer back to what you learned when you visit other temples. We booked the tour through his website because we wanted a tour that included a hike. Highly highly recommend!!

  950mileyrMay 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5One of the highlights of our holiday.

  What a fantastic tour. Brad is knowledgeable and passionate and has an innate ability to keep all age groups engaged. 2 weeks later my 14yo is still talking about how enjoyable it was. Highly recommend.

  378reidkApril 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5The highlight of our two week trip

  It’s just simply hard to express in words the amazing day our family spent in Kamakura with Brad. We booked the tour last minute around the holidays as we were looking to see a different side of Tokyo beyond the flashing lights and crowds. Bamboo, Buddha and Zen was the antidote. We were grateful that he made time for us last minute. Brad was great with communication from the start and was patient and guided us when we found ourselves at the wrong train stop. We were also drawn to having Brad as an English speaking guide and hearing about his experience of Japan and the culture as a transplant. During the tour, we found Brad to be chock full of information, easy going, considerate, professional, and easy to talk to. We were a diverse group including a teenager, young adult and middle aged folks and he was able to connect easily with us all. We learned so much at the temples, enjoyed matcha in the bamboo garden, and had the most delicious meal of our trip in Kamakura. We appreciated that he always was considerate to ask if we wanted photos taken and to keep safe our tickets and pamphlets as mementos. Brad insisted on remaining with us and escorting us back to the station at the end of the day - despite our retail meanderings along the way. If you’re thinking about this tour, we really can’t recommend it quite enough. You won’t regret it.

  Deanna_NJanuary 2026via Viator

• 5A Perfect Day in Kamakura – Buddha, Bamboo & Zen Tour

  We had such a wonderful experience on the Buddha, Bamboo & Zen tour! It was very easy to get out to Kamakura and meet our guide, Brad, who was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the day flow perfectly. We learned so much about the local history and temples, and Brad took us to some truly beautiful spots — including a few hidden gems we’d never have found on our own. He was amazingly patient while we waited for our goshuins, and he also knew all the best angles for photos — we came away with so many Instagram-worthy shots! The highlights for us were visiting Hasedera Temple and enjoying matcha tea in the serene bamboo grove — such a peaceful, unforgettable experience. We even did a bit of shopping at the end and picked up some unique, personalized souvenirs that will always remind us of the day. This was easily one of the biggest highlights of our trip to Japan. Highly recommended to anyone visiting Kamakura!

  CineequaJDecember 2025via Tripadvisor

• 5Fantastic tour!

  Fantastic Tour with Brad, this tour was definitely the highlight of my trip to Japan. Brad is very knowledgeable, and personable, and has extensive knowledge of the area and of Japan. He will also customize depending on what the group wants. The off the beaten path noodle lunch experience was amazing. I highly recommend this tour, it’s a great way to experience kamakura

  francineaU8976CLOctober 2025via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Kamakura

• Its from-price is 209% above the median of the 117 experiences we list in Kamakura.
• It is longer than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 9 of 117.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Kamakura

Kamakura is a coastal town south of Yokohama, once Japan's samurai capital, known for the Great Buddha, Zen temples and surf beaches.

Kamakura was the seat of the first samurai government, from the late twelfth to the early fourteenth century, and its hills still hide dozens of temples and shrines. The Great Buddha at Kotoku-in, a bronze figure about eleven metres high, sits in the open air, and the broad avenue of Wakamiya leads from the beach to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, the town's main shrine. Hasedera temple has a tall wooden statue of Kannon and a terraced garden above the sea.

Top-ranked sights in Kamakura: Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

See all 117 experiences in Kamakura