This ancient temple is ranked first among the Kamakura Gozan. It features many old buildings, with a temple bell designated the national treasure. Our zazen experience, which has explanations available in English, is popular with foreign visitors. Enjoy a different travel experience by taking your time to relax and enjoy the clean air.Kamakura's greatest Zen temple. Enjoy the tranquility of the Zen garden, and view of Mt. Fuji from the observation deck up the hill on clear days in winter.How about starting your day with zazen meditation? The cool air will help you feel refreshed, and a leisurely breakfast and sightseeing trip will make for a different kind of travel experience.

Kamakura is a hotspot for some of Japan’s most significant temples and shrines. Many of these revered locations are connected by beautiful hiking trails, and traversing them provides meaningful encounters with Japan’s natural beauty and Buddhist history.

The shrine is located on a small hill to the west of the main Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine. The oldest shrine pavilion on the grounds dates from the Muromachi period, and is surrounded by red flags dedicated by many people wishing for prosperous business.

Alongside Usa and Ishimizu, Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine is one of the major Hachimangu shrines in Japan. In the 6th year of the Kouhei Era (1063), Minamoto no Yoriyoshi returned after subduing the Oshu region and entered Kamakura, where he secretly transferred Ishimizu Hachimangu Shrine to another shrine in Yui Township Tsuruoka near the coast and called it Tsuruoka Wakamiya Shrine. Later in the 4th year of the Jisho Era (1180), Minamoto no Yoritomo entered Kamakura and relocated the shrine to Kitayama in Kobayashi Township (the current site). In the 2nd year of the Kenkyuu Era (1191), the shrine pavilion was built on the hillside of the Mount Daijinyama, and the current spectacular upper and lower palaces were built. Since then, the shrine has been the head of the Kamakura Shogunate's religious order and has been revered as the deity of the Minamoto clan and the guardian deity of the warrior class. The present main shrine was rebuilt in 1828 by Ienari Tokugawa, the 11th shogun of the Edo Shogunate, and is designated as a National Important Cultural Property along with the regent shrine Wakamiya. Deities: Emperor Ojin, Himejin, and Empress Jingu. Regularly held festival day: September 15. The shrine has a Wakamiya regent shrine, Takeuchi Shrine, Maruyama Inari Shrine, Shirahata Shrine, Soreisha Shrine, Hatagami Benzaiten Shrine, and an Imamiya Shrine and Yui Wakamiya Shrine outside of the shrine grounds.An imposing shinto shrine founded in 1063, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is the spiritual center of Japan's ancient capital Kamakura, so important that the city was built around it. In spring, the 1.8 km approach from the station is lined with vibrant pink cherry blossoms.The best time to visit a shrine is in the morning, so start your day with a visit and breathe in the crisp morning air.

Meigetsu-in Temple in Kita-Kamakura is also known as The Temple of Hydrangeas. For hydrangea season around June, many people flock here to view approximately 2,500 hydrangeas. The hydrangeas planted at Meigetsu-in are all a uniform blue color, dubbed "Meigetsu-in Blue."Visitors can admire the dry zen garden year-round. It is said to represent the mythical Buddhist Mount Shumi.The inner garden hosts a beautiful variety of shrubbery and foliage, and is beautiful all year round. Visitors can only enter the garden twice a year — otherwise, they can only get a peek of the garden through the Main Hall's Window of Enlightenment.The window of enlightenment is a circular window that can be seen when looking into the Main Hall. This window is said to symbolize enlightenment, reality, and the vastness of the universe.Lined with tatami, the minimalistic main hall fills visitors with a sense of calm, and perfectly frames the Window of Enlightenment.