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Tour No. 03

Kamakura: The Zen Journey

© Zenrise
Tour
No. 03
Area
Kamakura
Format
Full / Half-day
Length
8 hours
Group
1 – 6

Kamakura has preserved its temples for 850 years — and its stillness for just as long.

This tour is built around that stillness: not a rapid checklist of sights, but an unhurried journey through three of Kamakura's Five Great Zen Temples. Your guide brings their history to life while giving you time to slow down and absorb each place.

The Five Mountains, or Kamakura Gozan , are five of the city's most important Rinzai Zen temples, whose foundations were laid during the Kamakura shogunate and later ranked among the highest in the temple hierarchy under the Muromachi shogunate: Kencho-ji, Engaku-ji, Jufuku-ji, Jochi-ji, and Jomyo-ji.

On this journey, experience a brief zazen meditation at Engaku-ji, stroll through the seasonal grounds of Jochi-ji, and savor matcha overlooking the dry landscape Zen garden at Jomyo-ji. The morning concludes with a relaxed lunch tailored to your taste.

Everything is arranged in advance. All you need to bring is a willingness to slow down.

For full-day tours, the afternoon itinerary following lunch is fully customized to your preferences.

The route.

Meet & Greet at Kita-Kamakura Station

The standard meeting point is Kita-Kamakura Station. Your guide will meet you outside the West Exit. Complimentary pick-up and drop-off within Kamakura and Fujisawa cities. Please let us know your preferred location in advance. If you require hotel pick-up from Tokyo or another area outside Kamakura or Fujisawa, or would like to arrange a private vehicle, we can provide a custom quote based on your departure point.

Engaku-ji — Zazen Meditation: A Stillness Held in Half-Light

Engaku-ji ranks second among Kamakura's Five Mountains, the great Zen temples of the old shogunate. Here, your guide will lead a short zazen meditation — not a full formal session, but enough to experience, even briefly, what the practice asks of you: stillness, breath, and attention.

Jochi-ji — Discovering Wabi-Sabi: The Quiet Beauty of Zen

Jochi-ji, the fourth of the Five Mountains, keeps its grounds simple — a bamboo grove, moss-covered stone steps, and flowers that change with the seasons. There is little to do but walk slowly, let your senses settle, and take in the scenery as it unfolds.

Zen Lunch — Shojin Ryori or Your Choice

Enjoy traditional shojin ryori (Zen Buddhist vegetarian cuisine) or a lunch tailored to your preferences, arranged in advance as part of the experience.

Jomyo-ji — A Bowl of Matcha, Served in Quiet

Jomyo-ji, ranked fifth among the Five Mountains, is home to a beautiful tea house set quietly within its grounds, overlooking a dry landscape Zen garden raked into rippling lines. Here, matcha is served in quiet, with the garden doing the talking.

Tour End & Drop-off

Complimentary drop-off within Kamakura and Fujisawa cities.

Other info.

Included
  • Private, English-speaking guide.
  • Admission fee for all 3 temples
  • Short zazen meditation at Engaku-ji.
  • Zen Buddhist lunch (Shojin Ryori) or a meal of your choice.
  • Matcha at the Jomyo-ji teahouse
  • Local transportation during the tour within Kamakura
  • Insurance
  • Advance reservations and arrangements
  • Complimentary pick-up and drop-off within Kamakura & Fujisawa cities
Not included
  • Additional food and drinks not specified in the itinerary
  • Private car or transfer from a hotel or central Tokyo (quoted separately on request)
  • Personal expenses
What to bring
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Cash
Good to know
  • We meet at Kita-Kamakura Station. If you prefer a transfer from a hotel outside the Kamakura/Fujisawa area or from central Tokyo, we can provide a separate quote based on your starting location.
  • Please let us know your lunch preferences and any dietary requirements when you book.
  • This itinerary outlines our half-day tour. For full-day bookings, the afternoon itinerary after lunch is customized to your requests.
  • Cancellation Policy : 20% at 10–8 days before / 30% at 7–3 days before / 40% at 2 days before / 50% at 1 day before / 100% within 23 hours before departure or no-show.

Cancellation, insurance and payment terms in full →

from ¥50,000 ・ 1–6 travelers

Walk it with us.

Tell us your dates and we’ll come back within two working days with the mornings we have open. Printed pamphlet included, English and Japanese.

Book this tour  →